to oe animated leaves; and there were not wanting 
. thofe who were ready to vouch the certainty of the 
leaves which fell from feveral trees in India and America 
becoming fuddeniy furniflied with legs and wings, and 
foon after fluttering round the branches of the tree 
which gave them birth; while the coral which forms 
the fubject of the prefent plate was regarded as a fpecies 
of petrified mufhroom. It muft be confefled that of 
all erroneous ideas this was one of the moft plaufible;' 
for fo very {hiking is the general refemblance which this 
coral bears to the genus Agaricus, that it is impoffible not 
to be forcibly imprefied with the fimilarity of the ftruc- 
ture. From obfervations, however, which have been 
made in thofe parts of India where it is commonly 
found, it appears to be the production of an animal of 
a foft or gelatinous nature, and which bears a general 
affinity to the fhape of the orbicular deprefled Medufe 
or Sea-Blubbers. The animal forms this curious ful¬ 
crum or habitation by fecreting a copious depofition of 
calcarious matter from every part of its body, and the 
fulci or furrows in the Madrepore anfwer to fo many 
(harp radiated lamina; of the creature’s body. So ten¬ 
der is this animal, that it collapfes and fhrinks to a 
mere pellicle when expofed for fome hours to the air ; 
fo that it is only in the fea-water that it can be viewed 
to advantage. Some fpecimens of this Madrepore are 
proliferous, or have young productions of the fame 
form growing from feveral parts of the concave or 
lower furface. The Madrepora Fungites is found of 
various fizes, from an inch to fix inches in diameter. 
Its colour is an elegant white, and every part of the 
external 
