TAB.27. 1. Tubipora mufica. Red Organ-pipe Coral.
Tubipora ruberrima, Deep Red Pipe Coral, with
Jeptis tranfverfis tubes per- tranfverfe partitions, conned: -
pendicularesconneElentibus. ing perpendicular tubes.
T ab. 27.
'Tubipora mujica. Linn. Syft. Nat. Ed. 12. p. 1270.
There is but one fpecies yet difcovered of this genus ;
but there are many varieties, that are to be met with in
the cabinets of the curious. Some of thefe are compofed
of longer, and fome of fhorter tubes; befides, the color
fom'etimes varies from a deep red to an orange-color.
They grow to the lizeo f a foot, often to two, three feet
or more diameter. -The manner of their growth is much
in the fame form with the Aftroite Madrepores, or Star
Stones ; they adhere to a fhell or rock at firft, and from
a Infill beginning extend themfelves into a hemifpherical
form, their tubesappearing like fo many rays; and as
they increafe in length, in order to fill up the fpace between
the tubes, new tubes arife upon the tranfverfe partitions.
The diameter of their tubes is, at a medium,
about one-tenth of an inch, and in length they vary from
a quarter to half an inch between the horizontal partitions.
When Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander faw them in vaft
abundance on the coaft of New South Wales, they appeared
upon the tide of ebb covered over with a ftriated
gelatinous fubftance, which was fo extremely flippery,
that it was dangerous to tread upon them. The animal
that inhabits them appeared to fill both the tube and
inner little,pipe ; but they had not time to examine them
alive
alive in fea-water, from the dangerous fituation they were
in themfelves.
They are likewife found in great plenty in the Red
Seaj and among the Molucca iflands, where the natives
call them, in the Malay language, Batu-Smoangi, that is,
the Magicians Stone; for the inhabitants of thofe iflands
think they have a magical virtue in them, and, for that
reafon, hang them on trees,'to keep thieves from the fruit;
it being a prevailing opinion among them, that thofe who
attempt to ideal, where they are hung up, will be feized
with a-breaking out full of red pimplesi They are alfo
careful not to fit on them for fear of the ftrangury.' On
the contrary, the people of Java and Malacca give
both old and young the powder of this Red Coral againft
the ftrangury. The inhabitants of the Celebes put fome
of the powder on any wound that is made by a venomous
creature, and for this purpofe always carry a fmall piece
o f it about them.
XIV. M A D R E P O R A .
Animal modo femplex,
tnodo ramofo-proliferum.
Stirps lapidea (Coral-
Hum) fcepe plantce forma
crefcens, cellulofa, apice
vel fuperfcie terminata
cavitatibus lamellofo-Jlria-
tis, polypiferis.
M A D R E P O R E C O R A L .
The Madrepore is an animal
fometimes fingle, fome-
times Tending forth its progeny
in the form of branches.'
The ftem or mafs is of at
ftony nature (Coral) often
growing in the form of a plant,
full of cells, which are either
on the top or on its'furface,
and end in lamellated cavities,
to which their polype-like animals
belong.
U By