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ceived, in the various terms which have -been employed to designate 

 the smaller parts of the animal ; such as asteriae, trochita3, &c. 



Whilst seeking more appropriate names, I shall employ the same 

 delicacy, as is demanded on any other occasion, of interfering with 

 accepted terms : I shall endeavour to obtain such names as are fitted 

 to the parts of an animal, with as little change as possible of the 

 terms now in use ; many of which having been derived from the ve- 

 getable kingdom, must, however, of necessity, undergo alteration. 



Whilst thus endeavouring to adapt proper names to the respective 

 parts of these animals, it will be proper to take a view at the same 

 time of the uses of those parts ; since it is hoped, that we may there- 

 by be led to the adoption of such terms, as may be employed with 

 most propriety for their designation. 



Several bodies have been discovered, which, from their form, the 

 manner in which they are disposed, and from various other circum- 

 stances, have been considered as the inferior terminating, or radical 

 part of these animals. These it seems proper to regard as the inferior 

 extremities of the animal ; but whether these existed in a loose float- 

 ing state, furnishing the animal with the means of merely temporary 

 attachment, and voluntary removal; or whether they served, like the 

 extended and flattened bases of the Gorgonice, to fix the animal im- 

 moveably to one particular spot, cannot, perhaps, be known : the de- 

 termination of this question will not, however, affect the name here in- 

 tended to be employed. PEDICLE, or Astropodium, long used by 

 oryctologists, appears to be generally applicable to such substances. 

 Astropodium, implying the pedicle of a star-shaped animal, is un- 

 doubtedly very proper, in some particular instances ; but the word pe- 

 dicle appears to be preferable, on account of its being more capable 

 of general application. 



Instead of the term stalk, so generally used with reference to the 

 stem of the stone lily, we .shall adopt that of TRUNK : and with re- 

 spect to its component parts, so long known by the names Trochitce^ 



