[ 453 3 
of the coral ; that there iffued forth lefs milk from 
the large branches than from the fmaller ones; andr 
that the firft were harder, and lefs compreffible. 
The bark of coral covers the whole plant from the 
root to the extremities of the fmalleft branches. It 
will peel off; but this is only when juft taken out of 
the water. After it has been expofed for a fhort time 
to the air, you cannot detach it from the body of 
the coral, without rubbing it to powder. This bark 
appears pierced with little holes, and thefe anfwer to 
fmall cavities upon the fubftance of the coral. When 
you take off a piece of this bark, you obferve an infi- 
nite quantity of little tubes, which conned; the bark to 
the plant, and a great number of little glands adhering 
to thefe tubes ; but both one and the other do not 
diftindly appear, except when they are full of juice.. 
It is from thefe tubes and glands that the milky juice 
of coral iffues forth. Befides thefe, you fee in variety 
of places the bark pufh itfelf outwards, where the 
fubftance of the coral is hollow'd, and form'd into 
the little cells, taken notice of by Boccone 2nd Mar- 
figli. In thefe you fee little yellowifh bodies, of 
the length of half a line, which terminate at the 
holes in the bark ; and it is from thefe that the flow- 
ers appear. 
Our author has found branches of coral, which, 
having been broken, have fallen upon other branches, 
have faften’d themfelves thereto, and have thus con- 
tinued to grow. He has found, when a piece of ftone, 
fhells, or other hard bodies, have offer’d themfelves 
between the ramifications of coral, that it has ex- 
panded itfelf over them, and inveloped them in its 
fubftance. He has feen pieces of coral growing 
upon 
