Petrifactions. 
MINERALOGY. Petrifactions. 
530 
y. T. ferpens, fafcicularis, ftellata, and {trues; in Pruflia. 
39. Heimintholithus niadreporites; the madrepore. Ma¬ 
drepores are found fofiil in Gothland, Belgium, Pied¬ 
mont, and the Venetian territories, in beds of mar). Of 
the forty-two fpecies charafiterifed by Gmeiin, we ihall 
notice only the following : 
0 . M. turbinata; found in Derbyfhire, Gothland, Swif- 
ferland, Auftria, and various parts of Germany and the 
Netherlands, in marble. 
y. M. porpita, or fhirt-button madrepore; in Swifler- 
land, Auftria, Saxony, and Weftpiialia, generally detached, 
in marble,jafper, and flint. 
0. M. aftroites ; in Oxfordfhire, near Heddington and 
Witney; in the Netherlands, Germany, Auftria, and 
Saxony; in chalk, calcedony, or fandftone. 
pr. M. caefpitofa; in Derbylhire, Swiflerland, and various 
parts of Germany, in marble and flint. 
40. Heimintholithus milleporites. The petrified mil- 
lepores are found chiefly in Swiflerland, Germany, and 
Sweden. The following are chiefly worth notice : 
e. M. alcicornis; found in the Netherlands, Germany, 
and Spain ; marmoreous. 
0 . M. afpera; in the circle of Weftphalia. 
y. M. folida; in Sweden and Gothland, near Heiden-. 
lieim in Weftphalia, and near Cormons in Carniola. 
e. M. reticulata; near Kebinghaufen in Germany. 
9 . M. coriacea; in Gothland, Silefia, and Swiflerland. 
M. polymorpha; in Silefia and Swiflerland. 
41. Heimintholithus celleporites ; the cellepore. The 
fpecies chiefly known are, the Cellepora fpongites, pumi- 
cofa, and verrucofa. Found in Gothland, and the prin¬ 
cipality of Hulberftadt, in marble or fandftone. 
4a. Heimintholithus ifldis ; the Ifis, or jointed coral. 
a. Ifis hippuris. The Angle joints are often found in 
England, Swiflerland, and Sicily. 
0 . Ills entrocha. Found in England and ahnoft every 
part of the continent, fometimes in Angle feparate joints, 
lometimes connefited together into a column, from the 
fize of a pin’s head to a finger’s length and the thicknefs 
of the midclle-finger; they are more or lefs tranfparent 
in proportion as they contain more or lefs iiiex, are llri- 
ated from the centre to the circumference, and have a ca¬ 
vity in the middle. When powdered they are efteemed 
very pow erful diuretics, and are exhibited in nephritic 
cafes; the dole being as much as will lie on a fulling. 
7. Ifis afteria, or ftar-ftone. Found in England, Swif- 
ferland, Germany, Auftria, &c. fingle or gregarious, de¬ 
tached or fixed, with the joints folitary or forming a co¬ 
lumn which is rarely curved or branched, fmooth or w'arty, 
rarely three or fix fided, very rarely fquare : the joints 
when feparated referable a radiated liar : when placed in 
good vinegar they have the property of moving, which is 
merely occalioned by the effervefcence caufed by the acid 
a fifing upon the calcareous matter of which they are com- 
pofed. 
With the divifions diftant, orbicular, and connefited 
by a central thread. Specimens of this kind are found 
near Briftol and in Derbyfhire ; in the Hartz, and various 
parts of Germany; in marble or quartz or flint, and often 
containing a large portion of oxyd of iron. 
e. Turbinate, with a five-fided five-toothed border. 
Found on Mount Randberg in Swiflerland, detached, of 
various fizes, and lometimes on a Item. 
43. Heimintholithus gorgoniae, the gorgonia. «. Gor- 
gonia nobilis, or branched red coral; found in Swiflerland, 
and near Verona in Italy. 0 . G. reticulum ; near Drefden 
in Saxony, and Bohemia, in marl or fwine-ftone. 
44. Heimintholithus alcyonii. Eight different fpecies 
of alcyonium, in a fofiil ftate, have been met with in 
Swiflerland and Germany. The A. arboreum has often 
been found in England ; and on the iff of February, 1814, 
a communication was read before the Linntean Society 
from Mr. Reynolds Johnfon, giving an account of two 
fofiil alcyonia found near Lyme. They were in flint, and 
in a very perfefif Hate of prefervation ; and enabled Mr. 
