M A D It E P O R A. 75 
*nal to the circumference of its cell, and may, with pro- irregularly ferrate. This is fhown on the annexed Plate, 
priety, be confidered as the inftruments by which the lit- at fig. 5. 
tie animal forms the lamellae themfelves. The bates of 5. Madrepora patella: (lem none; gills granulate at 
thefe conical productions unite and form round bodies, 
which poifefs fomewhat of the figure and of the properties 
of mufcles; they ferving to lengthen or to fhorten the 
feet, and alfo moft probably to regulate the force with 
which they clafp the lamellae on which they exert their 
plaftic powers. The other ends of thefe round bodies 
terminate in fmall cylindrical tubes, which are attached 
to the (hell of the animal; in the centre of which is feen 
its head, capable of moving with great quicknefs, and 
ornamented with feveral rays, which are moft probably 
the arms or claws with which it feizes and fecures the 
animacules on which it feeds. Admitting that the for¬ 
mation of thefe corals is the work of the madreporean 
polype, it may be thus traced through its wonderful la¬ 
bours. It is found that each of the legs of the polype is 
provided with two procefles, which are applied to each 
fide of one of the perpendicular laminae, while a mufeu- 
lar pyriform body, attached to the other end of the leg, 
gives to it the power of employing that motion which is 
neceflary for the accompliftiment of its talk. The young 
polype may be confidered as completing its operation by 
two diftinft procefies ; the fecretion and reparation of car¬ 
bonate of lime from fea-water conveyed through the py¬ 
riform body ; and its difpofition, at the moment of fecre¬ 
tion, by the two fmall procefles, where the economy of 
the.animal directs. Proportioned to the number of legs 
poflefled by the infant animal, is probably the number of 
perpendicular laminae, or pillars, converging in the cen¬ 
tre, which it begins to ereft ; thefe, when raifed to a cer¬ 
tain height, appear to be connected together by a hori¬ 
zontal plate of the fame fubftance ; on thefe the animal 
erefts fimilar pillars, and places on them a covering, fimi- 
lar to that with which he has completed the firft compart¬ 
ment. Thus feem to proceed the labours of this minute 
artift ; and as the number of its legs or inftruments in- 
creafe, and as they extend in length, fo much the number 
of the perpendicular laminae, and the circumference of the 
horizontal plates, augment. This procefs we have endea¬ 
voured to trace in the annexed Engraving, Fig. 1 is the 
naked animal; its head is fliown feparately at fig. 2. one 
of the claws magnified, embracing and forming one of the 
laminae, at fig. 3- and fig. 4 is a faction (howing the com¬ 
pletion and junction of leveral of thefe laminae. 
The fpecies are numerous, and are therefore, for the 
convenience of claffification, formed into five divifions, as 
noticed under the article Helminthology, vol.ix.p. 357. 
and to each of thefe divifions we (hall devote a feparate 
Engraving. 
I. Compofedof a fmgle Star. 
1. Madrepora verrucaria: ftar orbicular, flattifh, feflile, 
with a convex di(k full of tubular pores and a radiate 
border. This fpecies is found in the Red, Mediterranean, 
and Northern, Seas, adhering to marine vegetables, and 
the fofter zoophytes. It is the fize of a fplit pea, and ap¬ 
pears an intermediate fpecies between the madrepore, tu- 
bipore, and millepore ; white or yellowifh, with aggregate 
tubes on the dilk, like florets of a compofite flower, and 
a flattened ftriate border, like the rays of thefe flowers. 
2. Madrepora turbinata : turbinate, feflile, fmooth, with 
an hemifpherical concave ftar. It is lound in Gothland 
and Campania. 
3. Madrepora porpita: ftemlefs, the ftar convex, orbi¬ 
cular, with a deprefled centre; beneath flat, margined, 
fmooth. 
4. Madrepora fungites: orbicular, convex, with Ample 
longitudinal laminae or gills, beneath concave and papil- 
lous. It is found in the Indian and Red Seas ; fometimes 
with and fometimes without footftalks ; is from one to fix 
inches in diameter; white, with a concave centre, and 
rough beneath ; the gills are acute, alternately fliorter and 
the fides, denticulate at the margin, and placed in a triple, 
order ; the third reaching from the centre to the margin. 
