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they loft their tranfparencv, and became red as they 
dried. 
Our author obferved, that thefe flowers grew from 
the branches in every direction, from broken ones* 
as well as from thofe which were whole ; but their 
number leflen’d towards the root; and after many 
obfervations he determines, that what Marflgli took 
for flowers were truly infedts. 
Coral is equally red in the fea as out of it ; and 
this rednefs is more fhining, when juft taken out of 
the water, than even when it is polifh’d. The bark 
of coral, by being dried, becomes fomewhat pale. 
The extremities of its branches are foft, to the length 
of five or fix lines ; they are fill’d with a whitifh 
juice tending to yellow. The coral-fifihers faid, that 
in the month of May this juice did fometimes appear 
upon the furface of the bark ; but this, notwith- 
ftanding great attention, our author could not obferve. 
The body of coral, although hard, feems to give 
way a little, when prefs’d between the fingers ; and 
being broken at different diftances, when juft: taken 
from the water, there always came therefrom a fmall 
quantity of milky juice through certain tubes, which 
appeared to be deftin’d towards the bark. 
Having inquired of the fifhers in what direction 
the coral grew in the fea, they acquainted him, 
where the depth of the fea permitted them to dive,, 
that they had found it growing fometimes perpen- 
dicularly downwards, fometimes horizontally, and 
fometimes upwards. 
Having verified thefe obfervations during the eight 
days he ftaid with the fifhermen, he adds, that he 
had never found any pores perceptible in the lubftance 
of 
