XIV 
INTRODUCTION. 
Immediately afterwards pluck the Corallines off the Shells, 
and put them in Bottles of Spirits as before. When they 
are received, in order to be examined, you muft provide 
long narrow Bottles of Chryftal-glafs to put the different _ 
Sorts in; thefe muft have wide Mouths, and be filled with — 
the cleareft Spirits, but not ftronger than Proof-Brandy ; 
and of fuch a Diameter as hall be agreeable to the Focus of 
the Glafs you propofe to examine them by. If thefe Bottles 
are properly ftopped to prevent the Spirits evaporating, it 
will be the beft Method I know of keeping thefe extraordi- 
nary Plant-like Animals in a Condition capable of convince- 
ing the moft incredulous of their Nature and Origin. 
‘It will be neceflary to inform the. Curious, that Experi- 
ments of this Kind fucceed beft in warm Weather; the 
Animals being generally found contracted and torpid during — 
the Winter-Seafon. sg) 
The foregoing Obfervations, on the Nature of the Veficu — 
lated and Celliferous Corallines, gave me the firft Hints into 
the Formation of the Keratophyta ; which was the more fa- 
tisfactory to me, as this Clafs of Beings {till pafles among very 
fenfible and curious Naturalifts for mere Vegetables, but in- 
crufted over by Accident, like many other Plants, with the 
Nefts of certain Species of Infeéts peculiar to fuch particular 
Kind of Plants. . 
In the Cabinets of the Curious, we meet with Specimens 
of fome Species of thefe Keratophyta, fo nearly allied to fome 
of our yelaculated Corallines, with large Denticles, that they 
feem to claim an Alliance to both Claffes. One of thefe is 
defcribed in Plate XXVI,. at Fig. S. 
; The reft of this Clafs of -Keratophyta, I found to corre- ~ 
{pond with the Veficulated and Celliferous Claffes, in fuch | 
material Points, as left me no Room to doubt, but that, if 
one 
