IN THE MUD OF THE LEVANT. 31 



A new light was soon to illumine the subject. 

 In 1823 Dr. Ehrenberg visited the Red Sea, 

 along with his friend, Dr. Hemprich, for the 

 purpose of investigating its corals. He soon 

 became doubtful of the Cephalopodous character 

 of the Foraminifera. The rest I will give in his 

 own words. After careful investigations he says 

 — " The result proved that the disk-like shell 

 (Sorites Orbiculus, Ehr. Nummulina Orbicula 

 D'Orbigny) was a polypary, often composed of 

 more than one hundred single animalcules, the 

 cells of which quite resemble those of a Flustra, 

 the animal putting forth and retracting from six 

 to eight tentacula ; and I even discovered in 

 the interior of the single cells well-preserved 

 siliceous Infusoria, the last food taken by the 

 animal ; and in some of them, also, small globular 

 bodies, which, without much constraint, may be 

 considered as eggs. Though I had at an early 

 period observed that the disk was composed of 

 many cells, yet t could not perceive an opening 

 to them ; but the discovery of Infusoria in their 

 interior led me to consider by what means they 

 could have been introduced. Reflection reminded 

 me that I had often seen coral animals, which in 

 their expanded state exhibited many large bodies 



