"

M. D.

AVING for a long time employed myself in the study of the various productions, with which the sea that bathes the Sicilian shores abounds, the coral was the first object to attract my notice. This beautiful and elegant ornament of the sea could not fail of deserving first to come under my examination. I have been frequently present at the fishing of it, near the coast of Sicily: I have contemplated it in the very bottom of the sea, on its native spot: I have gathered it from stones, and shells, and other marine substances, recently taken out of the sea: I have had it worked in my presence: I have analysed the several varieties of it in fine, I have extended my researches to whatever would give me the least insight into the nature of this substance, comparing the results of my own observations with every thing the ancients and moderns have written on the subject, and consulting in every point the treasures of natural history, with which the present day has been so abundantly enriched by the accurate experiments and luminous theories of the many great men of the last century.

"I have endeavoured in the present memoir to establish a clear and precise notion of the origin, increase, and nature of coral. This work has been the more pleas

ing to me, as I flatter myself I have been able not only to confirm by my own observations what has been already written on the subject by former Philosophers and Natu ralists, but to add some new facts, that may tend to elucidate the history of this marine production, which has at all times as much occupied the researches of naturalists, as it has engaged the admiration of the fair sex, with whom the beauty of its colour, and brilliancy of its texture, have rendered it a favourite ornament of dress.

"The ancients, attending only to its external form, conceived coral to be a plant; to which from its ramifications it bears some resemblance, and named it lithodendron, or stony plant, on account of its hardness. It was also called by Dioscorides and Pliny. These en thors and their contemporaries did not attempt to contradict by the most trifling examination, what the poet Ovid (his head full of transformations) bad asserted: that under the water it was a soft plant, but, immediately on being taken from the sea, became hard. This opinion prevailed for a long time, and was encouraged in later times by many great naturalists. Of this number was the celebrated Cesalpino.

"Our Baccone, who took much pains to investigate the nature of

coral,

coral, could not divest himself of this idea; but, gifted as he was with great sagacity and penetration, not being convinced, either from his own observations or those of others, that coral was a mere plant, and still less that it was stone, he imagined, that the milky juice which drops from the pores of fresh coral, was it seed; which, being dispersed in the sea, is precipitated and gradually accumulated in a regular form in the capsules nature provides for it.

"This opinion, tending to alienate naturalists from the belief of the vegetable nature of coral, was entirely removed by the publication of the valuable and erudite work of the celebrated Conte Marsilli, entitled Storia del Mare; who, led away by his imagination, or rather deriving little aid from the state of natural philosophy at that time, suggested the idea, that the moveable substances at the extremity of the branches were the octopetalous flowers of the coral, and thus revived the old opinion.

"Tournefort, who, in the pursuit of his favourite study of body, had remarked the vegetation of stones in the grotto of Antiparos, eagerly adopted this idea; and was folfowed by Ray, Boerhaave, Klein, and many others of that time.

"No sooner had naturalists begut again to take up the observations of Baccone, than they discovered in the hard substance of coral a sort of earthy concretion: but this not being sufficient to induce them to expunge it from the list of vegetable substances, they considered it as a marine plant encrusted with calcareous earth deposited by the sea. Lehman was of this opinion, to which the mineralogist Baumer was also much inclined.

"Our Ferrante Imperato, in his work on natural history (which, like many other works of the ancients, has been almost buried in oblivion, though well deserving our attention from its containing the principles of many important truths, which have since been brought to light), had already suppo-ed, that some of the species of coral wefe merely the habitation of marine worms. This opinion had so much of probability, that it has always been entertained by naturalists since; and the discovery of the polypi assists to explain on solid prine ciples the true nature and origin of coral: and on this account the works of Peyssonnel, Jussieu, Guetard, Trembley, Retuñur, Donati, Ellis, Pallas, Cavolini, Spallanzani, and many others in coral, became so interesting. Corál is found round nearly all the Mediterranean islands. Pliny and Dioscorides speak much in praise of that found in the Sicilian seas in their time. It is fi-hed for at present on every part of the shores of Sicily.

