i id Mr. Dent to Mr. Ray. 



Ovi Rat£, he faith, Ex quatuor angulis totidem Ungu* 

 la excrefcunt 5 at one End it hath Excrefcences rather 

 to be calPd Cornua than Lingular the other End 

 feems more like a Fin than either. What they may 

 hereafter come to, I know not $ but will give you 

 an Account. 



Mr. Ray to Dr. Lifter. 



Dear SIR, 



I received your laft Letter of Novemb. ji. with 

 your accurate Obfervations about St. Cuthbert-s 

 Heads. A ftrange thing it feems to me, that the bro- 

 ken Pieces of thofe Bodies which you find, I mean 

 of the main Stems, fhould be of equal Bignefs from 

 Top to Bottom, and not at all tapering, if they be 

 indeed the Bodies of Rock-Plants. There are found 

 in Malta certain Stones called St. Paul's Baftoons y 

 which I fuppofe were originally a Sort of Rock-Plants , 

 like fmall lhagged Sticks, but without any Joints * 

 the Trunks whereof diminifh, according to the Pro- 

 portion of other Plants, after the putting forth of 

 their Branches. Thofe Roots that you* have ob- 

 ferved, are a good Argument that thefe Stones were 

 originally Pieces of Vegetables. Wonderful it is, 

 that they fhould be all broken, and not one Plant 

 found remaining entire 5 and no lefs wonderful? that 

 there fhould not at this Day be found the like Vege- 

 tables growing upon the Submarine Rocks, unlefs we 

 will fuppofe them to grow at a great Depth under 

 Water. And who knows but there may be fuch Bo- ] 

 dies growing on the Rocks at this Day, and that the 

 Fifhers for Coral may find of them, tho', being of no 

 Ufe, they negle£t and caft them away. Certain it is, 

 that there is a Sort of Cor all jointed. The fmall Col- 

 lection 



