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which thus became fliut. Thefe fmall fiflies lived only two days 

 while in my poflefTion, but how long the miifcles to which they 

 wei-e fixed, had been out of the water \s'hen I got them, I do not 

 know. 



I have often taken thefe minute fifties as gently as poffible out of 

 their fliells, and fpreading their parts afunder, placed them before 

 the microfcope, and I mufi fay, that I never with my naked eye, 

 beheld any fifh, in the formation of which there appeared fuch 

 wonderful art, as in thefe minute fiflies ; therefore I determined to 

 give a drawing of the greatefi part of one of them. 



Plate XX. fg. 9, A B C D, reprefcnts part of a mufcle fliell, in 

 which, at E, is flievvn the flicU of this fmall fifli, as faflened to the 

 mufcle ftiell, and which, as I have faid before, is called a Puftule, 

 or Pimple. 



The wonderful and curious formation of this little fifli, the lim- 

 ner could not reprelent exad;ly after Nature, becaufe the beauty and 

 regularity of its fliape were loft when the moillure evaporated from 

 it ; and befides, the feveral parts of its body were fo exadlly and de- 

 licately joined together, that when I endeavoured to fpread them 

 afunder, fome one part or other was always broken. 



This fifli is provided with a receptacle containing a great number 

 of eggs, but which, at the leaft evaporation of the nioifture, are fo 

 contra6led, that nothing of them can be diftinguiflied. 



Fig. 10, A B C D E, reprefents the body of this fifli as (cen by 

 the microfcope. E F, is one of twelve organs or limbs with which 

 it is provided, befides the other organs marked K L M, N O, and 

 P Q R. All thefe organs lie bent in a kind of curved pofition, and 

 are fo twilled one within another, that they cannot be diftinguiflied 

 uniefs they are gently fpread afunder. 



I have faid, that the eggs were fo foft, that on the leaft evapo- 

 ration they loft their fliape and vaniflied from the fight, therefore I 

 determined to boil fome of thefe Pimple-fifli a little, and by fo doing, 

 the eggs acquired fuch a degree of hardnefs, as to keep their figure, 

 and enabled the limner to fee them diftindly and reprefent them in 

 his drawing, as may be feen in fig. 10, at G H I. But I direded, 