"The Messineze collect a great quantity in those straits, even as far as Mela zo: but the Trapanese, who are chiefly employed in working the coral, not only fish if in the neighbouring seas about the Eolian and other islands, but extend ther search to all the southern shores as far as Cape Passare, and beyond Siracuse, and even to the coast of Barbary. They are obliged to occupy so large an extent of sea; ás they cannot fish again on the same, spot for several years, the re-production of coral requiring a great length of time, even nearly eight years. I have myse f collected it on the shores of Catanie, and thence as far as Taormina.

"The instrument with which the

coral

coral is detached from the bottom of the sea has been known a long time. It is composed of a large wooden cross, having fastened to each of its four extremities nets sufficiently capacious to enclose the coral, which is broken from its root by a large stone hanging from the centre of the cross. The instrument is let down by two ropes from the boats employed in this fishery into the sea, and after remaining a sufficient time it is drawn up by a windlass. The Trapanese claim the invention of this machine.

"From my own observations, and from the most accurate information I have been able to obtain from the people employed in this fishery, I am persuaded, that the coral grows indiscriminitely on all hard substances, as rocks, shells, &c.-I have seen it attached to an earthen vessels, which had some time fallen into the sea, and was taken out in my presence. The usual appearance of coral is that of a tree without leaves. It never grows to a greater height than twelve inches, and is seldom an inch thick. The direction of its branches extends always forwards from the spot to which the root is attached; therefore when it grows on the top of a cavern they spread downwards; if from a horizontal surface upwards: most commonly however the branches extend downwards, which enables the nets to enclose it with greater facility when detached by the

stone.

"It has been constantly remarked, that the broken branches of coral attach themselves to some hard substances where they continue their growth. It is very common to find many branches of coral, when taken out of the sea, perforated in several parts. There can be no doubt,

that this is the work of the litho phagi; worms which attack even the hardest substances, for it is well known that they pierce and destroy the hardest carbonate of lime. The coral (isis nobilis, Linnei) which is most eagerly sought after, is of a fine red colour. Artists and ladies give it the preference. It improves the charms of a beautiful face. Naturalists describe all the varieties; two original colours in coral may be established, white and red, as the two extremes, the gradations of shade from the one to the other producing infinite varieties, among which five principal may be distinguished.

1st. The deep red coral resembling in colour minium. This is considered as the most perfect sort; in fact, it is the largest and most dense, and receives the highest polish. It is commonly called the male coral.

2. Red coral. This is more or less clear, but always less brilliant than the first variety.

3d. Flesh-coloured coral. The ancients call it light red.

4th. Dull white coral: by some it is called fawn coloured, from its resemblance to the colour of the fawn.

5th. Clear white coral. All these varieties are found in the seas round the island, sometimes on the same spot. The first and second are not so abundant or common as the others.

"The extremities of coral, when extracted from the sea, are swelled and rounded, resembling juniper berries. Probably these were the berries remarked by Pliny, which he considered as the fruit of the coral; although in his work he asserts that they are white and soft. under water, and become hard and

red

red out of it. I am inclined to believe, either, that he wrote from the reports of others, or that he has mistaken for them the red globules formed by the artist. These extremities when pressed, give out a white unctuous fluid resembling milk, which has a sour taste. It was formerly thought to be the seed and nutritious juice of the coral plant.

The substance of coral is hard as well in the sea, as when out. The red kind is red from the first, and it is a singular circumstance, that the ancients should have entertained these two erroneous opinions, which the most simple examination would have falsified, The central part or axis of the coral is hard, of a firm solid texture, even, and lamellated; and hence capable of taking the finest polish. This is enclosed by a paler coloured bark of a granulated texture, inter spersed with holes in the form of stars with eight rays. In the coral of the largest size sometimes is found a kind of joint, or union between the different pieces of which it is composed, these having the appearance of tubes of some length, lying one above the other. In the analysis of coral we obtain a small quantity of gelatinous animal matter, a large proportion of carbonate of lime, and a little iron. The different colours of this beautiful marine production seem to depend on the different degrees of oxidation of the iron, and various proportions of it in union with the animal matter. The discovery of polypi gave the clearest idea of the origin and growth of coral. These animals, the last in the scale of animated nature, form for themselves small nests sufficiently solid to shelter and protect them. These

soft and delicate animals, surrounded by an element in a constant state of agitation, and exposed to the attacks of their numerous enemies, were instructed by nature to form for themselves a covering capable of resisting the percussion of the sea, and affording them a retreat in the moment of danger.

