CLASS XIII. ORDER II, 127 



Sec. C. The polypi are united in the form of a 

 dense bark, around an axis, variable in form 

 and in texture. 



ANTIPATHOS, (sea-fan,) animal growing in the 

 form of a plant ; stem expanded at the base, in- 

 ternally horny and beset with small spines, ex- 

 ternally covered with a gelatinous flesh, beset 

 with numerous polypi bearing tubercles. 



GORGONIA, (gorgon,) animals growing in the 

 form of a plant ; stem coriaceous, corky, woody, 

 horny or bony, composed of glassy fibres, or like 

 stone, striate, tapering, dilated at the base, cov- 

 ered with a vascular or cellular flesh, or bark, 

 and becoming spongy and friable when dry ; 

 mouths or florets covering the surface of the stem ; 

 and poly pi- bearing. 



Isis, (bush-coral,) animal growing much in the 

 form of a plant ; stem stony, jointed, the joints 

 longitudinally striate, united by spongy or horny 

 junctures, and covered by a soft porous cellular 

 flesh, or bark ; mouths beset with oviparous po- 

 lypes. 



Sec. D. Having the stony or coriaceous covering 

 branched, rounded, or in plates ; always fur- 

 nished with stellated laminae. In the living 

 state, the stony part is entirely covered with a 

 living membrane, which is soft and gelatinous ^ 

 bristled with tentacula, which are the polypi. 



MADREPORA, (star-coral,madrepore,) animal re- 

 sembling a medusa ; coral with lamellate star- 

 form cavities. 



PENNATULA, (sea-feather, sea-pen,) animal not 

 affixed; of various shapes, supported by a bony 



