THE GRASS-SEA. 1752. ItI 



they fearch this weed well, and take what they 

 like out of it : not to mention that one fort 

 of little filhes or infers which inhabit this fea- 

 weed, ferves as food to others. 



The ftalk of this ramofe plant, which how- 

 ever is fcarce diftinguifhable in thicknefs from 

 the branches, was not above a foot long, and 

 without all appearances of roots ; yet it was 

 able to pufti out new leaves for further en- 

 creafe : the globofe parts of fructification were 

 (like fome of the leaves, flalks, and branches) 

 harder than ufual • occafioned, as it feeraed, 

 by the flime which fometimes fattens itfelf on 

 the leaves, branches, or other parts : in this 

 fome very fmall blackifh grains, or rather eggs 

 of crabs, and infers, are inclofed : when 

 thefe infers afterwards forfake their habita- 

 tions, they leave marks in the hardened flime 

 behind them. Sometimes a flime exceedingly 

 like the whites of eggs flicks to the leaves, in 

 which an innumerable quantity of mail's eggs 

 joined together make a white or yellow chain, 

 like a Tania, fo wound backwards and for- 

 wards that one can neither find its beginning 

 or its end. I could neither in thefe nor in the 

 preceding ones, obferve any fort of fhape or 

 life, with the microfcope. After they had 



been 



