( 82 ) 



about them until the young are perfeilly formed, it feems probable 

 to me, that this is alfo the cafe with the Mufcle, for othervvife, how 

 could this fpecies of fifli be propagated ? efpecially if we confider that 

 they lay their eggs in the middle of winter, and are generally in 

 fhallow waters, where the fliore is muddy ; and if tlie eggs were not 

 depofited on the Ihells, they would be buried in the mud, witli the 

 common flux and reflux of the tide : not to mention that in llormy 

 weatlier they would be carried out to fea ; but while they are fixed 

 to the fliells of the parent, and thefe laft adhering to folid fubllances 

 on the fliore, the eggs are, by this means, in great numbers, pre- 

 ferved ; and thefe young Mufcles, when come to fuch maturity as 

 to be Separated from the fliells, may, in windy weather, flrong tides 

 or currents, be eafily carried to other muddy fliores on the coall, in 

 places where for many years before no Mufcles were to be found. 



I have made a rough calculation of the numbers of thefe eggs, and 

 I compute that there are frequently more than two thoufand flxed to 

 the fliell of one Mufcle ; in fa6l, I have feen Mufcles, each of which 

 I judged had more than three thoufand on it. 



I have before faid, that the eggs of Mufcles are the fize of com- 

 mon fcowering-fand, but as this is not of the fame fize in all coun- 

 tries, I compute that, to the beft of my judgment, feven of thefe 

 ego's, in breadth, are equal to the fifteenth part of an inch, confe- 

 quently the breadth of 105 eggs, is equal to one inch ; and I alfo 

 compute, that fixty eggs, in length, make an inch ; therefore a 

 fquare inch will contain 6300 ; and as each egg is no thicker than 

 broad, 105 of them mufl: he one on another to make the thicknefs of 

 an inch ; the fum total then of the eggs which will be contained with- 

 in the fpace of a cubic inch, is 661,500 ; and hundreds of fuch eggs 

 may lie under fliells, fand, or mud, without being perceived, and yet 

 Mufcles be produced from them. 



Having taken fome of the unformed Mufcles out of the eggs, I 



