38 
MicROGRAPHIA. 
eas fugere exiftimamus. From which Defcription, they feemto be akind 
of Plant-Animal that adheres to a Rock, and thefe {mall fibres onthreads 
which we have defcribed, feem to have been the Veflels which (tis very 
probable) were very much bigger whil ft the Interflitza were fil d (as 
he affirms) with a mucous,pulpy or flefhy fubftance ; but upon the drying 
were fhrunk into the bignefs they. now appear. veo bogee 6 same 
- The texture of it is fuch, that have not yet met with any other body 
in the world that has the like, but onely one ofa larger fort:of Sponge 
(which is preferv’d in the Aéwfenm Harveanum belonging, to the mott 
Lluftrious and moft learned Society.of the Phyficians of London) which is 
of ahorney, or rather. of a petrify’d fub{tance, And of this indeed, the 
texture and make is exactly the fame with common Sponges, but onely 
that both the holesand the fibres, or texture of it is exceedingly much 
bigger,for fome of the holes were above an Inch.and half,over, andthe 
fibres and. texture of it was bigg enough to be cuthingnlheg fay with 
ones eye, but confpicuoufly with an ordinary, fingle Adicrofcope, And thefe 
indeed, feem'd to have been the habitation of fome Anima] ;-and ex- 
ining Ariftotle, I find a very confonant account hereunto, namely, that 
he had ee a certain little Animal, call’d Psanothera, like.a Spider, to 
be bred in thofe caverns of a Sponge,from within which,by opening and 
fing thofe holes, he infnares and catches the little Fiihes3:and.in ano- 
her place he fays, That’tis very confidently reported, that there are cer- 
tain Moths or Worms that refide in the cavities of a Sponge,and.are there 
nourifhed : Notwithftanding all which Hiftories,I think it well worth the 
enquiring into the Hiftory and nature of a Sponge, it feeming to promife 
fome information of the Veflels in Animal fubftances, which (by. reafon 
of the folidity of theinterferted flefh that is not eafily remoy'd, without 
deftroying allo, hofe interfpers'd Veflels) are hitherto undifcover'd; 
whereashereina Spongesthe Parenchyma,it feems,is but a kind of mucous 
gelly, which is very eafily andcleerly wathdaway. > | 
reafon that makes me imagine, that there may probably be fome 
fuch texture in Animal fubftances, is, that examining the texture of the 
filamentsof tann’d Leather, I find it to be much of the fame nature and 
ftrength of a Sponge; and with my A4crofcope, 1 have obfery’d. many fuch 
joints and knobs, as I have defcribed in Sponges, the fibres alfo in.the hol- 
low of feveral forts of Bones, after the Marrow has been remoy‘d, I have 
found fomewhat torefemble this texture, though, I confefs;: I never yet 
found any texture exactly the fame, nor any for curiofity compar 
to i, = ae * , Tt 
_ The filaments of it are much fmaller then thofe of Silk, andthrough 
the Microfcope appear very neer as tranfparent, nay, fome parts. of them 
ees ae more. CS as OE 
aving examin’d alfo feveral kinds of Mufhroms,, I finde their texture 
to be fomewhat of this kind, that is, to confift Hipeea Re ny of 
fmall filaments, every way contex’d and woven together, fo\asto makea 
kind of cloth, and more particularly, examining a piece of Touch-wood 
(which isa kind of Fems-ear, or Muihrom, growing here in E: Jalfo 
3 
on 
