4o6 GENERATION. Sect. XXXIX. 6. i. 



From all this reafoning I would conclude, that though the 

 imagination of the female may be fuppofed to affeel: the embry- 

 on by producing a difference in its early nutriment 5 yet that no 

 fuch power can affeel: it after it has obtained a placenta, and 

 other organs ; which may felect or change the food, which is 

 prefented to it either in the liquor amnii, or in the milk. Now 

 as the eggs in pullets, like the feeds in vegetables, are produced 

 gradually, long before they are impregnated, it does not appear 

 how any fudden effect of imagination of the mother at the time 

 of impregnation can produce any confiderable change in the nu- 

 triment already thus laid up for the expected or defired embryon. 

 And that hence any changes of the embryon, except thofe uni- 

 form ones in the production of mules and mulattoes, more 

 probably depend on the imagination of the male parent. At 

 the fame time it feems manifeil, that thofe monitrous births, 

 which confift in fome deficiencies only, or fome redundancies 

 of parts, originate from the deficiency or redundance of the firft 

 nutriment prepared in the ovary, or in the part of the egg im- 

 mediately furrounding the cicatricula, as defcribed above j and 

 which continues fome time to excite the firft living filament 

 into action, after the finiple animal is completed ; or ccafes to 

 excite it, before the complete form is accomplished. The for- 

 mer of thefe circumftances is evinced by the eggs with double 

 yolks, which frequently happen to our domefticated poultry, and 

 which, I believe, are fo formed before impregnation, but which 

 would be well worth attending to, both before and after im- 

 pregnation ; as it is probable, fomething valuable on this fubjecl: 

 might be learnt from them. The latter circumftance, or that 

 of deficiency of original nutriment, may be deduced from re- 

 verfe analogy. 



There are, however, other kinds of monftrous births, which 

 neither depend on deficiency of parts, or fupernumerary ones ; 

 nor are owing to the conjunction of animals of different fpecies ; 

 but which appear to be new conformations, or new difpofitions 

 of parts in refpect to each other, and which, like the variation 

 of colours and forms of our domefticated animals, and probably 

 the fexual parts of all animals, may depend on the imagination 

 of the male parent, which we now come to confider. 



VI. 1. The nice actions of the extremities of our various 

 glands are exhibited in their various productions, which are be- 

 lieved to be made by the gland, and not previoufly to exift as 

 fuch in the blood. Thus the glands, which conftitute the liver, 

 make bile ; thofe of the ftomach make gaftric acid ; thofe be- 

 neath the jaw, faliva ; thofe of the ears, ear-wax j and the like. 

 Every kind of gland muff poffefs a peculiar irritability, and 



probably 



