G O R G O N I A. 
flftance he had fb recently experienced. The head of 
Medufa remained in his hands ; and after he liad finiflied 
all his laborious expeditions he gave it to Minerva, 
who placed it on her aegis, with which hie turned into 
ftones all fucli as fixed their eyes upon it. It is faid, 
that after the conquefi of the Gorgons, Perfeus took 
his flight in the air towards .Ethiopia ; and that the 
drops of blood which fell to the ground from Medufa’s 
head were changed into ferpents, which have ever fince 
infefted the fandy deferts of Libya. The horfe Pegafus 
alfo arofe from the blood of Medufa, as well as Chry- 
faov with his golden fword, The refidence of the Gor¬ 
gons was beyond the ocean towards the weft, according 
to Hefiod. ^Efchylus makes them inhabit the ealtern 
parts of Scythia ; and Ovid, as the moft received opi¬ 
nion, fupports that they lived in the inland parts of 
Libya, near the lake of Triton, or the gardens of the 
Hefperides. Diodorus, and others, explain the fable 
of the Gorgons, by fuppofing tliat they were a warlike 
race of women near the Amazons, whom Perfeus, witli 
the lielp of a large army, totally deftroyed. Hefiod. 
GORGO'NlA, a furaame of Pallas, beca-ufe Perfeus, 
armed with he: lliield, had conquered tlie Gorgon, who 
had polluted her temple with Nepiune. 
GORGO'NlA, y'. [Greek; fo called, from the fable 
of the Gorgons.] In lielmintology, a genus bej-ouging 
to the order of zoophytas ; the •■'Cheric chara£l;eV3 of 
tvhich are :—Animal_ growing in "the form of a plant ; 
ftem coriaceous,^ COr’ky, w'oody, hornV; or bony, com- 
poled ot ghtlly fibres, ftriate, tapering, dilatecl at the 
b'.'ife, covered with a vafcular or cellular flefli or bark, 
and becoming fpongy and friable when dry ; mouths or 
florets covering die furface ot the Item, and polype¬ 
bearing. Forty-one fpecies have been afeertained, which 
are as follow ■ : 
1. Gorgoma ceratophyta : this gorgon grows with 
branclred, divaricate, erect, fubdiviiions, each mc.rked 
w'itii two fiiirows; the ; oiy pees or florets are white, 
placed ill iTegular rows; flelh purple; bone black, 
and hotii;. It is ibunt! in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, 
and South American, Seas; on rocks and ledges, about 
a lout high. Its bri.ftit purple flelh, and liivery poly- 
pees, make :i ' ".olt beauiiiul appearance. See a figure 
of tins ill ill ■ uorgi'iiia Plate 1 . 
2. Gorgoma uobilis, the red coral; with fpread irre¬ 
gular ilightly-rapeiing branci.es ; ficfli beautifully red, 
loft, llippery, and fuii of nuiiute pores ; bone ftony, 
and irregularly Itriate. It is found on coral rocks in 
the Mediterranean and Red Sea; is veiy valuable, and 
grows to about a foot in height ; the pores or florets 
are irregularly placed, and a little prominent, conlifting 
of eight valves, from which proceed the polypees, with 
eight tentacula. See a correbt figure of this fpecies in 
tlie lame engraving. 
3. Gorgonia lepadifera: dichotomous, with crowded 
imbricate refiedted campanulate mouths or florets. 
Found on rocks in the Norway leas, near two feet high ; 
flelh pale, covered with minute whitilh fcales ; florets 
covered wdth white imbricate fcales, and have the ap¬ 
pearance of fmall bernacles ; ftem white, with a ftony 
bale and cartilaginous branches.. 
4. Gorgonia verticillaris: pinnate, branched, with 
alternate parallel fubdiviiions covered with verticillate 
incurved florets. Found in the Mediterranean and 
North Seas ; from two to three feet high : ftem very 
brittle, white or yellowifli, compofed of l.iyers of a 
fliining pearly fhelly lublLiiice; flelh covered with white 
glalfy fcales ; branches flexile. 
5. Gorgonia placomus : branching both ways, with 
flexuous rarely ^naftomolingbranches covered witJi conic 
florets. Inhabits the European and Indian feas ; two 
feet high ; ftem eredt, woody, yellow, Ic'arlet, reddifli, 
or cinereous ; branches flattilh, bending irregularly to¬ 
wards each other and rarely uniting 5 ftorets furrounded 
at the top with fmall fpiiies. 
