190 
CLASS III.— ORDER II. 
The Antipathes vary much in form, some ex- 
hibiting a simple stem without the slightest appear- 
ance of ramification, whilst others branch to infi- 
nity, and the branches anastomose like those of the 
Gorgonea flabella ; all the intermediates between these 
two extremes exist in the various species of this ge- 
nus, which I believe to be naturally numerous, though 
former authors have noticed but a small number. 
The colour of the Antipathes is but little known, as 
their gelatinous and slippery exterior almost wholly 
disappears on desiccation ; the axe or interior, which 
alone remains, exhibits various shades of brown or 
fawn, from the brightest to the darkest hue. 
They vary much in size ; for whilst some scarcely 
reach to the height of a decimetre, we find others that 
measure two complete metres. 
They are found in the temperate and equatorial re- 
gions, but appear more abundant in the warmer cli- 
mates. 
According to Rumphius, the Indian nations make 
use of the stems of the Antipathes for divination 
wands, or talismans, which are supposed to resist the 
power of the enchanter. The sceptres of the Indian 
princes are sometimes made of this Polypidom, as 
are also the beads used by the superstitious Bramins 
to count their prayers. 
SPIRAL. 
X. Antipathes spiralis . Stem simple and spiral. 
Var. B. Very long, and simply undulated. 
Mediterranean ; and seas of Norway and India. 
