[ S«9 ] 
The variety of thefe foils under the fea is remark*, 
able. It is to this, that Dr. Donati afcribes the va- 
rieties obferved with refped: to the nature and quan- 
tity of plants and animals found at the bottom of the 
fea. Some places are inhabited by a great number 
of different fpecies of plants and animals j in others, 
only fome particular fpecies are found • and laftly, 
there are other places, in which neither plants nor 
animals are to be met with. 
Thefe obfervations not only point out to us the 
affinity and refembiance between the furface of the 
eaiv*h and the bottom of the fea; but may likewife 
contribute to difeover to us one caufe of the varieties, 
which are obferved in the diftribution of the marine 
foffils found in the earth. 
Dr. Donati remarked in that vaft mafs of marble, 
which is common to the bottom of one part of the 
Adriatic Sea, and to the neighbouring provinces to- 
wards the eaft, a multitude of marine bodies petri- 
fied ; fome of which are fo united to the flony fub- 
ftance, that they are fcarce to be diftinguifhed. He 
found in fome places human bones petrified, rffiich 
form one mafs with a mixture of marble, red earth, 
and ftaladtites. 
One of the objects, which moft excited the atten- 
tion of our author, was a cruft, which he difeovered 
under the water in divers places, and for a great ex- 
tent. It is a compofition of cruftaceous and tefta- 
ceous bodies and beds of polypes, of different 
kinds, confufedly blended with earth, fana, and 
different marine bodies, which enter into 
the compofition of this cruft, are found at the depth 
Vol, 49. 4F of 
gravel 
Th 
