HELMINTHOLOGY. 357 
fird clafs of corals confifts, which forms federal didinbt ge¬ 
nera ; while the other produces fofter corals, and coral¬ 
lines, fponges, animal flowers, fkc. Thefe genera are mul¬ 
tiplied into a vaft number of l'pecies and varieties ; and, 
both in beautiful forms and fplendid colours,. exhibit 
(hiking examples of the power of the Almighty Artificer. 
The genera are as follow : 
Tubipora, This.is a coral confiding of eredt, hol¬ 
low, cylindrical, branched tubes,'in which the animal is 
a nereis. They are of various colours, red, brown, 
black, white, grey, &c. and.grow on rocks, flones, and 
other hard fubftances. Ten fpecies of them have been 
afcertained ; one of which is delineated in the Helmintho¬ 
logy Plate V. fig. i. 
Madrepora. The individuals of this genus are 
called white corals, with lamellate flar-fliaped cavities. 
The animal refembles a meduf.i; and there are one hun¬ 
dred and, eighteen fpecies, formed into five divifions, 
depending on the ftellated conflruCtion of thejr mouths 
or pores. They partake of all the light colours, from 
/now-white to a rofy hue, pale grey, and draw colour ; 
and are found on the rocks of the Indian Ocean, Medi¬ 
terranean, Atlantic, Northern, and European, feas. A 
fpecies of Madrepora is fliown in the fame engraving at 
fig. 2. 
Millepora. This is alfo a genus of white corals, 
in which the animal is a hydra or polype, growing in a 
branched form, and covered with turbinate pores. 
There are thirty-four fpecies, forne of which are very 
beautiful, of various tints, and of a fine polilh, appear¬ 
ing as if richly varniflied, fome with a filver varnifli ; 
others with pale yellow or blue-grey. They inhabit 
the Indian and American feas, the Wed Indies, Medi¬ 
terranean and European feas, generally adhering to 
rocks, or other firm fubdances. A fpecimen of this ge¬ 
nus isxlelineated in the above-mentioned plate, at fig. 3. 
Cellefora. In this genus the animal is a hydrq or 
polype, of which there are eight fpecies, called like- 
wife white corals, though they partake of red, grey, 
and yellow, tints. They are fomewhat membranaceous, 
and compofed of round cells, the mouths of which are 
margined or fringed with fpines or teeth. They inhabit 
various feas, but principally the Mediterranean.—See 
the article Cellepora, vol. iv. p. 15, and the corre- 
fpondent engraving. 
Isis. In this genus the animal grows in the form of 
a plant, the flem bony and jointed, covered by a foft 
porous cellular fleflr, and the mouths or pores befet with 
oviparous polypes. This is called by fome naturalids 
the true coral. There are only fix fpecies, found chiefly 
in the Indian Seas, round the Spice Iflands, at the foot 
of rocks deeply imbedded in the Ocean, where the fi(h- 
ing for them is attended with confiderable difficulty. 
Thefe are much valued. See one of them delineated in 
the annexed copper-plate, at fig. 4; but for the. large 
fine corals fee the Engravings adapted to the article Isis. 
Antipathes. This genus contains thirteen fpecies, 
the animal growing in a plant-like form, fome of which 
are extremely curious; as may be feen by confulting the 
article Antipathes, p. 772, and the correfpondent en¬ 
graving, in our firft volume. Thefe are confidered as 
black corals, but of an inferior clafs; th.e true black 
coral being a gorgon. They inhabit the Indian, Medi¬ 
terranean, and North, Seas. One of them is delineated 
in the annexed Helminthology Plate V. fig. 5. 
Gorgonia. This is the moil elegant genus belong¬ 
ing to the whole order of zoophytes. The animal grows 
in the form of a plant or ftirub, bearing polypes with 
beautiful ilellated mouths or pores, dilperfed promif- 
cuoufly over the branches, which are of a bony or glafly 
texture, covered with a foft cellular flefh, which be¬ 
comes loofe and friable when dry, leaving the interior 
bone naked, which is the coral. There -are forty-one 
fpecies, affording the moll beautiful black and red co¬ 
rals; all of which are enumerated under the article 
Vol. IX. No. 591, 
Gorgonia, vol. viii. p. 695, 696; and the mod eie- 
gant fpe.cime.ns of them are delineated in the four En¬ 
gravings adapted to that article. 
