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Show 3· EfilJara ramofa dichotoma. Brartched dichotomous Efi·bara. This is an extreamly .fiogular fpecies of Efchara, fofter and lefs brittle than either of the others, but of the true reticulated texture, which dift:ingui01es the genus. It grows to ftones, !hells, or other fubfiances lying at the bottom of the fea,. by .a broad bafe · from this it arifes flat and thin, and of about half an inch, or lefs, m diameter. I~ does not continue fingle a quarter of an inch, but often 'immediately frcrr'i the bafe divides into a number of branches, fix, eight, or more; theie divide again at an inch height, and their ramifications divide yet again. The divifion is a~~ ways into tWo, or in the Dichotomous order. The feveral br~nches are narrow at their ba(e, and grow gradually broader all the way to the extremi~Y· T?ey ~orm a large clufler upon the whole, of a roundi{h figure, three or four. mches m height, and as much in diameter. The branches are fcarce a fixth of an mch broad near the bafe, and half an inch or mo~e at the top. They are no where thicker than a coarfe paper. . . . The whole plant is of a pale, browmfh wh1te colour, and of a. fomewha~ gptty, fri~ble texture, but much lefs ftony between the teeth, and lefs bnttle than e1ther of the fbrmer. It i's ali over of a very elegantJy reticulated texture; the holes are capable ot admitting the hea'd of a very fmall pin, and they ftand fo clofe, that the divifions between them are fcarce fo thick as the finefi hair. The holes are ·of an oval figure. The plant, in its manner of growth, extreamly refembles fome of the dichotomous fucus's, and has been. thence called by Ray and other authors, Fucus telam lineam ferkeamve textura fua ~mulans. John Bauhine calls it Alga marina platyceras porofa ; and Jmperatus, Porus cervinus. It is fi·equently thrown up on our own coafis. 1 • • • It is a wonder that authors lhou1d not confider, before they ranked thts with the fucus's, that it is not tough like them, but fragile, · and may be rubbed to pieces be•. tween the fingers. 4· Efihara convoluta. 1'. The convoluted Efcqara. I• r This is a very fingular fpecies. It grows to fiches, lhells, or other folid fubilances; at the bottom of the fea, by a flat and broad bafe. From this there arife five or fix flalks of a flatti01 figure~ hollow, and of the thicknefs of a finall thread ; thefe immediately divaricate into a number of others, and become fo very numerous, that they form a clufter of an inch diameter, which is more than their utmoft height. The branches are fl:rangely twified and entang~ed arrlong one another, and they coalefce at their e'{tremities and in many other parts, fo -as in the whole to form a kind of network, the folid fubfiance of which is mt1ch more in quantity, than the cavities or meihes, The whole plan~ is of a beautiful white :colour, and often, by its various inofculations and 'coalefcences of the branches, rfhrms in the whole a fort bf globular figure. It is brittle, an_d eafily ground to powder between the teeth. It is frequently caft up on the !bores of the Mediterranean, but is fo little regarded, that we ieldom meet with it in the colleCtions of the curious. J. Bauhine and Ray feem to have defcribed it under the name of Reticulatum tophaceum marinum. Bauhine fays, the clufier of it refembles a net wound up into a bundle, which .is a very jnft obfervation, S U B M A R IN E S. Clafs the Firft. Genus tbe Fifth. ) . • n TUBULAR I A . TU.B U LA RIA. is a genus of Submarines, . confifting of cylindrc tube~, nfing from a thm cru!l: of the fame matter With themfelvcs, which is of the hard.nefs and firuCl:ure of coral. Of this fingulat; genus we at prefent know only one fpec1es. < 'rubu!aria I:f T u B u L.A R I A. . I \, I • • The. firft. appearance of th.is elegant body is a thin crufi of a purple coralline matter, extendm& 1tfelf over any foh4 full~a~c~_,-'afld ~on(~¥n~Jil.g t tfltlf to its fhape. This is of the t~tcknefs of a co:nmon writing paper, or a little more, and of a fmooth furface. From this there foon anfe a number of hollow cylindric bodies, of the fame colour, and formed of the fame matter ~ith the cruft. Thefe are of the thicknefs of a large pa.ck~l::l ea~,· and · run up nal~e? 16 -about a• thir? ~f-an inch irt. length ; they are very thu~ m the cru~, and1 contaih a fimpJe ~Jvl~y Wtthm; at t~e he1ght of about a third of an m~h, there IS formed a·nothdr c,r--t.HlH11ke1tllatafrom "Whit.fl the tubes arofe; this forms an eveh [urface about the tubes, ·whofe tops ftand 'a little way above it, and are there clofed wtth a tranfverfe feptum of the fame matter with the reft. From this crufl: the tubes are continued a third of an inch more, where there is another fuch cruft, and fo on to the top. The tubes generally grow in _greatcluflers, two or three hundred together~ and are connected firmly at thefe lhort diftances by the crufts: the whole often rifes to three or fo~r inches in Height, and is of two ~nches or more in diameter. It's upper rurface IS ~ompofed of. a CIUft Jike the reft, With the mouths of the tubes jufl: appean.n~ above It, and feemmg prepared for a continuation of growth as from the bafe, 1t IS frequeht to fee from fix to ten or twelve of thefe crufl:s in a mafs diftingui0ihg. it as it were into fo many feries of tube~, though in reality the fam; tube is carr~e~ up nll 1 the J.~y frorh'th~ bafe to the top, 'on1y feparated in its cavi~y by thefe tranfverfe fepta. It 1s co~ndwh about the lhores of the Eaft Indies, and adheres ufually to the large corals, fomettmes .to lhells or ftones. It is throughout of the colour of red coral, and n:akes a very beautiful appearance. Imperatus calls it Tubularia purpurea; and C. Bauhm~, 0orallis affi,ne alcyoicum rubrum. ' t . , I I I , S U B~, M A R I N E 8. · Clafi the Fir:Jl. Genus the Sixth. A C E T A B U L U M. A~ E T ~ ~ U L U: M is a genus of Subtbarines, confifting of a iingle fl:alk, fufiainmg a~ It s fummit a round body, at firft hollowed like a funnel but afterwards flat. There Is .only one kn~wn fpecies of this genus. Tournefort, C. Ba~hine, and fome others, have mdeed rnenhohed two, a larger and a fmaller but they are evidently no more than the fame fpecies in ~ different fl:ate. ' I ' A c E T A B u L u M. This ele~ant little plant rifes with a iingle ftalk, of the thicknefs of a coarfe thread ~nd ~f a.~: ,mch a~1d half~ or two ill?hes in he~ght; this is fimple, unjointed, and hoi~ low . at 1t s top It expands a: firfl: mto a come cavity, which by degrees enlarges till the whole plunt refembles a lmle funnel, with a very long ftem. After this the top by degrees grows more and more flat, till at length it is perfectly fo . and is then nearly of the brea?tli of a fix-pence, and as thick as a coarfe paper. it is erfectl ro~nd, and has a n~ of a th.icker matter than the reft, running round it lik/a pack~ tl_1~ead; ~he ftalk 1s Inferted m the center of this body, and from that center to the ~~~u m~J ence, bo.th on_ the upper and under fide, there run a great number of lines. e .w .ole plant IS of a greyt{h colo~r. lt .grows to lliells, ftones, and a variet of o~het thmg: under water. The bo~~mcal wnters in general have defcribed it. J. ~auh~ ne calls It, Androfac~ five umbilicus marinus, and Fungus petrams marinus ; Parkmfof, Cotyledon mann~. ~ny name is better for it than Androface, becaufe that was t 1e name of a very different plant among the Greeks. SUBMA- |
