This Observer, having engaged the ingenious Monsieur Guisony to impart to him his thoughts concerning that famous Question, Whether Coral be a Vegetable, received for answer, That 'tis so far from being a Plant, that 'tis a meer Mineral, composed of much Salt and a little Earth; and that 'tis form'd into that substance by a precipitation of divers Salts, that ensues upon the encounter of the Earth with those Salts; after the manner of the known Metallique Tree, which in a very little time is form'd and increased by the setling and combination of Mercury and Silver, dissolv'd in Aqua fortis, and afterwards cast into common water; the parts of this Mineral and Metal joining themselves to one another. Which thing also happens in some subterraneous Grotto's, where by a continual and long fall of water-drops many sorts of figures, and, amongst them, shapes of little trees are formed. This sentiment he confirms by alledging, that he can shew a Salt of Coral, which, being cast into water, and there dissolved, upon the evaporation of that water by a gentle heat is presently coagulated, and converted into store of small sticks, resembling a little forrest.

2. A certain stony substance, that is fissile, and hath the scent of bitumen, complicated and laid together membran- like, and found in the Hyblean mountains of Sicily, near Milelli, neighbouring upon the town of Augusta, and the ancient Megara. Being burnt in a Candle, the bituminous smell will soon be perceived; and 'tis affirm'd, that this stony body, being recently sever'd from its mine and bed, is flexible like paper; but being long exposed to the Air snd Sun, becomes frangible. And the herbs, that grow on this stone, do insinuate their fibers and roots between the several coats of the same. It may deserve to have its uses examined, there being found whole hillocks cover'd with it.

3. A not ordinary sangui-suga or Leech. found sticking fast in the fish called Xiphias or Sword-fish, slightly mention'd by Gesner in his book de Aquatilibus, and Johnston in his book de Piscibus. Our presenter gives it the name of Hirudo or Acus caudâ utrinque pennatâ, because of its working it self into the flesh, and sucking the blood of the said Fish. He describes it to be of about four inches long; the belly of it white, cartilagi (6160) nous and transparent; without eyes or head (that he could observe,) but in stead of a head, it hath a hollow snout encompassed with a very hard membrane, differing in colour and substance from the belly; which snout it thrusts whole into the body of the fish, (as strongly as an auger is wound into a piece of wood,) and fills it full of blood unto the very orifice. It hath a tail shaped like a feather, serving for its motion, and, under it, two filamenst or slender fibres, longer than the whole Insect, whereby, it seems, it clings about stones or herbs, and sticks the closer in the body of the Sword-fish; of which it attacks those parts only, where the fins of the fish cannot touch or trouble it; the Observer affirming, that he hath often found it sticking in the back and in the belly, and sometimes close to the head, sometimes close to the tail of that fish, but always far enough from the fins. Within its belly he noted some vessels, like small guts, reaching from one end of it to the other, which by the pressure of his nail he made reach to the orifice of the snout, whence they retired back of themselves to their natural scituation; they seeming to be the instruments for sucking the blood, because the snout is in it self an empty part, destitute of fibres and valves to draw and suck with; whereas these vessels have a motion resembling that of a pump, in which the snout of this animal serves for a sucker, drawing the blood from end to the other: And the belly of this Insect being framed ring-wise, the structure serves to thrust the said inner vessels unto the orifice of the trunk, and to draw them back again. This creature as it torments the Swordfish, so it is, by our bservers relation, vexed it self by another Insect, which he calls a Lowse, of an ash colour, fastened towards the tail of this Leech as fermly, as a sea-snail is to a rock. 'Tis of the bigness of a pea, and hath an opening, whence come out many small winding and hairy threds. It hath not been observed, (as far as our Author could learn,) to trouble, or to be upon, any other animal than this Leech.

4. A parcel of Sal Armoniac, brought away from Sicily, where it had been gather'd in the late fiery Eruption of Mount Ætna, having been there found copiously, some days after that the fire was extinguisht, upon the surface of that (6161) ferrunginous matter which was left of the burnt minerals. This Salt, he saith, was some of it as yellow as saffron, some like citron-colour, some white, and some greenish; which colours though they may seem to come from the several sorts of Mines of Iron, Brass, &c. whence the Salt issues; yet considering the Experiment made with it by Signor Borelli in his History of the late Burning of Ætna (of which an Account was given in Numb. 75. of these Tracts,) it was a Factitious Salt, such as is sold in shops, being a concrete of Niter, Sulphur and Vitriol burnt and sublimed. For, it seems, when he found so great a plenty of this Salt, and had heard, that the force of Gun- powder was highly increased by the mixture of Sal Armoniac, and thence conceived, that this Salt might have much contributed to the conflagration of this Mountain,and to the fusion of the fabulous, and the fluxing of the vitreous matter; he, for a tryal, added some of this Sal Armoniac to pulverised sulphur and niter; but found, to his amazement, that it was so far from being kindled by fire, that it manifestly hindred the accension of the Brimstone and Salt-peter, which were even extinguish't by it as if water had been powr'd on them: And the same happn'd, upon the addition of powder'd coals, wont to be mix'd in common gun-powder. Which Experiment, he adds, made him suspect, that this Sal Armoniac, found about Ætna, had not been existent in those caverns from the beginning, but that 'tis factitious, as was hinted above.

For the other particulars of this Present, consisting of many Figur'd Stones, Shells, Glosso-petras, Fishes, Plants, Mineral Bezoards of Sicily, &c.; we shall not here enlarge upon them, as being already described in many Authors.