FOSSIL INVERTEBRATED ANIMALS. 515 



other day, was considered to exist in the fossil state only, two 

 specimens of living species, from the American seas, are now 

 in England : one in the British Museum, the other in that of 

 the Geological Society. 



It does not appear that either corals or corallines are found 

 in the fossil state. Fortis speaks of the latter ; but it would 

 appear that he has mistaken for them certain small ramous 

 polyparia. 



Imperati appears to be the first author who has employed 

 the word Madrepora to signify a species of stony polyparia. 

 Marsigli extended it to all polyparia of this nature : Boerhaave 

 and Tournefort applied it to those which are very porous ; and 

 Linnaeus, in fine, restrained it to the species which present 

 excavations at their surface, in the form of lamellated stars ; 

 of which he has constituted a distinct genus in his class of 

 zoophytes. It is not necessary here to trouble the reader with 

 the reformations of subsequent naturahsts on this genus. Suffice 

 it to say, that the best of them, that of M. Lamarck, who has 

 made the madrepores of Linnaeus and Pallas a section of the 

 polyparia, which he names lamellifei'ous, and has reserved the 

 name madrepore for the lamelliferous and dendroid polyparia, 

 is unfortunately based only on the knowledge of the polyparium, 

 or cretaceous mass, produced by the animals. Though science 

 is in possession of some facts respecting certain of these ani- 

 mals themselves, there is far from being sufficient information 

 respecting them all ; yet such information is indispensable for 

 the proper formation of genera, founded on the consideration 

 of the polyparium only. Imperati was the first who had the 

 least idea that the madrepores of Linnaeus belonged to animals. 

 This fact was subsequently confirmed by other naturalists ; but 

 still we have no information concerning any animal of the 

 genus madrepore, as it is restricted by M. Lamarck. The 

 definition of that genus must, therefore, stand thus : — Unknown 

 polypi, contained in cellules, or lodges, more or less deep; 

 more or less projecting ; hardly stelliform ; scattered on the 



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