494 Mr. Stutchbury on the Growth of young Corals 



that in the young state they are fixed sometimes to rocks, and 

 frequently to the dead remains of one of their own species. In 

 this state they grow upon a footstalk, and generally remain at- 

 tached till they acquire the size of nearly an inch in diameter, 

 when they separate at the top of the peduncle*. 



At this time the coral, when divested of the fleshy part, shows 

 a circular opening beneath, through which the radiating plates of 

 the upper surface are visible. In a short time a deposit of coral 

 matter takes place, which cicatrizes the opening, the marks of 

 which however can be traced for a considerable time ; at length 

 the increase of this deposit, which continues with the growth of 

 the animal, entirely obliterates all appearance of it. It will not 

 appear surprising that this circumstance should hitherto have 

 been unnoticed, when it is recollected that it has very rarely 

 occurred to naturalists to visit the places of their growth, and 

 that to general collectors the smaller specimens would appear 

 hardly worth the trouble of preserving and bringing home. 



The sheltered situations in which the Fungiee are found are 

 peculiarly well adapted to their nature, as they would be liable 

 to injury if they were exposed to the full force of a stormy sea; 

 and the circumstance of their being attached in the young state 

 is a beautiful provision of Nature for their preservation at that 

 period, as from their light weight when first developed they 



* The following is extracted from my Journal written at the time. 



"Thursday, January 4, 1827. — This day went to the reefs with two natives to col- 

 lect some specimens of the Madrepora fungites. Succeeded in obtaining one specimen, 

 which illustrates a fact respecting their growth. This is a dead coral having a number 

 of young living corals attached to it by a pedicle : thus it appears that, when very young, 

 they are attached until about the size of a shilling"; you may then perceive a line of 

 demarcation, at which mark the larger ones are easily separable, the lower portion 

 being dead. Thus it would appear that an action takes place similar to sloughing, 

 the larger corals of this genus having no trace left of attachment. These corals appear 

 to inhabit very shallow water." 



would, 



