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

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The Trochilus Multicolor, or Hariequin Humming- Bird, so remarhable sor the diversity of iis colours, isone of the rarest of iis genus. The figure here represented is taken stom the beautiful specimen in the Britim Mustum. This bird is a native of South Ame

rica.

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ISIS NOBILIS.

CHARACTER GENERIC US.

Stirps lapidea, rigida.

Flores Hydrae e poris lateralibus. CHARACTER SPECIFICUS, ISIS stirpe corallina aequali continua, striis obsoletis obliquis, ramis Vagis. Lin. Ses. Nat. p. 1288.

CORALLIUM RUBRUM. Bauh. sis. 366. GORGONIA PRETIOSA. Eliis Zooph. p. 9O-

Isis nobilis, seu Corallium vulgare rubrum, e substantiis illis marinis est quae, communi sere physicorum recentium consensu, ab animalibus hydras seu polypos quodammodo referentibus eiungi creduntur. Degunt haec animalia in cavitatibus istis quae in cortice corallii molli et subereo frequenter conspiciuntur; eorumque vestigia paulatim distantia punctisque similia in superficie etiam durissima imprimuntur, omnibus corallii ipsius ramusculis striis longitudinalibus ab ipsa basi extrinsecus notatis. Fatendum sane est non mediocri fide opus esse ut omnia Lithophyta ab animalibus incolentibus

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hus revera et omnino sermari persuasum habeamus. Cum vero nostrum non sit notissimas Domini Ellisti observationes in dubium vocare, gaUdeant Volumus lectores suis sententiis, statuantque ipsi an inter animalia an vegetabilia substantias hasce satius sit numerare : ad Utraque enim miro modo videntur pertinere. Notandum est specimina corallii rubri, quo formosiora videantUr, Cortice eXteriore, Ut plurimum, denudari. Depingitur igitur ramulus cortice obductus juxta ipsam

naturam. Fig. 2.

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GENERIC CHARACTER. The Coral having the habit or appearance of aptant.

The Stem, or internat pari, differing in the dii rent species, and generalty either of a horny

The Isis nobilis, or common red Coral, is one of those numerous submarine productions whicli, by the almost generat consent of modern naturalisis, are re-garded as the fabrication os animais resembling polypes, whicli reside in the cavities so constantly seen in the sostor cortical part of the coral; and the impressions or vestiges of whicli are visibie even on the sursace of the hard pari or the coral itself; being generalty seated at distant intervais, and appearing like smali impressed spois, whilethe

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the whole coral, throughout ali iis ramifications, is marhedexternalty by longitudinal striae proceeding from me very base itself It must be candidly confessed that agood mare os philosophical faith is necessary to reconcileus to the idea os ali the coral tribe being entirely the

liberty to regard these curious substances either as be- longing to the animal or vegetable hingdom, to both of whicli they seem to be strangely allied. Ιt is necessary to observe that the specimens of red coral as generalty seen, have, in order to increasse the beauty of their appearance, been deprived of their cortical or exterior coat. A branch in iis natural state, or With iis exterior coat, is represented at A. a. in the annexed plate.