160 MrcROGRAPHIA, 
a 
much alfo for the ornament and beauty of it, as will be moft evident to 
my one that {hall attentively confider the various kinds of cloathings 
wherewith moft creatures are by Nature invefted and cover'd. Thus I 
have obferved, that the hair or furr of thofe Northern white Bears that 
inhabite the colder Regions, is exeeeding thick and warm : the like have 
I obferv'd of the hair of a: Greenland Deer, which being broughtalive to 
London,Jhad the opportunity of viewing 5 its hair was fo exceeding thick, 
Jong and foft, that I could hardly with: my hand, grafp or take hold of 
. his fkin, and it feem’d fo exceeding warm, as I had never met with any 
before. And as for the ornamentative ufe of them, it is moft evident ina 
multitude of creatures,not onely for colour, as the Leopards, Cats,Rhein 
Deer, cc. but for the thape, as in Horfes manes, Cats beards,and feveral 
other of the greater fort of terreftrial Animals, but is much more confpi- 
cuous, in the Veftments of Fifhes, Birds, Infects, of which I fhall by and 
_ by give fome Inftances. 
\ As forthe fkin, the Aécrofcope difcovers as great a difference between 
the texture of thofe feveral kinds of Animals, as it does between their 
hairs; but all that I have yet taken notice of, when tann’d or drefsd, are 
of a Spongie nature, and feem to be conftituted of an infinite company 
_ offmall long fibres or hairs, which look not unlike a heap of Tow or 
Okum ; every of which fibres feem to-have been fome part of a Mutcle, 
and probably, whil {tthe Animal'was alive, might have its diftin® fundti- 
‘on, and ferve for the contra¢tion and relaxation of the fkin, and forthe 
ftretching and fhrinking of itthis or that way. : ! 
And indeed, without fuch a kind of texture as this, which is very like 
that of spuxk, it would feem very ftrange, how any body fo ftrong asthe 
fkin ofan Animal ufually is, and {o clofe as it feems,  whil’ft the Animal is 
living, fhould be able to fuffer fo great an extenfion any ways, without at 
all hurting or dilacerating any part of it. But,Gnce we are inform’'d by the 
aeerehepe; that it confifts of a great many fmall filaments, which are im- 
plicated, or intangled one within another, almoft no otherwife then the 
airs in a lock of Wool, or the flakesin a heap of Tow, though not alto- 
ether fo loofe ; but’the filaments are here and there twifted.as twere,or 
inter woven,and here and there they join and unite with one another,foas 
Indeed the whole fkin feems to be but one piece,we need not much,wor- 
der:And though thefe fibres appear not through aAGicro/cope,exadtly joint- 
ed and contex'd,as in Sponge 3 yet,as I formerly hinted, Iam apt to think, 
that could we find fome way of difCovering the texture of ic, whil'ft it in- 
vefts the living Animal,or had fome very eafie way of feparating the pulp 
or intercurrent juices, fuchas in all probability fill thofe Interftitia, with- 
out dilacerating, brufing, or otherwife fpoiling the texture of it (as it 
feems to be very much by the waysof tanning and drefling nw wi) we 
ight difcover a much more curious:texture them I have hitherto be 
able to find 5 perhaps,fomewhat like that of Sponges. la2TH0162 8 
- That of Chamoife Leather is indeed very much like that of spunk, fave 
onely that the filaments feem nothing neer fo even, ‘and round, nor alto- 
. gether fo f{mall, nor has it fo curious joints as spunk has, forme: of which 
Se ve 
