8 on the; coral 



coral, fresh-gathered in sea-water, he perceived, in a 

 short time, that the little ruddy tubercles which ap- 

 peared on the surface of the bark, began gradually to 

 unfold, and at length opened into white flowers 

 in the form of stars, with eight points which were 

 sustained by a little calyx, divided, in like manner, 

 into eight parts. Upon taking the coral out of the 

 water, the flowers immediately closed, and returned 

 into red tubercles as before; which tubercles, being 

 closely squeezed, yielded a sort of milky juice : and 

 upon returning the coral into the water as before, the 

 tubercles, in an hour's time, opened, or flowered 

 afresh; and this was continued for fix or eight days, 

 when the buds, or tubercles, ceased to blow any 

 more. In ten or twelve days they became detached 

 from the coral, and sunk to the bottom, in form of 

 little yellow balls. These tubercles then, according 

 to the analogy of plants, should be the flowers of 

 coral ; and the milky viscid juice contained therein, 

 the pollen. Accordingly it is held, that when this 

 juice falls on a properly-disposed body or nidus, a 

 new coral arises therefrom; and the analysis of coral 

 answers precisely to that of other sea-plants, all of 

 them affording a volatile urinous salt, and a thick 

 blackish fetid oil." — Elementa Chemise of Boer- 

 haave, page 133, Note. vol. 1. & Mem. del'Acad. 

 An. 1 70S. 



Whether, after all, the striated papilLe, which 

 are of a stellar figure, and the two or more apertures 

 of which are divided, generally, into twelve parts, 



.'itain an animal whose labour produces the growth 



of 



