in natural history, were formerly reckoned a genus of plants, and Mr Tournefort enumerates 36 species of them; but in the Linnaean system they belong to the class of zoophytes, and are defined by modern naturalists to be submarine plant-like bodies, that consist of many slender finely divided and jointed branches, resembling some species of mosses; or animals growing in the form of plants, having their stems fixed to other bodies: these stems are composed of capillary tubes, whose extremities pass through a calcareous crust, and open into pores on the surface. The branches are often jointed, and always subdivided into smaller branches, which are either loose and unconnected, or joined as if they were glued together. They are distinguished from plants by their texture and hardness: they also yield in distillation a considerable quantity of volatile salt; and their smell, in burning, resembles that of burnt horns and other animal substances. Many of the corallines seem to consist of a single tube, containing a single parent animal. Every branch emitted contains an offspring of this parent dependent upon it, and yet capable of producing its like in the emission of a new branch. Others consist of many such tubes united, rising up together, and encircling the deserted tubes of their progenitors, whose exuviae become the substratum of a rising generation. Mr Ellis distributes corallines into the vesiculated, tubular, collagenous, and articulated kinds.

Vesiculated corallines are distinguished by their horny hollow ramifications: most of them are furnished with little denticles on their branches, like leaves on mosses; and at certain seasons of the year they are furnished with small bodies like bladders, proceeding from their stems and branches, and differing in form according to the different species. Their colour, when dry, is of a yellowish or pale brown, and their nature is elastic. They are found adhering to rocks, shells, and fucuses. Corallines. Fucuses, by small root-like tubes; they recover their form in water, after having been dried; and when put into vinegar, they cause no effervescence. See Plate CXLVII. fig. 1, where \(a\) represents the sea-tamarisk in its natural size, and \(A\) in which the denticles are magnified. Fig. 2, \(b\), \(B\), is the sea-cyprelis; fig. 3, \(c\), \(d\), \(CD\), the small climbing coralline with well shaped cups.

Tubular corallines are composed of a number of simple tubes, growing up nearly together; or of such branched ones as have neither denticles nor vehicles. These are horny and elastic like the former, and recover their original form in water. Some of them appear wrinkled like the wind-pipe, and others like the intestines of small animals. See fig. 4, E.

Celliferous corallines are those which appear, when magnified, to be fine thin cells, the habitations of small animals connected together, and disposed in a variety of elegant forms like branches. These effervesc with acids. See fig. 5, \(Ff\), with part \((GH)\) magnified.

Articulated corallines consist of short pieces of a stony or cretaceous brittle matter, whose surface is covered with pores or cells, which are joined by a tough, membranous, flexible substance, composed of many small tubes of the like nature compacted together. The stony part is soluble in vinegar, and the other part remains entire. \(a\), \(A\) (fig. 6.) is the coralline of the shops. It is fixed to rocks and shells by stony joints, which, as they rise, are united to others by extremely fine and slender tubes: These may be discovered by a good eye, or a common magnifier. As the stems extend themselves, they become pennated by side-branches which come out opposite to each other, and are jointed in the same manner; the joints of this species are like the upper part of an inverted cone, but a little compressed: The whole surface is covered over with very minute circular-shaped cells like pores; see \(B\), and \(B\) 1, where they are highly magnified. \(B\) 2, shows a cross section highly magnified. If a branch of this coralline is put into vinegar, these cells are dissolved with the whole cretaceous surface; instead of which there appear rows of minute ramifications, which seem to have communicated with each of these cells. Upon some specimens of this coralline, we may observe little small figures like seed-vessels, with which the branches frequently terminate: They are also found on the sides, as may be seen at \(A\), where they are magnified.—When a branch is rendered soft by being steeped in vinegar, there may be squeezed out from the little knobs at the ends and sides, small twisted figures, like those at \(A\) 1, which are magnified higher at \(A\) 2.—We frequently find this coralline of different colours, as red, green, ash, and white; but all of it, by being exposed to the sun and air on the shore, becomes white.

The ancients have said great things of the virtues of the common coralline. Dioscorides prefers it for mitigating the pain of the gout, and for preventing flagitations of the humours in any part; he says nothing of its virtues against worms, which are what we alone esteem it for. We give it in powder from 10 grains to a scruple or half a dram twice a day in these cases; and that with a considerable good effect.

Besides the above, Mr Ellis enumerates other genera of marine productions; as the keratophyta, elchara, sponges, and alcyonium; all which are the nefts or matrices of sea-animals. See Polype. The last clas of marine bodies is formed like funguses of various figures, and with different sorts of covering: some having a gritty, and some a callous skin, with a spongy substance in the inside: other species are of a fleshy substance.