VARIOUS KINDS OF CORAL. 485 



The coral is not sold by the fishermen themselves, but 

 by the speculators who fit out the boats and hire the 

 crews. The largest markets are at Bona and La Calle, 

 on the African coast, and at Trapani, in the island of 

 Sicily. 



The following kinds of coral enter into commerce : 



1. Dead or Rotten Coral, a name given to the so-called 

 "roots" of the polypidom, which are covered with calcare- 

 ous deposits and bryozoairia. It is worth from Is. 7d. 

 to 4s. the ton. 



2. Black Coral; that is, coral loosened from the original 

 mass, and embedded in the mud, where it undergoes a 

 certain modification through the action of sulphurous ex- 

 halations. It is used as an ornament by ladies in mourn- 

 ing, and fetches the price of 4s. 6d. to 6s. per Ib. 



3. Mass Coral is an aggregation of fragments of all 

 sizes, the commonest refuse mixed with the finest 

 branches ; in other words, it is the natural coral, just 

 as dredged up from the ocean depths. Its price varies 

 greatly, being sometimes as low as <! per Ib., and some- 

 times as high as XI, 10s. 



4. Picked Coral is, of course, the best branches, care- 

 fully picked out from the mass. It is sold by weigh c, 

 at from <5 to <10 per Ib. 



5. White Coral. This variety is not often met with ; 

 it differs from the red in nothing but colour. 



There are other varieties, known by such names as 

 " froth of blood," " flower of blood," " first blood," " second 

 blood," and the like ; but for these no great demand 

 exists. 



The commercial value of this material depends greatly 

 on the form of the branches. When they are weak and 



