moist:  for when it has thus plump’d it self into its natural shape and dimensions, ’tis obvious enough that the mouths of the larger holes have a kind of lip or rising round about them, but the other smaller pores have little or none.  It may further be found, that each of these great pores has many other small pores below, that are united unto it, and help to constitute it, almost like so many rivulets or small streams that contribute to the maintenance of a large River.  Nor from this Hypothesis would it have been difficult to explicate, how those little branches of Coral, smal Stones, shells, and the like, come to be included by these frothy bodies:  But this inded was but a conjecture; and upon a more accurate enquiry into the form of it with the Microscope, it seems not to be the true origine of them; for whereas Sponges have onely three arms which join together at each knot, if they had been generated from bubbles they must have had four.

But that they are Animal Substances, the Chymical examination of them seems to manifest, they affording a volatil Salt and spirit, like Harts-Horn, as does also their great strength and toughness, and their smell when burn’d in the Fire or a Candle, which has a kind of fleshy sent, not much unlike to hair.  And having since examin’d several Authors concerning them, among others; I find this account given by Bellonius, in the XI. Chap. of his 2d Book, De Aquatilibus. Spongiae recentes, says he, a siccis longe diversae, scopulis aquae marinae ad duos vel tres cubitos, nonnunquam quatuor tantum digitos immersis, ut fungi arboribus adhaerent, sordido quodam succo aut mucosa potius sanie refertae, usque adeo foetida, ut vel eminus nauseam excitet, continetur autem iis cavernis, quas inanes in siccis & lotis Spongiis cernimus:  Putris pulmonis modo nigrae conspiciuntur, verum quae in sublimi aquae nascuntur multo magis opaca nigredine suffusae sunt.  Vivere quidem Spongias adhaerendo Aristoteles_ censet:  absolute vero minime:  sensumque aliquem habere, vel eo argumento (inquit) credantur, quod difficillime abstrahantur, nisi clanculum agatur:  Atq; ad avulsoris accessum ita contrahantur, ut eas evellere difficile sit, quod idem etiam faciunt quoties flatus tempestatesque urgent.  Puto autem illis succum sordidum quem supra diximus carnis loco a natura attributum fuisse:  atque meatibus latioribus tanquam intestinis aut interaneis uti.  Caeterum pars ea quae Spongiae cautibus adhaerent est tanquam folii petiolus, a quo veluti collum quoddam gracile incipit:  quod deinde in latitudinem diffusum capitis globum facit.  Recentibus nihil est fistulosum, haesitantque tanquam radicibus.  Superne omnes propemodum meatus concreti latent:  inferne vero quaterni aut quini patent, per quos eas sugere existimamus_.  From which Description, they seem to be a kind of Plant-Animal that adheres to a Rock, and these small fibres or threads which we have described, seem to have been the Vessels which (’tis very probable) were very much bigger whil’st the Interstitia were fill’d (as he affirms) with a mucous, pulpy or fleshy substance; but upon the drying were shrunk into the bigness they now appear.