These coralligenous polypi are only a few lines in length; their bodies elongate and ramify into eight delicate threadlike branches around the mouth. These are the arms and legs of the animal, which it can extend and spread out at will to a considerable distance in search of its food. They are analogous to the horus of the snail. The curious manner of propagation of polypi, so different from that of other larger and more perfect animals, is well known; on examining minutely the gelatinous bodies of these polypi, a great number of grains, or little buds, are discernible, covering the surface; these elongate themselves, increase in thickness, diverge and spread in all directions, and become young polypi. Scarcely are these developed, before a new series of sprouts appears from their small bodies by the increase and growth of the small buds on their surface. By this rapid succession the family is propagated in every direction, forming as it were a genealogical tree of existing generations. It is well known how from the soft nature of their bodies these animals are enabled to unite and engraft with each other in the same manner as plants; and one branch of these animalculæ so engrafted lives and regenerates another. Even one single animal may detach itself from the family tree, and establish on another spot

a new

a new family with its various branches. While large animals have bones for the support of the softer parts, and shell fish are protected by their shells, the coralligenous polypi make use of a certain proportion of earth to incorporate with and give firmness to their form.

"Immediately as a polypus has xed itself on a hard body, it begins to lay the foundation of its future generation. If you only take s me stones from the bottom of the sea round Sicily, you will find on them small branches of red coral, and round red spots, which are the first depositions of the coralligenous polypi. In the same way as the bones of the larger animals are formed by the gradual deposition of the earthy particles separated from their food by vessels adapted to this purpose, so is the covering of these polypi formed by the carbonate of lime mixing and encrustating with the gelatinous matter, which is so abundantly secreted by their de licate bodies, and gradually incases them, except the mouth.

branch of coral newly gathered is immersed in a vessel full of sta water, these animals are perceived issuing from the stellated holes, their mouths gradually appearing first, and then their si kiike arms extend, in this manner potting on the appearance of octopetalous flowers, by which the ingenious Count Marsilli was deceived.

"The multiplication of polypi, of which I have treated, explains admirably the arboraceous form of coral, as also the increase of the branches detached from the trunk. I have before me a fine specimen of the antiphates, the black coral of the ancients, in which the ex

tremity of a branch has united with the principal trunk, and the polypi are seen bedded in it.

From what we have seen, I think the term zoophyte inapplicable to coral; it is neither an animal plant, nor a plant animal: nor can it be called a zooli e; as it is certainly not a stony animal. It is with more propriety a polipaio; which, on account of its form and to distinguish it from the other analogous works of polypį, might be called polipaio dendroide. la using this nomenclature, we must be careful not to adopt the false idea, that the polipaio resembles a wa-p's nest; the wasps way at will leave their nest, but the polipaie is a part of the animal, from which it cannot be detached. Thus the polipaio dendroide is an accumulation of ramified polyp.incorporated with the sond substance, in the same manner as the shell of some animals and the bones of others. The above erroneous opinion cannot be entertained by any one, who observes, that in coral the gelatinous membrane of the polypus is continued into the solid earthy part, the same as in bones. Herissant has already pointed out this mistake.

"It is to be interred from the analogy of cora with bone, that, as it does not arrive at once at a state of maturity, but by degrees, its barduess must also be progressive. However probarle this idea may be, it has not been confirmed by experience. have parI ticularly remarked the small quantity of iron obtained in the analysis of the red coral, I have alw ayş found it combined with the gelatinous animal substa ce in the state of oxide. Not to xen · this paper too much, I shalt omit he

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