HARDWICKE'S SC IENCE- GOSSIP. 



153 



Eels in Paste. — Viviparous. 



This discovery appears to have been made by 

 a "Mr. James Sherwood, an ingenious young 

 Surgeon," who, whilst separating one of these 

 small eels accidentally wounded it in the belly; 

 he took notice that a long slender tube, doubled 

 like an intestine, proceeded from the wound, of 

 which, informing Mr. Needham, it excited their 

 curiosity to cut in two another eel near its middle, 

 when they discovered a number of living young 

 ones, each enclosed in its proper membrane, issuing 

 from what now plainly showed itself to be the Uterus. 

 The author gives minute directions as to how the 

 experiment is to be performed, but we will not 

 tempt our readers to become vivisectionists, 

 although Mr. Baker says : "1 scarce know a 

 more entertaining Experiment, and you'll very 

 seldom be disappointed, for they seem like Earth- 

 worms to be all prolific, and unless by Accident 

 you cut one that has already brought forth all its 

 young before or make your Trials when the Paste 

 has been kept a long time (in which case I have 

 found them sometimes unfruitful), you will not 

 fail of being diverted after the Manner above 

 described." The discovery of the viviparous 

 nature of the Anguillce was not in accordance 

 with the preconceived notion that they were the 

 larvae of some kind of fly that was in the habit 

 of depositing its eggs on the paste. Erom the 

 examination of the Paste Eels, he proceeded to 

 examine those found in blighted wheat, and which 

 be considers to be distinct from those found in 

 paste. 



One of the papers addressed to the Royal 

 Microscopical Society, consisted of a minute de- 

 scription of the "Wheeler," or Wheel Animal 

 {Rotifer vulgaris), illustrated by twelve figures, 

 showing the Wheel Animal in its several postures. 

 The rotation of the "Wheels" puzzled him con- 

 siderably, and although some " gentlemen imagined 

 there might be a Deception in the Case, and that 

 they do not really turn round, though they seem to 

 do so. The Doubt of these Gentlemen arises from 

 the Difficulty they find in conceiving how, or in 

 what Manner, a Wheel or any other Eorm, as part 

 of a living animal, can possibly turn upon an Axis 

 supposed to be another part of the same living 

 animal, since the Wheel must be a Part absolutely 

 distinct and separate from the Axis whereon it 

 turns ; and then they say how can this living Wheel 

 be nourished, as there cannot be any Vessels of 

 communication and the Part it goes round upon, and 

 which it must be separate and distinct from ? " 

 Baker was not inclined to admit that the revolution 

 of the " Wheels " was an illusion. He says : — 

 "Place the Object in whatever Light or Manner 

 you please, when the Wheels are fully protruded 

 they never fail to shew all the visible Marks 

 imaginable of a regular turning round, which 1 think 



no less difficult to account for if they do not really 

 do so." His industrious friend, Mr. Arderon, sends 

 him what he caMs the Bell Flower Animal, and 

 which was afterwards described by Mr. Trembley, 

 under the name of the Polypea Pannache or the 

 Plumed Po'ype ; this is, doubtless, the form now 

 known as Alcyonella dagnorum, and was not un- 

 common in the Swan pond belonging to St. Helen's 

 Hospital in Norwich, from whence, probably, Mr. 

 Arderon obtained his specimens. 



The figure following, Mr. Baker supposes, is the 

 true representation of this curious animacule, 

 of which a drawing is given in our last paper 

 (fig. 64) : he says, "it is brisk and vigorous, swim- 

 ming sometimes with great swiftness through the 

 Water, at other times it creeps along at the 

 Bottom of the Drop, and now and then skips 

 nimbly like a Elea. 



"Monsieur Joblot * (whose Imagination has 

 frequently exaggerated the figures- of Animalcules 

 found in Water), tells us that he once discovered 

 in an Infusion of the Anemony, an Animalcule, 

 having on its back a Mask, or exact Representation 

 of a Satyr's Face, and gives a Picture suitable to 

 that idea. But making a considerable allowance 

 for the Truthfulness of his, or the Painter's Eancy, 

 I think it not unlikely that the Subject we are 

 treating of might have been the little Animal he 

 saw ; for the two btack Spots, with the part of the 

 Bowels that comes between them, have some 

 Resemblance of a Nose and Eyes; the two Points 

 which terminate the Shell at the Tail-end appear 

 something like a piqued Beard; the distance be- 

 tween them might pass for a Mouth ; and the Whole 

 put together might, by a true Lover of the Wonder- 

 ful, be worked up to the extravagant Likeness of a 

 Satyr's Face. But this is mentioned only, by the 

 bye, and as a Reason why I give it the name of 

 Satyr." 



This animal is probably one of the Entomostraca. 



In the month of July, 1745, Mr. Baker received 

 from his correspondent, Mr. Joseph Greenleafe, of 

 Yarmouth, three Phials containing several kinds 

 of Animalcules which were new to him ; one kind 

 was exactly globular in form, and had no appear- 

 ance of head, tail, or fins. His friend Mr. 

 Arderon had also observed this form in a drop 

 of Norwich water. The figure of this form is 

 that of Volvox globator. As may be imagined, the 

 luminosity of the sea attracted the attention of 

 those who used microscopes, and the principal 

 cause of this phenomenon was soon discovered. 

 Mr. Baker says, "that a curious enquirer into 

 Nature, f dwelling at Wells, upon the Coast of 

 Norfolk, affirms from his own Observations that 

 the Sparkling of Sea Water is occasioned by 



* This is no doubt the A Y. who sent the drawing 1 and 

 description to the " Gentleman's Magazine.'' 

 t Mr. Joseph Sparshall. 



