NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE EED COEAL. 75 
it receives^ in a state of gradual decay. There is good reason, 
too, for this view, for there is no doubt whatever that several 
very valuable coral beds have been exhausted of their supply 
even within the present century. In 1807 three important 
beds were discovered near Pianosa, and were completely 
exhausted as early as the year 1814; and in like manner have 
the once valuable formations on the coast of Monte Christo 
been completely annihilated. 
This being the present state of the coral fishery, what can 
be effected to improve it ? To this question there are two 
rephes : 1st. Preserve the existing coral beds and their young 
by instituting a close season ; and 2nd. Extend the coral 
beds by sowing localities noAV unproductive, with the larvae 
of the polypites as in the case of oyster-culture. The close 
season should begin in spring and end in autumn, and the 
fishing should only be carried on during the remainder of the 
year. Such is the conclusion at which M. Lacaze-Duthiers 
has arrived after a careful and continued study of the period 
of gestation. He has invariably found the polypites laden 
with ova and zoosperms during the months of May, June, 
July, and August, but he has failed to detect them in 
specimens examined during the winter months of the year. 
With regard to the artificial culture of the coral, it may be 
said that the subject is as yet in its infancy. But few ex- 
periments have been tried, and the results of those made up 
to this have not been attended with very favourable results. 
In September, 1861, three earthenware vessels were thrown 
into the sea; one of them was examined in 1862, and found 
to be coated only with Bryozoa Annelida, &c. The other two 
were taken up some time later, and were said to have been 
coveredwith several specimens of young coral which had attained^ 
considerable sizes. It is evident that but little reliance can be 
put in such unsatisfactory results ; but there appears to be 
sufl&cient a ]jriori evidence to warrant the conclusion that the 
coral can be cultivated artificially with as much success as the 
oyster has been propagated under the productive system of 
M. Kemmerer. 
There appear to be four kinds (not species) of coral recog- 
nized by the merchants of the Mediterranean : — 1st, Gorail 
mort oil pourri. This is constituted of the roots of the coral 
and those portions which have not been broken off by the 
engine; it is extracted by means of powerful pincers, and 
generally fetches from 5 to 20 francs per kilogramme.* 2nd, 
Gorail noir, which is merely a variety of the red coral into 
which the black colouring matter of mud has penetrated to a 
sufficient depth to render it fit for the manufacture of orna- 
ments of mourning; this kind is worth from 12 to 15 francs 
