Of the Snail or InfeStfound on the Vine, alfo on the nature of Sage, and 

 zvhence its virtue proceeds ; zvithfome obfervations on the manner in 

 xvhich different a?iimals emit their poifon. 



j\. Gentleman of fome confequence in this country, upon a certain 

 time, put into my hands, a parcel of fmall whitifli eggs, together with 

 Ibme dry earth, in which they were found ; and defired that I would 

 endeavour to difcover what fpecies of animal would be produced 

 from them. The axis of thefe eggs was nearly equal to one fifteenth 

 part of an inch. 



One of thefe I difre6led, and found in it a thin fluid, mixed with 

 round particles, or globules ; the reft of them I put into a glafs, but 

 their contents in a few days entirely evaporated, and the fhells, which 

 were very brittle and tender, upon the liquid they contained being 

 exhaufted, became fhrivelled, fo that no living creature proceeded 

 from them. 



The following year, the fame gentleman brought to me fome 

 more of thofe kind of eggs, which I treated in the fame manner as 

 the former, but with no better fuccefs. 



In the month of July, in the third year, I received from the fame 

 perfon a larger parcel of thofe eggs, which were mixed with about 

 an handful of moift earth. 



Seeing this, I began to confider, that perhaps, the reafon why the 

 liquor being evaporated from the former eggs, had thereby prevented 

 their producing any living creature, was, that in dry earth they be- 



X 



