A D V E R T I S E ME NT.
T H E Public have a claim on the Editor of the following Iheets,
to account for the imperfect flats in which they now make
their appearance; and, at the fame time, it is hoped that a fhort
account o f the endeavours o f the Author to promote fo curious and
laudable a fludy, will not be deemed an injpertinent intrufion on the
patience o f the reader.
Mr. Ellis, having difcovered that feveral fubjedts, which had been
arranged by Natural Hiflorians under the title o f Marine Vegetables,
were in reality Animal Productions,,publifhed, in the year 1755, the
refult o f the refearches he had made in the invefligation o f that
branch o f knowledge, in a quarto work intitled, “ An Effay towards
" a Natural Hiflory o f Britifh and Irifh Corallines.” The approbation
with which this work was received, gained the Author the acquaintance
and patronage o f many o f the moll refpeitable characters
o f the age: and an innate defire to dive deeper into the hidden
treafures o f nature, induced him to make thofe inquiries which produced
feveral Memoirs, which were read at different times before the
Royal Society, andpublifhed in the Philofophical Tranfadtions; par- nexeduft™
ticülarly thofe “ on the animal nature o f Zoophytes, called Corallina,”
and “ the ABinia Sociata, or Clufterid Animal F lo w e r in the 57th
volume, which gained him the honour o f Sir Godfrey Copley's medal
from that learned body, delivered to him by the Prefident, Sir John
Pringle, on the 30th o f November, 1768, together with a molt flattering
compliment in a fpeech from the chair, on the -nature and N | l§
^utility o f the difcoveries o f the Author. annexed.
Thus encouraged, Mr. Ellis became more anxious in the purfuit of
his favourite flu d y ; and being then the king’s agent for the pro-
B ymee