VOL. VIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 1 h7 



And being present at the coral-fishing in the channel of Messina, which sepa- 

 rates Calabria from Sicily, he relates, that before the coral-fishers drew their 

 nets out of the water, he immersed his hand and arm into the sea, to feel whe- 

 ther the coral was soft under the water before it was drawn up into the air, and 

 found it quite hard, except the round end, or button, above-mentioned; which 

 having been bruised with his nails, he found it made up of five or six little cells, 

 full of a white and somewhat mucilaginous liquor, resembling that milky juice, 

 found in summer in the long cods of the herb, called Fluvialis pisana foliis den- 

 ticulatis, mentioned by Joh. Bauhinus. This coralline juice he calls leven, be- 

 cause of the sharp and astringent taste, in such pieces as came recently out of 

 the sea ; those that are dried losing that part of the taste which is acrimonious, 

 and retaining only that which is astringent : which change of taste he affirms to 

 be made in about six hours after the coral has been drawn up ; in which time 

 also the leven, that is inclosed in the pores, is dried, and has changed its colour. 



As to the question whether coral be a vegetable, M. Guisony is of opinion, 

 that so far from being a plant, it is a mere mineral, composed of much salt and a 

 little earth; and that it is formed into that substance by a precipitation of divers 

 salts, that ensues upon the encounter of the earth with those salts; after the 

 manner of the known metallic tree, which in a very little time is formed and 

 increased by the settling and combination of mercury and silver, dissolved in 

 aqua fortis, and afterwards cast into common water ; the parts of this mineral 

 and metal uniting with each other. This sentiment he confirms by alleging, 

 that he can show a salt of coral, which being cast into water, and there dissolved 

 on the evaporation of the water by a gentle heat is presently coagulated, and 

 converted into many small sticks, resembling a little forest. 



The second was a certain stony scaly substance, that scented of bitumen, com- 

 plicated and laid together membrane like, and found in the Hyblean mountains 

 of Sicily, near Millelli, near the town of Augusta, and the ancient Megara. Being 

 burnt in a candle, the bituminous smell will soon be perceived; and it is affirmed, 

 that this stony body, being recently severed from its mine and bed, is flexible like 

 paper; but being long exposed to the air and sun becomes brittle. And the 

 herbs that grow on this stone, insinuate their fibres and roots between its seve- 

 ral coats. 



Thirdly, an extraordinary sanguisuga or leech, found sticking to the fish 

 called Xiphias or sword-fish, slightly mentioned by Gesnerinhis book de Aqua- 

 tilibus, and Johnston in his book de Piscibus.* Our presenter gives it the name 

 of Hirudo or Acus cauda utrinque pennata, because of its working itself into the 



• It is the Fennatulafilosa of Linnaeus. 



