66 Natural History of British Zoophytes. 



ceivecl a strong corroboration of their opinion from the researches of 

 Count Marsigli, who, having detected the existence of polypes in co- 

 ral and madrepore, had, under the influence of the fashionable theory, 

 described them as being literally their blossoms or flowers.* Peys- 

 sonnel, therefore, had to contend not only against the prejudices of 

 the vulgar based on appearances which spoke direct to the outward 

 sense, but against the actual observations of a naturalist of acknow- 

 ledged merit ; and the observations of Peyssonnel, although nume- 

 rous and unequivocal, were yet mixed up with so much that was 

 fanciful or erroneous, that it is not wonderful his opinion was re- 

 ceived with coldness and suspicion. Reaumur, to whom Peyssonnel's 

 communication was intrusted, even concealed the name of the au- 

 thor when he laid it before the Academy, with the benevolent in- 

 tention doubtless of shielding him from the scorn and ridicule that 

 might possibly be the lot of one who had ventured to contradict the 

 observations of an Italian Count, and to oppose the established be- 

 lief^ and he immediately afterwards read, before the same aca- 

 demicians, an essay of his own, in which he opposed the theory of 

 Peyssonnel with numerous objections, and attempted to explain the 

 growth of coral in accordance to the admitted principles of vege- 

 table physiology.^: 



The memoir in which Peyssonnel originally proposed his doctrine 

 does not appear to have been published : the only account I have 

 seen of it is contained in the essay of Reaumur just alluded to. He 

 maintained that what Marsigli had described as the blossoms of co- 

 ral, were true animals or insects analogous to the Actiniae or sea- 

 anemones; that the coral was secreted in a fluid form by the inha- 

 bitant Actiniae, and became afterwards fixed, hard, and changed into 

 stone; and that all other stony sea-plants, and even ( sponges, are 



* " Ce flit une decouverte qui fit grand bruit dans le monde naturaliste, que 

 celle des fleurs du corail." Reaumur. — Marsigli's work was published in 1711, 

 His name is sometimes written Marsilli — For an account of his works see Hal- 

 ler, Bib. Bot. i. 630. 



f " L'estime que j'ai pour M. Peyssonnel me fit meme eviter de la nommer 

 pourl'auteur d'un sentiment quine pouvoit manquer de paroitre trop hasarde." — 

 Reaumur. 



\ Observations sur la formation du corail, et des autres productions appellees 

 Plantes pierreuses. Par M. de Reaumur — " II prend pour une Plante l'ecorce 

 grossiere et sensible du corail, tres-distincte de ce que nous appellons corail, et 

 deplus une autre ecorce beaucoup plus fine, et que les yeuxne distinguent point 

 de la vraye substance coralline qu'elle revet ; et tout le reste du corail, presque 

 toute la substance coralline n'est qu'une pierre sans organisation." — Hist, de 

 l'Acad. Roy. des Sc. 1727. p. 51. and more particularly his own memoir in the 

 same vol. p. 380 