I 
f>fj5 
6. Gorgonia mollis : coriaceous, dichotomous, with 
perpendicular tubular florets. Found on the rocks of 
the Mediterranean ; nearly a foot and half high : brow'ii- 
violer, witli long llender brandies and brown ftem. 
7. Gorgonia I’uccinea : round, amber-colour, dicho¬ 
tomous, rigid; the ftem covered with tubercular gaping 
florets. This is very rare; about half a foot high, 
with a teftaceous ftem. 
8 . Gorgonia Americana : branched and fubdivided ; 
the fubdivifions nearly oppofite, deprefl'ed with rows of 
flickers on each margin ; flelh yellowilh, pale purple 
within ; bone liorny. Found on the rocks and fliores 
in the Weft Indies ; purplilli, or yellowilh. 
9. Gorgonia exl'erta : round, with a few alternate 
branches ; florets alternate, eight-valved ; ttefii covered 
with minute white fcales; bone brownifli, liorny. Found 
ill the Weft-Indian feas ; about two feet high ; branches 
long, ftender, wftiite ; polypees with eight tentacula, 
and exferted. 
10. Gorgonia patula ; comprelfed, with flexuous fub- 
piiinate brandies, crimfon ; with two rows of florets 
each lide, each furrounded withavhililh ring; bone 
brownilh, horny. Found on the rocks in various parts 
of the Medinevranean Sea. 
11. Goro'onia juncea : withaveryfimplerour.fi flem' 
tlipenng both ways; bone duiky,. hoi y” . orange- 
colour, wit!'. tV'"^ ; aorets longilh. Found on 
the rocks and fea-fliores in the American iflands; fome- 
times adhering to Hones; about three feet long, and 
very flexible when alive. 
12. Gorgonia antipathes : flirubby, witli ereCl alter- 
nate panicled branches; bone with flexuous ftriae. 
Found on the rocks in the Indian and Mediterranean 
feas ; from two to tliree feet liigh ; horny, deep glolfy 
black, with a grey bark. Tliis affords the moft beau¬ 
tiful fmooth black coral of the fliops ; and is repre- 
feiited in the Gorgonia Plate II. fig. i. See alfo the 
article Coral, and Coral Rocks, vol. v. p. 187-9. 
13. Gorgonia muricata : round, with deprdfed, fub- 
divided, branches; .flelh firm, whitilh, covered at the 
ends witli cylindrical fpinous florets ; bone two-edged, 
blackifli. Found on rocks and ftones about the Ihores 
of the American iflands ; from two to tliree feet high ; 
coriaceous, liorny, with a white medullary nerve. Tliis 
is reprefented in the Gorgonia Plate II. fig. 2. 
14. Gorgonia flammea : comprelfed, branched, and 
fubdivided: bone flat, horny; flefli fcarlet, covered 
with minute florets. Found on tlie fliores round the 
Cape of Good Hope ; it is of a bright flame-colour. 
15. Gorgonia umbraculum : fan-fliaped, fubreticu- 
iate, with numerous round, divergent, branches ; flefli 
reddifli, covered with florets or polypees. It inhabits 
the Indian Ocean ; ftem Oiort, riling from a broad bafe, 
fending forth two or tliree thick brandies, from which 
proceed many long fleiider fmaller ones, all tending to 
tlie circumference, and united here and there by fmaller 
fide ones, forming a kind of net^work. 
16. Gorgonia purpurea: fubdichotomous, with di¬ 
varicate llender branches; flefli violet colour, covered 
with minute tubercles ; round, fmooth, blackifli ; the 
ends of the branches yellow. Found on the coafts of 
South America ; adhering to rocks and ftones. 
17. Gorgonia faf'appo : dichotomous, round, with di¬ 
varicate, flender, branches ; flefli red, with numerous 
hairy florets. Found in tiie Indian Ocean ; a foot long; 
black, horny, and frequently found with bernacles ad- 
hering to it. 
18. Gorgonia palma : fiat, with numerous, very long, 
fimple, divifions; flefli fmooth, with fcattcred flmple 
pores. This alfo inhabits the Indian Ocean ; from two 
to fix feet long ; brown, liorny, covered with a calca- 
reous coat, and flexile. 
19. Gorgonia radicata : very mucii branched, corky, 
witli very minute fcattered pores, and many-deft at the 
bafe. Found on the rocky fliores of the African feas ; 
fubdiche* 
