MÉMOlHli SUR LUS ANTIFATUAIRKS. 11 



acquièrent de la valeur. Ces citations sont d'ailleurs nécessaires 

 pour montrer que l'opinion du savant anglais n'est pas celle à 

 laquelle nous nous arrêtons. 



« Mr. Gray also stated,that onexamining a spécimen of /Inti- 

 pathes sent to the Britisli Muséum by the Rev. R.-T. Lowe 

 from Madeira, and vs'hich he believed to be identical with the 

 Ant. dichotoma Pall., he had discovered the animais of this 

 remarkable Coral, and thus ascertained (what had previously 

 been only presumed from the close resemblance of their horny 

 axes) its near relation tothe genus Gorgonia. He regarded this 

 confirmation of the generally received opinion as the more 

 important in conséquence of the apparent similarity between 

 some of the species of Anlipathes and some strong flbrous 

 Sponges, which are now generally believed not to be the 

 habitations ofPo/i//)e5. The minute branches of the spécimen 

 examined bore on their surface at irregular intervais a number 

 of red , dry , pellucid tubercles ; and portions of a similar 

 substance were observed hanging from their sides. Thèse on 

 being immersed for some time in proof spirits, and afterwards 

 placed for examination in water, exhibited uuder the micros- 

 cope, in each tubercle, a Polype exactly similar to those of 

 Gorgonia and Corallium, except that it had only six tenlacula, 

 while the Polypes of the two last named gênera bave eight. It 

 is necessary to observe that when examined in spirit, the 

 Polypes and the thin bark by which they are connected to 

 each other and to the stem assumed a uuiform waxy appea- 

 rance, and broke down beneath the needle without exhibi- 

 ting any traces of organisation. This circumstance had nearly 

 inducedMr. Gray to abandon bis search, had he not discovered 

 thatby macerating in water, and thus removing the spirit, 

 the Polype was restored to its natural gelatinous consistence ; 

 in which state it was readily expanded and observed. Minute, 

 pellucid, oval bodies, which are perhaps similar to the irre- 

 gular papillary spiculœ found in the bark of Gorgonia, are 

 scattered through the bark of this species of Anlipathes, and 

 the axes of its smaller branches are minutely tubular. 



