Articulated Corallines. 5'5 



Ohfervatiom on fo?ne of the articulated CcraUines of 

 Jamaica : 



Thefc are introduced here, to fliew the Operations of Na~ pI^'^^'^^'- 

 ture in the warmer CHmates ; and to fet before us in a clearer 

 Light, the curious Conftrudion of the CoraiHnes of our own. 

 Our articulated Corallines, as was obferved before, are fo 

 den{e, except the firft, and their Surfaces fo fmooth, that 

 the Microfcope can but juft difcover to us their Pores. The 

 TVeJl-Indian Corallines arc generally of a loofer Texture : The 

 naked Eye can eaiily difcern the Pore-like Cells all over the 

 Surface ; and at the fame time very plainly diftinguifh the 

 Tubes that connect the Joints. 



When the cretaceous Matter is diffolved in Vinegar, we 

 may obferve, with the Microfcope, the Hinge-like Tubes 

 continued in Ramifications, that expand themlelves over the 

 flat Superficies of each Joint, and end in little Cups, that 

 are united at the Sides, fo as to form a Surface like an Ho- 

 neycomb : Each miiiute Cup has a fmall Hole at the Bottom, 

 by which it communicates with a particular little Tube of 

 one of the lefi^r Branches ; and the Top of each Cup cor- 

 refponds with a Pore on the cretaceous Surface. 



Fig. a and b^ Plate XXV. fiiew t\^'o Species of thefe 

 CoraiHnes in their natural Size. 



Fig. A^ fhews the Pores of one of the Joints of Fig. a 

 magnified. 



Fig. A I, fhews the regular Ramifications ending in flat 

 Surfaces of little connected Cups, joined together like an Ho- 

 neycomb, after the cretaceous Matter of the Joint, at Fig. A^ 

 was taken off by the Vinegar, 



Fio;, 



