[ 45 ° ] 
fir ft time they hauled in the drudge, I difcovered a 
moft extraordinary fea-produ&ion furrounding the 
ffem of an old fucus teres : it was of a hardifh, but 
flefhy fubflance, and more than an inch thick, of a 
light brown or alii colour, the whole furface co- 
vered over with bright yellow filming and flar-like 
bodies, which induced me to believe it to be an unde- 
fcribed fpecies of alcyonium. I put it immediately into 
a bucket of fea-water, expecting every moment, that 
the polypes, which I thought to lodge in thofe little 
ffars, would extend and fhew themfelves like thofe 
of the alcyonium, N° 2 of Ray's Synopjis , commonly 
called dead-man’s hand ; but after more than half 
an hour’s fix’d attention, the veflel lying very quiet 
all the time, I did not perceive the leaf!; appearance 
of any polypes : upon which I brought them to 
ihore in the fea-water, and then, by means of my 
microfcope, I difcovered every one of thofe fiars to 
be a true animal, and much more beautiful than any 
polype, but quite of a different ftrudure* which 1 
ihall now defcribe to you. 
Every one of thofe ffars is compofed of many thin 
hollow radii, of a pear-fhape form, from five to 
twelve or more in number, all united intimately at 
their fmaller end : every radius appears broad at the 
extreme part from the center, and a little convex in 
the middle of this raifed broad part. When the ani- 
mal is alive, there appears a circular little hole, which 
contracts and opens itfelf frequently. All the radii 
are of this fi rudture ; but their common center, which 
is formed by a combination of all the fmall converge- 
ing extremities, exhibits an opening of a circular* 
oval, or oblong figure, forming a kind of riling riin 
like. 
