ASTACILLiE, PURPLE DORIS, &c. 
T HIS very beautiful clufter of Coralines, full of life, and replete with a num- 
ber of uncommon animals, was this fpring dredged up from the coral ^rounds 
a few leagues from the Coaft of Banff. They were adhering, as expreffed by the 
drawing, to the deferted fhell of a black cockle. The infide of the fhel], which is 
of the pureft white, was perfectly fair and clean ; it had relted on a fine fand, and 
was fmoothed on the edges, by gliding along its furface with the tide. The quan- 
tity of tubular coralines, with the air which they contain when the animals are alive, 
would render the whole mafs eafily floated, with the various fluctuations of the 
ocean. The fpring tides muft produce more rapid movements in the waters of the 
fea, to its greateft depths ; and by that means fuch clufters as the above, adhering 
to fhells and (tones, are fet in motion, w'hich otherwife muit have remained ftill, in 
one individual place. 
Thus the myriads of thofe animals which inhabit the deep, whofe nature it is to 
have a fixed refidence, and no loco-motive power of their own, by their cafual dif- 
pofition in thofe regions, are made to travel from place to place : being by acci- 
dental arrangements affembled on fuch bodies as the waters give them power to buoy 
along, they thence enjoy variety of fituations in the deep beds of the ocean, perhaps 
no lefs neceffary, at lead, no lefs falutary and pleafing, than change of air and cli- 
mate is to terreftrial animals. 
One very lively fpecies of little lobfters, which had taken up their dwelling among 
thefe coralines, feemed on account of its novelty to merit the attention of a parti- 
cular drawing. 
Their general form and appearance in their natural date, and the fize of life, 
are carefully reprefented at a, a, a ; an elaborate delineation of the microfcope, 
after a minute invefligation of the particular ftruClure of its feveral parts, is inferted 
above at a. That will more diftinClly exprefs to the curious the peculiarities of 
the animal, than any fpecific diftin&ions which could be narrated. The eye ap- 
peared as a regular arrangement of bright fpecks, in circular rows, as at the figure 1. 
The diminutive Astacill.e, of the general name of Lobfters, is applied at pre- 
fent, as a common characteriftic, until one more particularly appropriate may be 
fixed on to difiinguifh it by ; for thefe are a fpecies, that do not appear to have been 
yet recognized among the varieties of Britifh infe&s. 
The mod carefully attentive and inquifitive of naturalifts, can only be anfwerable 
for arranging and diftinguifhing thofe fpecies which fall under their notice ; and as far 
as the infinite varieties of life in the deep bed of the ocean are concerned, the molt 
extenfive knowledge can be but partially applied; and when at any time undeferibed 
animals are drawn up from thence, it mull depend more on the fortunate call and 
prog red of the hook, the grapnel, and the line, than on any perfeverance or anxiety 
uf tiiofe, v. ho would wifh by that means to attain new fubje&s of admiration. 
