492 DR. J. E. GRAY ON SPONGES. [May 9, ciirvatis, elongatis, in valva sinistra diqiUcibus ; maryarita ar-gentea, iridescente. Long. 49, alt. 4], lat. 24 mill. Hab. Shanghai, North China {Lamprey and Harland). Anodonta harlandi, nob. (PL XXVI. figs. 3, 3 a.) A. testa transversa, elonyato-ovata, incequilateraJi, tenuiuscida, injiata, concentrice striata; maryine dorsali postice arcuato, antice excavato ; maryine ventrali convexo ; latere antico ro-tundato ; latere postico oblique subtruncato, declivitate vmbo-nali obtuse anyulato ; umbonibus antemedianis, inconspicuis, sulcatis ; epidermide fusco-olivacea ; maryarita cceridea, callo sitate apicali livido tincta. Long. 70, alt. 45, lat. 33 mill. Hab. Shanghai, North China {Harland and Lamprey). Specimens of this interesting species from China were first sent over to the British Museum by the late Dr. Harland, to whose me-mory we have dedicated this shell. DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXVI. Figs. 1, 1«. Uiiio {Lamp.silis) su/iforfus, p. 491. 2, 2a. (Bi/snom/a) /fn/qji-cj/cnius, p. 491. 3, 3a. Anodonta har/andi, p. 492. G. Notes on the Arrangement of Sponges, Avitli the Descrip-tion of some New Genera. By Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., V.P.Z.S., F.L.S., &c. (Plates XXVIL, XXVin.) Dr. Solander, nearly a century ago, well observed that some sponges are " composed wholly of interwoven reticulated fibres, while others are composed of little masses of straight fibres of dif-ferent sizes, from the most minute spicula to strong elastic shining spines, like small needles of one-third of an inch long ; besides these there is an intermediate sort between the reticulated and the finer fasciculated kinds, which seems to partake of both sorts." — Zoo-phytes, p. 182. In the 'Annals of Philosophy,' n. s. vol. ix. p. 431, 182.0, I pub-lished a short notice on the "Chemical Composition of Sponges," in which I pointed out from chemical analysis, I believe for the first time, that the spicules of several sponges consist almost entirely of pure silica. This paper was very shortly followed by two papers by Dr. Ed-mmid Grant, entitled, 1st, "On Calcareous Sponges," 2nd, "On Siliceous Sponges," published in the ' Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,' i. pp. 166 & 341, for 1826. Since the publication of my paper and his. Dr. Grant has pro-