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the leaves fwimming on the furface of the water, and, twifting the 

 twigs round, fo as to lay hold of thofe leaves and draw them out of 

 the water, they pulled out with them many minute Ee s ; and 

 among thofe, I have feen many young Eels of different fizes, fome 

 of them remarkably minute and fmaller than we ever obferve the 

 young fry of fiflies which are produced from eggs ; and this con- 

 firmed me in my opinion, that Eels are not always bred in the fame 

 month or feafon of the year. 



In order farther to inveftigate this fubjed:, I, at feveral times, 

 difleded fome large Eels, examining particularly that part of the 

 belly where one experts to find lome appearance of young, (and I 

 am well afllired, that Eels of every kind, without diftindlion, do 

 breed young ones), in the inteltines of which I found many dif- 

 ferent kinds of animalcules ; and afterwards I examined fome Eels 

 without dilfeding them, by comprefilng the belly near the 

 aperture into the inteftines : from one of thefe there iflued a fmall 

 quantity of thick liquor, which being diluted and placed before the 

 microfcope, I plainly faw that it contained animalcules, which in 

 fhape, length, and thicknefs, exactly reprefented Eels, but fo mi- 

 nute, that in my opinion, they were not a fiftieth part the thick- 

 nefs of a hair. 



After this, upon reflecting that Eels might probably breed in the 

 winter time, I directed a filherman to bring me fome every week, 

 beginning in the month of February. 



The firrt of thefe I diflected, and upon examining the parts where 

 I fuppofed the young would be depofited, I found nothing but fome 

 very minute globules, fomewhat lefs than the globules of blood, 

 and of thefe fome were of an oblong fhape : proceeding in my 

 obfervations, I found thefe kind of globules more and more ex- 

 tended in length, till I faw them of the perfedl Ihape of Eels, and 

 at laft I extracted a great number of minute Eels, lying together in 

 a tranfparent liquid, which, through the microfcope, appeared as 

 perfedly formed as minute Eels viewed with the naked eje. 



