228 Natural History of British Zoophytes. 



fructification of the conferva, and proves to a demonstration that 

 when Baster and Pallas attributed a similar fructification to coral- 

 lines, they had very erroneous ideas of the subject.* 



The discussion rested here, and zoophytes, including the sponges 

 and corallines, have been ever since enumerated among the subjects 

 of the animal kingdom, although some, among whom Spallanzani 

 may be particularized, continued in the belief that the corallines and 

 the sponges were vegetables. But naturalists continue to be divid- 

 ed in opinion relative to the nature of acknowledged zoophytes, for 

 many still speak of them as intermediate beings partaking of a two- 

 fold nature, while others defend their claims to pure animality. No 

 new doctrine has been promulgated ; neither indeed have the old 

 been defended or attacked by any other facts or arguments than 

 those already referred to, and with these before me I cannot hesitate 

 to give my assent to the opinion of Ellis. No one denies that the 

 polypes considered abstractedly from their polypidoms are really ani- 

 mals ; — their quick and varied movements, — their great irritability, 

 — the existence of a mouth and stomach,. — the nature of their food, 

 its digestion, and the evomition of the indigestible remains are in- 

 contestible proofs of this ; — and it seems improbable, to say no more, 

 that this animal should be fitted round with a case that grew inde- 

 pendent of it and from a different cause. And the case itself has 

 no analogy, as Ellis shewed very clearly, either to bark or to wood : 

 it possesses the structure of neither of them, nor is it formed in the 

 same manner by the addition of concentric layers, nor does it contri- 

 bute to the formation of new parts, but, like the shell of testaceous 

 mollusca, it is extravascular and inorganic, and when once formed 

 suffers no other change than what external injuries or time may ope- 

 rate. If possible its coincidences with the skin of cellular plants are 

 even fewer : the one is a living part which has very important func- 

 tions to perform in relation to the plant itself and to the atmosphere 

 or circumfluent medium in which it lives ; the other exhibits no ac- 

 tion characteristic of life, and is nothing more than a condensed al- 



-* Phil. Trans. Vol. lvii. p. 404, &c Pallas appears to have been con- 

 vinced by this essay that the Corallines were animal ; and he acknowledged that 

 in reference to the land species he had been imposed on — Lin. Corresp. i. 227, 

 and 568. Yet it should be remembered that Captains Vancouver and Flinders 

 observed on the shores of New Holland, at considerable heights above the level 

 of the sea, arborescent calcareous productions which they considered to be corals. 

 Peron says they are either corals or vegetables incrusted with calcareous mat- 

 ter; and Dr Clarke Abel has proved that they are the latter — Edin. Phil. Journ. 

 ii. 198. 



