ZOOPHYTES. 
Under the title of the Zoophytes, Linnaeus has ar- 
ranged all the Corallines, to which he has added the 
genus Hydra, consisting of animals deservedly ad- 
mired for their wonderful reproductive power. The 
various productions which come under the denomi- 
nation of corallines, were formerly supposed to be of 
vegetable origin, and, like other plants, to be pro- 
duced from their own proper seed. The little crea- 
tures issuing from the cells in their sides, and ex- 
panding their tender transparent arms in search of 
food, were supposed to be flowers in the act of blow- 
ing, and from their receding, when disturbed, they 
might be said to partake of the nature of sensitive 
plants, which contract their leaves whenever they 
are touched. The idea of their vegetable nature, 
however, though once strongly supported, and by 
most persons firmly believed, was at length shaken 
by some enlightened naturalists, and finally refuted 
by the ingenious Mr. Ellis. This gentleman, with 
a strong inclination for the study of natural history, 
and a persevering industry in the pursuit of know- 
ledge, proved beyond a doubt that the different spe- 
cies of corallines are the work of an infinite number 
