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fe cohaerentibus, prout in hircina notatur ; colore 
corporis obfcure fufco. Gregatim inveniuntur, faxis, 
teftis conchvliorum, variifque aliis corporibus ma- 
rinis ar&e cohrerentes. Rariffima eft hsc fpongis 
fpecies, nec a nemine, quod fciam, adhuc defcripta 
vel adumbrata. Marfilius comes analogum quid 
dudum defcripfit fub nomine Epnon de coq (3) j 
a noftra vero fatis differt tarn colore quam capite 
pyxidato, prout in figura vifitur. Spongise noftra) 
fruftula nonnu-ila folitaria inveni in littore Etrufco 
inter Populoniam atque oftium fluminis Cecinae. 
Exemplar integerrimum unicum vidi e mari Etrufco 
expifcatum penes dominum Philippum Fabrini et in 
mufeolo fuo Pifis probe aflervatum. Exhibet con- 
geriem ejufdem fpongise dorfo lapidis calcarei ad- 
natam, cujus icon in Tabula VI. exhibetur. Fig. 3. 4. 
It is well known, from the obfervations of Mercati, 
Boccone, Donati, and others, that the coafts of 
Italy in general afford a remarkable variety of zoo- 
phytes. • Pallas (4) likewife particularly mentions the 
many fpecies of gorgonias found on that coaft, and 
juftly laments the indolence of the Italians in not 
regarding them. Mathioli, Mercati, Ferrante Im- 
perato, and the other early writers in natural hiftory, 
made few, if any, new obfervations of this kind. 
They did little more than copy the ancients, or one 
another ; and thought it fufficient to afcertain the 
identity of the fpecies defcribed by Ariftotle, Dio- 
fcorides, and Pliny, and to illuftrate them by figures, 
(3) Hid. Phyf. de la Mer, part 4. pag. 63. pi. 5. r. 22. 
(4) Zooph. .id Gen. Gorgon. 
which 
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