108 TAXIDERMY. 



Zoophites. 



These species of polypes live in families ; the 

 axis of their dwelling is a horny substance, gene- 

 rally blackish, hard, and disposed in layers. Their 

 surface is almost always armed with little spines, 

 covered by a gelatinous matter. The axis of the 

 gorgons is also horny ; the flesh which covers this 

 axis contains detached particles, very friable in 

 almost all the species. To preserve them, we put 

 them for an hour, or two at most, into fresh water, 

 and dry them, holding the branches open. We 

 proceed in the same way with sea-pens, pennatulae. 



The calcareous, brittle, and friable substance of 

 the Madrepores, exacts infinitely more precaution 

 in their packing than in their preservation ; those 

 of a middling size, and the smallest, are put into 

 proportionable boxes, which are pressed on all sides 

 with moss : the enormous weight of the larger 

 ones requires that they should be fixed to the bot- 

 tom of the case which contains them, which we do 

 by passing cords between their branches at the base, 

 bringing them out at the ends by holes bored in 

 the bottom ; these ends must be fixed by nailing 

 them outside. We sometimes find large openings 

 in the feet of the madrepores, and we take advan- 

 tage of them to fix the animal more solidly, by 

 passing several sticks into the holes, and after- 



