174 ALCYONIUM. 



covered with ftars on its outward fkin, does not fend out 

 the polype fuckers here defcribed : but at prefent, till a 

 new genus is conftituted for it, I fhall rank it with this. 

 The reader, when he comes to confider this animal, and 

 attend to the defcription, will be better able to judge of 

 the propriety of this remark. In looking aver the Alcyo- 

 niums of fuch authors as have lately wrote on the fub- 

 jecl of Zoophytes, I find fome of them more probably be- 

 longing to the Gorgonias, particularly fuch as have an 

 internal harder part, which is undoubtedly the bone or 

 fupport of the animal ; and thefe are very nearly allied to 

 the Gorgonia fuberofa and Gorgonia Briareus, which I 

 could not avoid on this account placing under that genus. 

 The fpecies that I mean are the Alcyonium arboreum 

 Linn, or great Norway Sea Shrub, and probably the Al- 

 cyonium exos Linn, or Manus Latronis of Marfigli. If 

 thefe are cut perpendicularly through the middle, I be- 

 lieve they will appear to have a harder part within, very 

 different from the true character of the genus of Alcyo- 

 nium. Others that are ranged among the Alcyoniums 

 approach more to the genus of Sponges, particularly to 

 thofe that are compofed of fmall fpiculag, which are inti- 

 mately blended with their gelatinous flefh ; but thefe 

 fpiculae in fome are remarkably difpofed on the fur face, 

 where they fur round internally the openings or mouths of 

 the animal. I believe no polype- like fuckers have as yet 

 appeared to proceed from thefe mouths, when the animal 

 was alive, nor any remains when dry ; nor have they thofe 

 ftarry ceils on the furface, which are a diftinguifhing cha- 

 racter of this genus. Donati, who had an opportunity of 

 examining moft of thefe bodies alive, never discovered any 

 polypes on the furface of either the Alcyonium Lyncurium 

 Linn, or Tethya Spha^rica Donat. Adriat. tab. 10. or the 

 3 Alcyonium 