Johnfon to make feveral additions to our knowledge of 
the ftrufiiure of the animal. On the 7th of June follow¬ 
ing, there was read, before the fame fociety, a defcription 
of a fofiil alcyonium by Mr. Gideon Manteil, who confi- 
ders it as a new lpecies, and propofes to call it 
Alcyonium chonoides, or funnel-like alcyonium. This 
zoophite is fuppofed by Mr. M. to be peculiar to the up¬ 
per or flinty chalk in the vicinity of Lewes ; it never oc¬ 
curs in any other flratum, and there is every reafon to 
conclude that it obtains the fame fituation in the hills of 
Wiltihire. He is not aware of any author having noticed 
this interefting fofiil, unlels the funnel-lhaped foflils 
found by M. Guettard at Vereft and Touraine, and thofe 
defcribed in the fecond volume of Mr. Parkinfon’s ad¬ 
mirable work on Organic Remains, are of this fpecies. 
The fpecimens which occur at Le wes do not entirely con¬ 
form to the charafiter of the genus as given by modern 
writers ; yet, being evidently very nearly allied to it, they 
may be allowed a temporary admiflion, till future difco- 
veries lhall point out more precilely their fituation in the 
fcale of animated nature. 
From an attentive examination of the mineralized re¬ 
mains of this alcyonium, it is certain that the recent ani¬ 
mal pofiefled great powers of contrafilion and expanfion, 
which enabled it to aflume various diflimilar forms. In a 
quiefcent ftate it was more or lefs funnel-like; when 
partly expanded, cyathiform ; and, wdien completely di¬ 
lated, it prefented the figure of a broad circular dilk. To 
this verfatility of lhape is to be attributed the great diverfity 
of appearance obfervable in its reliquiae, whole forms mull 
have been derived from the contrafiled or expanded ftate 
of the original at the period of its introdufilion into the 
mineral kingdom. Without the knowledge of this fafil, 
foflils originating from the fame prototype are liable to 
be confidered as diftinfit lpecies, fince it is by the poflelfion 
of numerous fpecimens only that the true charafiter of 
this zoophyte can be afcertained. That the animal en¬ 
joyed the powers of contraction and expanfion above af- 
cribed to it, will appear evident from an inveftigation of 
its ftrufiiure. The epidermis, or external coat, is com- 
poled of fafciculi of mufcular fibres, which, arifing from 
the pedicle, proceed in a radiated manner toward the cir¬ 
cumference, and, by frequently anaftomofing, conftitute a 
retifonn plexus capable of dilating, lengthening, and 
contrafiling, according to the impreftions it received. The 
fafciculi are further connefited by lateral procefles, which 
increafe the firmnefs and coherence of the external inte¬ 
gument. From the inner furface of the mufcular enve¬ 
lopment arife innumerable tubuli, which pals direfil to the 
ventricular cavity, and terminate in openings on its fur- 
face. I11 fome fpecimens a fubftance of a fponge-like ap¬ 
pearance fills up the interftices between the tubuli, and 
probably is the remains of a membrane, which ferved in 
the recent animal to connefit the tubes, and alflft in ftrength- 
ening and uniting the whole mafs. The Hides of the ven¬ 
tricular cavity are generally about one-third of an inch 
in thicknefs. From the balls or pedicle proceed fibres by 
which the animal was attached to its appropriate habita¬ 
tion. Thele fafits beautifully illuftrate the anatomy and 
phyfiology of the funnel-like alcyonium. We find it pof- 
fefiing a ftrufiiure, fimple yet admirable, and well adapted 
for the purpofes of its exiftence ; an external riiufcular 
coat, which enabled it to perform its requifite motions, 
and a ventricular cavity with an abforbing furface, by 
which nutrition was eftefiled. We have, in lliort, the or¬ 
gans which Richerand confiders as charafilerillic of zoo- 
phytal animation. “ The zoophyte, whofe name indicates 
an animal plant, is totally feparated from all beings of the 
vegetable kingdom, by the exiftence of a cavity in which 
alimentary digeftion is carried on; a cavity by the fur¬ 
face of which is an abforption, an imbibition, far more 
afilive than that which takes place by the external furface 
of> the body. We fiqd a tube of foft fubftance, fenfible 
and contrafilile in all its parts. Moifture oozes from the 
internal furface of the tube, foftens and digefts the ali- 
1 ments 
