( O-i ) 



This Ipeclacle gave me great plealure, parti) becauie, after taking 

 fo mucli pains, I had now diicovered the manner of the propaga- 

 tion of Eels; and partly, hecaufe this was a complete anfwer to 

 thofe who faid hehind my back, " Since ISIr, Lecuwenhoek is en- 

 ** deavonring to eftablilh the regular generation of all animals, let 

 " him Ihew us in wliat manner Eels are bred." 



The fight of thefe minute and perfedl, though unborn Eels, 

 which were, as I have before faid, not a fiftieth part the fize of an 

 hair, I exhibited to feveral of my acquaintance, who wondered to 

 fee inch minute creat\ires fo completely formed. 



I purfued my oblervations on this f\ibje6l: till the months of Au- 

 guft and Oclober, till I could barely fee thefe minute Eels with the 

 naked eye, and I judged that they might at that time be brouglit 

 forth into life b}' the parent. 



It is by ibme alferted, that from the Ikins of Eels thrown mto 

 the water Imall Eels will be produced. This may perhaps be tme, 

 though not, as they imagine, from the corruption or putrefciction of 

 thofe Ikins, but in the following manner. Let us fuppofc that 

 among a fcore or more Eels which have been Ikinned, one of them 

 may have fome minute young ones in its belly, which, by the pref- 

 fure in the operation of ikinning, might be fqueezed out and remain 

 adhering to the Ikin ; thole minute Eels, when thrown into the 

 water M'itli the Ikin, may there find food and grow to their full fize; 

 and by this means, if Eel-Jkins are thrown into a newly made 

 ^'anal, Eels may thereby be bred therein. 





