ALCYONIUM. 



i73 



81. Madrepora granofa. 



Madrepora fubramulofa criflata fubdigitata^ ramis obtufs, 

 ambulacris omnibus acuta ccirinatis undulatis, ftellis acerofis 

 irregularibus. 



XV. ALCYONIUM. 



Animal -plant cz farina 

 crefcem. 



Stirps^uv?, carnofa,ge- 

 latinofa^ Jpongiofa vel co~ 

 riacea. 



ALCYONIUM 



Is an animal growing in the 

 form of a plant. 



The ftem is fixt, and is ei- 

 ther flefhy, gelatinous, fpon- 



gy> 



or a leather-like fub- 



Epidermis ccllulofa, po- 

 rts Jiellatis feu ofculis pcr- 

 tufa, 



Polypos tentaculatos ovi- 

 paros exferentibus. 



fiance; 



having an outward fkin full 

 of cells, with flar-like open- 

 ings, or little mouths, which 

 fend forth 



Polype fuckers, through which 

 the eggs are produced. 



Formerly many of thofe irregular marine maffes, that 

 could not properly be reduced to any genus, were called 

 Alcyoniums ; and thefe were fuppofed by old authors to- 

 be made up of the froth of the fea. Even in thefe more 

 enlightened times many errors have crept into their ar- 

 rangement, and feveral fponges have been very improper- 

 ly placed under this title, for want of attending to the 

 proper definition of the genus : for my part, I mall con- 

 sider thofe only belonging to this genus that agree with 

 the foregoing character, except one that is commonly 

 called Alcyonium Schlofferianum, which, though it is 



covered 



