JOHN ELLIS. 65 



polyps in their cells ; he observed their sensibility 

 to outward impressions ; he witnessed their various 

 actions, and particularly their stretching forth their 

 petal-like arms for the capture of prey. It was 

 proved, moreover, that other functions were exer- 

 cised, and the process of digestion was watched 

 through its different stages. These discoveries 

 tended ultimately to set at rest the question 

 which had been vibrating in doubt for more than a 

 century. 



SERTULARIA LENDIGERA. 



A particle of one of these corallines, no larger 

 than the little figure placed at the side of the 

 engraving, when seen in the microscope, exhibits a 

 remarkable animal structure. There is a central 

 stem from which branches diverge, which may be 



