III bis " Wisdom of God in tbe Creation," Ray bas, bowevcr, reckoned tbe Lilhophyta among " inanimate mixed bodies." Of these, be says, " some have a kind of vegetation and resemblance of plants, as corals, pori, and fungites, wbich grow upon tbe rocks like sbnibs."p. 83, duod. Loud. 1826. His opi-nions on this point were probably unsettled j and certainly many naturalists believed that Ovid only expressed tbe simple fact when be wrote -" Sic et curalium, quo primum contigit auras " Tempore durescit ; mollis fuit berba sub undis." Mctam. lib. xv. f Man. d'Actinol. p. 14 -Lamouroux on tbe contrary places Imperato on tbe same level with Gesner, Boccone, and Sbaw-none of whom bad any distinct notion of tbe animality of any zoophytes, and bad no doubt of tbe vegetable nature of almost all of them. " Les observations de ces bommes celebres, au lieu d'eclairer les naturalistcs sur cette brancbe interessante de la science, embrouillaient encore plus son etude."-Lam. Cor. Flex. Introd. p. xiv. My copy of Imperato's work is of tbe edition printed at Venice in 1672, folio. It is written entirely in Italian, and, being ignorant of that language, I can give no opinion of tbe value of its lettcr-]>ress. Tbe only copper..plate is a very curious one representing tbe interior of Imperato's museum, which appears to have been a very elegant and copious collection of curiosities, a servant pointing with a HISTOllY OF ZOOPHYTOLOGY. 5 scriptions of the species which fell under his notice with illustrative figures of considerable accuracy.His " Historia Naturale," of which De Blainville assuredly speaks in very exaggerating terms when he represents it as one of the most important works in the history of zoophytology, was printed at Naples in 1599 ; but although reprinted some years afterwards (1672), the book, and the knowledge it contained, had sunk into such complete oblivion, that when Peyssonnel, in the year 1727, communicated the same discovery to the Academy of Sciences in Paris, it was received by the members of that learned body in a manner which is sufficient to convince us that it was entirely new to them, and exposed the author to the obloquy and censure which are the usual portions of an original discoverer.Some time previously to the publication of Peyssonnel's discovery, those who maintained that the stony zoophytes were plants had 'received a strong corroboration of their opinion from the researches of Count Marsigli, who, having detected the existence of polypes in coral and madrepore, had, under the influence of the fashionable theorv, described them as beinsf literally their blossoms or flowers.* Peyssonnel, therefore, had to contend not only against the prejudices of the vulgar based on appearances which spoke direct to the outward sense, but against the actual observations of a naturalist of acknowledged merit ; and the observations of Peyssonnel, although numerous and unequivocal, were yet mixed up with so much that was fanciful or erroneous, that it is not wonderful his opinion was received with coldness and sus...
Tlab. The sea-shore.Desc. "Length a line and a half; breadth and thickness nearly half the length. Body compact, solid ; the anterior extremity divided horizontally into two lips, wherein is perhaps the mouth. This extremity is fashioned somewhat as a scoop by the fold of a membranaceous edge, apparently reflected on the back. A dark red internal organ is situate towards the centre of the body. Neither eyes nor marginal specks have been discovered, nor any prominent parts of external organization. Colour brownish, speckled. Motion smooth and gliding." -Dalyell. Planaria Mrudo, body linear, lengthened, brown, marked in front with a black point and line ; two pale spots above the circular tail. Length 4'". Planaria hirudo, Johnston in Ann. S,-Mag. Nat. Hist. xvi. 437. pi. 15. f. 3. Dies. Syst. Helm. i. 473. flab. The littoral region amongst confervse. Desc. The body is of a uniform light brown colour excepting the two pale spots near the tail, and, when fully stretched, is of a narrow linear figure, slightly tapered in front.There is a small black dot about half a Ime behind the anterior end, and a dark line runs from it forward to the tip. These are not formed by an eye, or a cluster of eyes, but the line seems rather to be produced by some internal tube, and the dot by some harder, perhaps horny, substance. Very active.Motion continuous. -Seems to be nearly related to the Pluc ASTKMMA. CEPHAI.OTRIX. 19 species, it is the orifice tlirough which a very long proboscis can be evolved.The intestine runs undivided through the length of the body ; and, it seems probable, that, in all, there is an anus. This has been demonstrated in a few species. It is found in some opening well forwards on the ventral surface, and in the posterior extremity in others.There is another, and much larger, aperture in front, behind and underneath the head. Long mistaken for the mouth, this has been usually described of late as genital, but the office is doubtful.In a few genera there are fissures on the sides of the anterior end, which are neither respiratory nor ovarian, as has been supposed. -All are marine, and are readily distinguished, in their order, by their length, which exceeds the breadth considerably, and, in many instances, "far o'ersteps the modesty of nature." The ova are laid enveloped in a jelly.12. ASTEMMA. Astemma, Oersted, Entw. Plattw. 82. Char. Acephalous, the body filiform, vnthout eyes or fissures on the sides of the anterior extremity : mouth inferior, approximated to the front : anus terminal ? 1 . A. rufifrons, yellowish, verging on rose-red anteriorly ; the front obtuse, dark red. Length 2-3" ; breadth i'". Borlasia (Nemertes) rufifrons, Johnston in Mag. Zool. Sf Bot. i. 538. pi. 18. f. 4, 5. Dies. Syst. Helm. i. 241. Astemma rufifrons. Oersted, Entw. Plattw. S2. f. 13.Gordius gracilis, Dalyell, Pow. Great, ii. 74. pi. 9. f. 8-11. Hab. Under stones, and amidst algae, between tide-marks, (a) Berwick Bay, Dr. Johnston. 2. A. filiformis, white or cream-yellow, thickened in front. Length 1-2". Planaria filifor...
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