498 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



tected by their shells, the coralli- 

 genous polypi make use of a cer- 

 tain proportion of earth to incor- 

 porate with and give firmness to 

 their form. 



Immediately as a polypus has 

 fixed itself on a hard body, it 

 begins to lay the foundation of its 

 future generation. If you only 

 take some stones from the bottom 

 of the sea round Sicily, you will 

 find on them small branches of 

 red coral, and round red spots, 

 which are the first depositions of 

 the coralligenous polypi. In the 

 same way as the bones of the 

 larger animals are formed by the 

 gradual deposition of the earthy 

 particles separated from their food 

 by vessels adapted to this purpose, 

 so is the covering of these polypi 

 formed by the carbonate of lime 

 mixing and encrustating with the 

 gelatinous matter, which is so 

 abundantly secreted by their de- 

 licate bodies, and gradually incases 

 them except the mouth* If a 

 branch of coral newly gathered is 

 immersed in a vessel full of sea 

 water, these animals are perceived 

 issuing from the stellated holes, 

 their mouths gradually appearing 

 first, and then their silk-like arms 

 extend, in this mnnner putting 

 on the appearance of octopetalous 

 flowers, by which the ingenious 

 Count Marbigli was deceived. 



The multiplication of polypi, of 

 which I have treated, explains ad- 

 mirably the arboraceous form of 

 coral, as also the increase of the 

 branches detached from the trunk. 

 I have before me a fine si>ecimen 

 of the antiphates, the black coral 

 of the ancients, in which the ex- 

 tremity of a branch has united 

 with the principal trunk, and the 

 polypi are seen bedded in it. 



From what we have seen, 1 

 think the term zoophyte inappli- 

 cable to coral ; it is neither an 

 animal plant, nor a plant animal : 

 nor can it be called a zeolite; as 

 it is certainly not a stony animal. 

 It is with more propriety a polipaio ; 

 which, on account of its form, and 

 to distinguish it from the other 

 analogus works of polypi, might 

 be called polipaio dendroide. In 

 using this nomenclature, we must 

 be careful not to adopt the false 

 idea, that the polipaio resembles a 

 wasp's nest ; the wasps may at will 

 leave their nests, but the polipaio 

 is a part of the animal, from which 

 it cannot be detached. Thus the 

 polipaio dendroide is an accumula- 

 tion of ramified polypi, incorporated 

 with the solid substance, in the 

 same manner as the shell of some 

 animals and the bones of others. 

 The above erroneous opinion can- 

 not be entertained by any one, who 

 observes, that in coral the gela- 

 tinous membrane of the polypus 

 is continued into the solid earthy 

 part, the same as in bones. He- 

 rissant has already pointed out this 

 mistake. 



It is to be inferred from the 

 analogy of coral with bone, that, 

 as it does not arrive at once at a 

 state of maturity, but by degrees, 

 its hardness must also be pro- 

 gressive. However probable this 

 idea may be, it has not been con- 

 firmed by experience. I have par- 

 ticularly remarked the small quan- 

 tity of iron obtained in the analysis 

 of the red coral ; 1 have always 

 found it combined with the gela- 

 tinous animal substance in the 

 state of oxide. Not to extend this 

 paper too much, I shall omit the 

 results of various experiments I 

 have made; but they have led me 



to 