Inhabits the Mediterranean, and is about an inch and ;i 
half in diameter. All the gills are denticulate at the mar¬ 
gin, and very rough at the fides ; the younger fpecimens 
are flat, but the full-grown ones convex. This is fhown 
in different pofitions, at fig. 6 , 7, 8. 
6. Madrepora cyafhus: clavate, turbinate, with a ta¬ 
pering bafe; ftar rather conic, with a double prominent 
jagged centre. It inhabits the fouthern coafts of Europe ; 
it is about two inches long, and three quarters of an inch 
in diameter. In fubftance it is white and hard ; it has 
about forty gills, with as many intermediate fmaller ones, 
the latter reaching to the margin, but not extending to 
the centre like the larger ones. It is generally found ad¬ 
hering to a piece of red coral, and is fo reprefented on 
our Plate, fig. 9. 
II. With numerous feparate Stars, and continued Gills. 
7. Madrepora pileus : without Item, oblong, convex, 
beneath concave, with longitudinal rows of concatenate 
liars ; gills crowded, abbreviated. In the furrow along 
the middle is a line of liars with their gills difpofed oil 
each fide in a radiate form ; under thefe on each fide are 
two rows of ftars, as it were linked together, with their 
rays nearly parallel, and pointing upwards and down¬ 
wards ; margin all round terminated by (harp ereft laminae, 
or gills. Inhabits the Indian Ocean. This is (hown on 
Plate II. fig. 10. 
8. Madrepora criftata: foliaceous, crefted, with rows of 
ftars, imprefled in the centre ; the foliations broad and 
flattifh. Inhabits the Indian and South Seas. See Hel¬ 
minthology, vol. ix. p. 358. 
9. Madrepora ladtuca: (elide, with large crowded fron- 
defeent ftars ; the fronds perpendicular, waved, jagged. 
A rare fpecies, occafionally found in the American Ocean. 
See fig. 11. 
10. Madrepora ficoides: foliaceous, crefted, with Mat¬ 
tered ftars ; the lateral foliations flattifh, marginal ones 
carinate ; gills foliaceous. Inhabits the South Sea. 
11. Madrepora acerofa: foliaceous, crefted, with feat- 
tered ftars; lateral foliations flat, terminal ones fubcari- 
nate ; gills needle-fltaped. 
12. Madrepora lichen: foliaceous, crefted, with ob- 
conic rounded rows of ftars, and very acute, carinate, 
l'ubfiexuous, obliquely-placed, foliations. Found in the 
South Sea. 
13. Madrepora agaricites: ftemlefs, with carinate 
grooves and concatenate ftars. About five or fix inches 
in diameter; cinereous in colour, confiding of various 
divergent femiorbicular gills, with numerous ferpentine 
grooves, in the bottom of which are placed the ftars. In¬ 
habits the American iflands. 
14. Madrepora elephantotus : fomewhat turbinate, with 
granulous parallel gills, and fcattered prominulent ftars 
within. Inhabits the Indian Ocean, and is an interme¬ 
diate fpecies between the laEluca and agaricites. It refem. 
bles a thin, feflile, undulately-curled, lamina, with ftars 
difpofed nearly in the form of a quincunx. 
15. Madrepora cruftacea: cruftaceous, with a flat ftel- 
late 1'urface, compofed of thick-toothed concatenate rays. 
Inhabits the American Ocean; obtufely conic, with tile 
ftars difpofed in a quincunx form. 
16. Madrepora incruftum ; unequal, with prominent 
conic truncate hollow ftars, which are diftant at the tip 
and lamellate within ; ftars about the tize of a pea at the 
bafe, and half the fize at the tip. Inhabits the Red Sea. 
17. Madrepora exefa: cruftaceous, with reticulate con¬ 
catenate ftars, and abrupt conic acute interftices. It is 
white, with conic warts ; fmooth at the tip ; gills rough, 
unequal. Inhabits the Pacific Ocean. See fig. 12. 
1 8. Madrepora 