Alcyonium. In this genus the animal refembles a 
vegetable, fixed at its bafe, and moftly growing in a 
globular or rounded form. The flefh is gelatinous and 
fpongy, befet more’or lefs with polype-bearing ftellate 
cells or pores. There are twenty-eight fpecies, which 
fee defcribed under the article Alcyonium, and cor¬ 
refpondent Engraving, vol. i. p. 255. See alfo a beau¬ 
tiful fpecimen in the annexed Helminthology Plate V. 
fig. 6. 
Spongia. The genus of fponges is not the lead cu¬ 
rious or intereding. The animal is fixed, flexile, tor¬ 
pid, of various forms, compofed of reticulate maffes of 
fibres or fpines, covered with a gelatinous flefh, full of 
finall mouths on its furface, by which it abforbs and re¬ 
jects the water. There are forty-nine fpecies, which 
more or lefs inhabit all feas, growing at the foot of 
rocks, on flones, or any firm fubdance. One of the fpe- 
cics is delineated in the annexed Engraving, at fig. 7. 
Flustra. The animal belonging to this genus is a 
polype, proceeding from porous cells, often fo clofely 
united as to appear like a mat, whence fome of the fpe¬ 
cies, of which there are eighteen, acquired the name of 
hornwrack. They are defcribed under the article Flus¬ 
tra, vol. vii. p. 473, and delineated in the Engraving 
adapted thereto. 
Tubularia. The animal belonging to this genus 
is fixed in a tube, from which it protrudes its tentacula, 
and withdraws them at pleafure ; fo that in its qitief- 
cent date it has only the appearance of a fmall dry cy¬ 
linder. There are twenty-fix fpecies now afcertained, 
which inhabit the rocks in the Wed Indies, on the 
Ihores of America, the Norway and Greenland Seas, the 
Mediterranean, and Indian ocean. One of the mod cu¬ 
rious of the genus is delineated in the annexed En¬ 
graving at fig, 8. 
Corallina. This is a genus of fmall corals. The 
animal grows in an herbaceous form, fixed by its flem, 
and the branches are calcareous, and mofily jointed. 
There are thirty-eight fpecies, which -are found adher¬ 
ing to rocks, dones, and (hells, on the fea-coafis of mod 
countries, and are often midaken for fuci, or fea-weeds. 
All the known fpecies are defcribed under the article 
Corallina, vol. v. 189-192 ; and many curious fpeci¬ 
mens are exhibited in the Engraving adapted thereto.—- 
See alfo one of the fpecies in the Helminthology Plate V. 
9- 
Sertularia. In,this genus the animal grows in the 
fliape of a plant, with a branched flem, producing po¬ 
lypes from cup-fhaped mouths-or cells. There are fie- 
venty-feven-fpecies, formed into two divifions; viz. 
thofe with horny flems ; and thofe with cruftaceous 
fiems. They are in general fmall; many of them mi¬ 
nute, yet beautiful and curious. They inhabit mod 
feas, adhering to fuci, fliells, and other marine fub¬ 
dances. One of the fpecies is delineated in the annexed 
Helminthology Plate V. fig. 10. 
Pennatula. This Angular genus, from the fimila- 
rity of feveral of the fpecies in their growth and form 
to that of a quill-feather, has acquired the popular name 
of fea-pen. The animal is not fixed, as in the preceding 
genera, but has the faculty of moving, fupported by a 
bony part within, naked at the bafe, the upper part 
more or lefs charged with lateral ramifications, produ¬ 
cing polypes from tubular pores, fome of them very beau¬ 
tiful, efflorefcing like a panicle of flowers. There are 
eighteen fpecies, a fmall one of which is exhibited in 
the lad-mentioned Engraving, at fig. n. 
Hydra. This is the lafl'genus of the order, and con¬ 
tains the polypes , properly fo called. There are only 
five fpecies, all very fimilar, and equally endued with 
the power of reproduction. The animal is minute, li¬ 
near, contractile, and furnilhed with a number of feta- 
