The Republican., 1899-04-20
GLASS SPONGES.
One OF the Submarine wonders of
the Southern California
Coast.

1t is not generally known that the
beautiful animals known as glass
sponges are found within the borders
of the United States, yet one species at
at least is common, though rarely
taken, off the coast of the Southern Cali
tornian islands, especially on the so
called grouper banks of Santa Cata-
lima, where fishing is carried on in wa
ter 500 or 600 feet deep.
1t was here an attractive specimen
was lately found, being brought up on
fish hook. The sponge was species
of Holtenia probably Holtenia Carpen-
terra, about - inches in height and
nearly six in diameter; the long glass
like roots had been torn off when it was
brought up. In appearance the sponge
was veritable porcupine; long needle-
like spicules standing out all over it,
the longest three inches in length,
needles so sharp and brittle that it was
difficult to hold or touch the sponge
and at a glance it resembled some odd
or fanciful cactus.
The sponge was vase shaped, and
would hold three pints of fluid, bulging
out in the center with an opening in
the top sufficiently large to admit the
closed hand. The long spicules reach
ing out from it presented a splendid ap
pearance when held up to the sun, and
resembled glossy hairs, cleaning and
scintillating wherever the sun flashed
along their surfaces. Many of the spi-
culeS were overgrown with an attract
i've coralline, so that they appeared
branched like the limbs of tree. In
these mimic branches hung pendent
many miniature pink-hued star fishes
and shrimps, while fastened to them,
coiled and interlaced, were the barrow
like egg cases of skate.
That these sponges are fairly COM
mon in deep water offshore is evident
by the small specimens often brought
up and the pieces found in the outer is
lands, especially San Nicolas.
The. glass sponges are so called be-
cause their skeleton, or the spicules,
resemble glass, being formed of silica
instead of lime, and closely resembling
spun glass.
The most beautiful of the group is
the Venus flower basket, or Euplectella
aspergillum, which represents vase
of spun glass of the most beautiful de-
scription. When the first specimen was
found it was sold at fabulous price,
and its true nature was not suspected.
But finally specimen was taken by a
naturalist, who made the interesting
discovery that the delicate and fragile
gIass-ike vase, that seemed to be the
work of some cunning East Indian, was
nothing more nor less than the skele-
ton of sponge whose spicules were
silicious. In the water and alive the
sponge is not an attractive object, be-
ing of a gray color and half buried in
the mud, anchored by long glass-like
streamers. But once dead and relieved
of its covering, it becomes one of the
most resplendent objects of the sea-a
fairy vase, that might well have been
modelled by the sea gods as gift to
Venus.
This sponge has the spicules SO ar
ranged that they present the appear
ance of squares. 1t is closed at the top
and sides, hollow in the interior, and is
occasionally the prison of small crusta-
ceans, which enter the interstices when
very young and unable to escape be-
come prisoners for life, and in the skel-
eton may be seen with their claws pro-
truding through the opening, creating
much wonder among the uninitiated as
to how they obtained ingress into the
CLASSY prison.
Another interesting glass sponge is
Hyalonema, which resembles a glass
rope. The sponge itself is small cup,
perched upon a long series nt glass-like
stems, which is buried in the mud. This
was for a long time sold as the skeleton
of the little coral polyps which are par
asites ON it's stems.-Prof. c. f. Holder,
in Scientific American.