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I caufed fome of the leaves, to which thefe eggs or fpawn adhered, 

 to be brought to my houfe, and put them into two earthen veffels 

 filled with the water that runs through our canals ; and then I ex- 

 amined thofe eggs by the microfcope, and found that, for the moft 

 part, they were dark coloured on one fide, and yellow on the other : 

 but looking at them again the next morning, I found that the yel- 

 low colour was almofl vanifhed, only a fmall part of each egg re- 

 maining of that tinge, whence I concluded that the eggs had been 

 but lately laid by the Frog when I took them up. 



Moreover, I took feveral eggs out of the tranfparent glutinous 

 matter or jelly, which contained them, and I found this glutinous 

 fubflance, by which the eggs feemed to be preferred difiin(5t in 

 their round fliape, to be very flrong and tough, fo that it could not 

 be feparated from the egg itfelf, without being torn ; and when I 

 handled it ever fo gently, the egg did not retain its round figure, 

 but broke to pieces. I examined many of the eggs after I had taken 

 them out of the jelly which inclofed them, and found them to be 

 contained in a very thin membrane, formed with black parts or 

 fpots, in fliape agreeing with the knobs or protuberances in that 

 leather which is called fhagreen. 



The egg itfelf, as far as I could difcern, confifted of a watery 

 matter, (as it appeared to the fight) and an incredible number of 

 globules, each of which again confifled of a great number of lefTer 

 globules, all having a larger globule in the middle ; fo that every 

 one of them had the appearance of an egg with a very fmall yolk. 



The figure of many of thefe eggs altered every day; for, from 

 being round, they aflumed an oblong fhape ; afterwards minute tails 

 were formed ; and I alfo thought that I faw the appearance of 

 heads. 



Every day I opened feveral of thefe eggs, and until the feventh 

 day after they had been brought to my houfe, when I faw the 

 young Frogs (which are called Tadpoles) to be fo far formed, that 

 they began to move. But, with all my attention, I could perceive 



