The naturalists' miscellany, or, Coloured figures of natural objects; drawn and described immediately from nature

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M ADREPORA FUNGIT E S.

CHARACTER GENERIC US. Animal Medusa. Corallium cavitatibus lamelloso- stellatis. Lin. 8s. Nat. p. 1272. CHIRACTER SPECIFICUS, Uc. MADREPORA simplex acaulis convexa, subtus

plerumque Concava, interdum convexa et pedunculata.

FUNGUS LAPIDOSUS.

Clus. exot. 125. f. 1.

FUNGUS LAPIDEUS.

Buch. his. 3. p. 8O1. f. 1, 2.

Cum anteactis temporibus, dormiret recentiorum philosophorum curiosa sedulitas, quae jam fere per totum orbem feliciter diffunditur; nugis et fabellis anilibus saepius credebatur, vetuitque plurimorum hominum hebes incuria ut vel ampla esset speciminum supellex, vel etiam nactorum plena et genuina descriptio. In plantis igitur et animalibus indies erratum est. Radix silicis in septentrionali Asia satis vulgaris naturam Cum quadrU- pede participare diu censebatur, VocabaturqUe commUniter

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niter agnus vegetabilis. Gryllorum certae species exoticae quibus alae sunt amplae, virides, et venota, folia animata habebantur: nec defuere qui serio et pertinaciter

asseruerunt arborum quarundam Indicarum et Americanarum, simul ac deciderant folia, subito alis pedibusque gaudentia circa ipsam arborem volitare. Corallium quoque, seu Madreporam in tabula depictam,

fungum esse, sive agaricon in lapidem conversum opinabantur tunc temporis physici. Ignoscendum est sane huic errori potius quam aliis multis, cum Madrepora

agarico simillima plerosque spectatores exceptis paucis, quibus res penitus scrutari cordi est posset decipere. Comperti sunt tandem in India Orientali, ubi frequentior est Madrepora, seduli examinatores, esse eam fulcrum seu habitaculum substantiae gelatinois et animatae, forma ad Medusas Ut Vocantur, orbiculatas et depressas accedentis. Efficit animal mirandum hoc domicilium, materiem calcariam glutinosam ab omni co poris parte copiose exprimendo; ita ut sulci seu depressiones in Madrepora, lamellis totidem acutis et radiatis in ipsius animalis corpore respondeant; quod cum sit tenerrimum, aeri expositum in meram pelliculam paucis horis decrescit, nec nisi in aqua marina, qUa nascitUr, probe potest examinari. In nonnullis speciminibus ex parte inferiore, seu concava, proles minor Varia protruditur. In India praecipue Orientali invenitur Madrepora Fungites, Crescitque interdum ad magnitudinem sex

unciarum in diametro, interdum ViX Unam siperat. Color albus non caret elegantia, totaque superficies eX-terior tuberculis minutissimis leviter exasperatur. La- mellarum margines interrupto ordine serratae sunt.

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modern cultivators of natural history began to diffusettself in Europe, innumerable errors were committed in the histories both of animais and vegetabies, while thegenerat neglect with whicli the major part of man k indregarded subjects of this nature, stili increassed the difficulty of obtaining proper specimens and descriptionsos severat of the most curious and interesting productions os nature. The root of a species of fern, not un- common in the northern paris of Asia, Was supposed topartake of the nature os a quadruped, and was digni-fled by the titie of the vegetabie lamb. Some of the locust tribe Willi large green veiny Wings Were bellevet

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to be animaled leaves; and there mere not wantingitiose Who were ready to uouch the certainty of the leaves whicli feli from severat trees in India and America

soon after fluitering round the branches of the treewhicli gave them birth; while the corat whicli formsthe subject of the present plate Was regarded as a species of petrifled mussiroom. Ιt must be confessed that ofali erroneous ideas this Was one of the most plausibie; for so very striking is the generat resemblance whicli this coral bears to the genus Agaricus, that it is impossibie not

made in thos e paris of India where it is commonlysound , it appears to be the production os an animal ofa sofi or gelatinous nature, and Which bears a generalassinity to the s hape of the orbicular depressed Medusa or Sea-Blubbers. The animal forins this curious fulcrum or habitation by secreting a copious deposition os calcariotis matter stom every part of iis body, and the sulci or furrows in the Madrepore ans er to so many marp radiated laminae of the creature's body. So tender is this animal, that it collapses and shrinks to amere pellicle when exposed sor some liours to the air; so that it is only in the sea-water that it can he viewedio advantage. Some specimens of this Madrepore are Proliferous, or have young productions of the sanae form gro ing from severat paris of the concaVe orlower furface. The Madrepora Fungites is found of various siges, Dom an inch to six inches in diameter. Iis colour is an elegant White, and every part of the