346 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, [aNNO 1753. 



fully advanced in its ramifications : this he calls fucus minimus hirsutus fibrillis 

 herbaceis similis, from Doody's Appendix to Ray's Synopsis, p, 330. 



This curious sea production, which has the appearance of a plant, arises first 

 from many small vermicular wrinkled tubes, by which it appears to have ad- 

 hered, like ours, to rocks, shells, fucuses, or other submarine substances. 

 These tubes, uniting, form a sort of stem which, as they rise, insensibly change 

 into rows of cells : these stretch out into many regular dichotomous branches : 

 each branch is made up of 2 rows of cells united together, and these cells placed 

 in such a manner side by side, that each cell joins 1 others on one side, and the 

 bottom of one is inserted in the top of the other. Their openings or faces look 

 one way : they are nearly of an egg-shape, a little compressed before : the broad- 

 est part is uppermost, and bends a little forward : the top of each is fortified by 2 

 angular points or spines. 



By attentively viewing many specimens of this genus of corallines, in the mi- 

 croscope, that was taken out of the sea at different seasons of the year, Mr. E. 

 observed the progress of nature to be pretty nearly thus : the tubuli, or first be- 

 ginning of the corallines in the younger state, are found full of a yellow soft 

 substance, which soon decays ; in the more perfect state they are clear and trans- 

 parent. The cells, which communicate with these tubes, have in the spring 

 black specks in each, which he takes to be the embryo of the future production. 

 During this very tender and minute state, the opening of each cell is covered with 

 an extremely fine transparent membrane, the use of which no doubt is to cherish 

 and protect it. These specks in time swelling into spherical testaceous bodies, as 

 they are often found in summer, burst through this membrane, and sit in the 

 front of the cell, supported by an umbilical ligament, which is fastened to the 

 bottom of the inside of each cell or matrix, till they come to maturity, which 

 seems to be the case in the microscopical drawing, fig. a, pi. 8 : where they 

 appear to be rows of very small sea-snails, or rather testaceous bodies, of the 

 shape of a nautilus, ready to drop off, and provide for themselves. In the same 

 plate, fig. B, &c. is a microscopical drawing of one of the English corallines of 

 the same genus, with the embryo specks in each cell. 



He further adds, that he believes, if the curious, with good microscopes, at 

 the sea-side, and at different seasons of the year, would strictly examine many of 

 these beautiful sea productions, hitherto claimed by the botanists, they would 

 find that several of the testaceous tribe proceed from some kinds of the larger 

 corals, as well as that many owe their origin to the smaller corallines ; and we 

 are the more encouraged to try, since we observe that various shapes and stages 

 of the same animal are no new thing in the laws of nature. 



