81 



TAB. XL. 



GORGONIA viminalis? 

 Slender Gorgonia, 



Class 6. Vermes. Order 4. Zoophyta. 



Gen. Char. Animal growing In the form of a plant. 

 Stem coriaceous, corky, woody, homy, or bony, 

 composed of glassy fibres, or like stone, striated, 

 tapering, dilated at the base, covered with a 

 vascular or cellular flesh or bark, and becoming 

 spongy and friable when dry. Mouths or florets 

 covering the surface of the stem, and polype- 

 bearing. Turt. 



Spec. Char. Slender, branched, florets seated all 

 round the stem, each with a large valve and 

 several smaller ones; bark yellow, 



Syn. Gorgonia viminalis ? Soland. and Ellis, Coral, 

 L 12. f. 1. 



This is not rare on our coast, though it is but little known. 

 The first specimen I received was by favour of Mr. Batten 

 from Mount's Bay in Cornwall. I have also received it 

 from Scotland, and Colonel Montague informs me that it 

 is plentiful on the Devonshire coast. 



It is somewhat remarkable, that that part which we 

 should suppose to be the lodgment of the animal^ commonly 



VOL. I. I 



