8 Mr. ellis on the Gorgonia . 
together by tranfparent reticulated fibres, or very minute 
tranfverfe tubes, interwoven with the upright ones. In 
a horizontal feclion, the ranges of cells, which look 
like rays from the center, as they approach the bark, 
grow fmaller and lmaller, and moft probably correfpond 
with the minute pores which cover the outward furface 
of the plant; for when the fides of the dry Items are 
foaked in water, they quickly imbibe it, and loon become 
full of a gelatinous liquor; all which is totally different 
from the texture of the gorgonia . 
We come now to compare them with land plants, fuch 
as fhrubs, to which they are generally fuppofed to grow 
like. The gorgonia has no regular feries of hollow fibres 
or little tubes, in what is called the wood, either longi- 
tudinal or horizontal. It appears compofed of a fort of 
irregular lamina like horn; the fibres of which take no 
certain direction, nor preferve in any two places the fame 
thicknefs. It has no feries of utricular veffels, as the 
tranfverfe veffels of wood are called by malpighi ; or in- 
fertions as they are called by Dr. grew. Thefe are effen- 
tially neceffary, as forming a communication from the 
bark and the internal parts of the wood quite through. 
On the contrary, the concentric circles of the gorgonia 
have no connexion with each other; they run like fo 
many parallel curves, and are connected by no infertions 
or utricular veffels; but to all have been appearance formed 
by feparate depofitions of concreting matter. So the fliells 
of fnails and oyfters are formed ; their refpedfive animals 
throw out periodically the ojjeous juice or tejlaceous mat- 
ter, which adheres to the former fliell and concretes, and 
thus 
