860 THE I^ATUEAL HISTORY REYIEW. 



divisions treating of the manner in which the fishery is carried on, 

 the manufacture of the coral into ornaments, and the markets to 

 which they are principally sent. The author commences with a 

 general survey of what has been ^T:'itten on the subject of coral, 

 and refers to the many wild opinions that in olden times were held 

 about its nature, and to the manner in which, when the first glim- 

 merings of truth were discovered, the facts became distorted into 

 new forms of fiction. When, in 1706, Marsigli announced his dis- 

 covery of the "flowers" of the coral the attention of naturalists was 

 again directed to the question of its nature, for it had also been 

 observed that these flowers had a considerable power of motion and 

 were even capable of being altogether withdrawn in a manner totally 

 inconsistent with anything that was known in the economy of the 

 vegetable kingdom. The inquiry was pursued with various results 

 by Boccone, Eeaumur, and Peyssonnel, a pupil of Marsigli. Being 

 appointed by the Grovernment to examine into the natural history 

 of the coasts of Barbary, Peyssonnel had then a valuable opportunity 

 of working out the history of the coral, and to him undoubtedly 

 belongs the credit of first comprehending and making known the 

 relations of the various hard and soft parts which are together found 

 in the living coral. Peyssonnel, however, had to share the fate of 

 many of those whose researches lead to the overthrow of popular 

 ideas. Although his writings had raised him to such a position 

 among scientific men that he was admitted to the Academy when he 

 was only twenty-six years of age, that learned body refused to 

 believe in these discoveries, and it was not until many years after- 

 wards that their truth was generally admitted. In the meantime, 

 Peyssonnel, disgusted at the treatment he had received, left his 

 country, never to return ; and various memoirs written by him were 

 translated into English, and appeared in the Fhilosophical Transac- 

 tions, but were never published in French. 



The animal nature of the coral was thus firmly established, but 

 its organization and reproduction were not systematically worked out 

 until M. Lacaze-Duthiers was specially appointed to the task. 



Before commencing an account of his examination of the coral 

 the author very properly gives an explanation of the several new 

 terms he found it desirable to introduce into his descriptions, and 

 defends himself against the expected charge of unnecessarily adding 

 to or changing expressions already in general use. It is satisfactory 

 to meet with a naturalist who is so conscious of the evil of multiply- 



