144 ^ Courfe of Expert tnenti 



EXPERIMENT XIII. 



Slitting ^Polype open, and cutting off the 

 Eftd of its TaiL 



liyJuiT, 12, 1743. 1 thruft the Point 



^ ^ of my Sciffars into the Mouth of an 

 Englifh Polype^ as it lay in my Hand, con- 

 traded about half-way ; and Hit it down the 

 Body, as far as to the Place where the Tail 

 begins. Immediately afterwards, I divided 

 the Tail of the faid Polype in two, tranf- 

 verfly, at about the Middle of its Length ; 

 which laft Section was made, to try, once 

 more, if fuch a Piece of meer Tail could 

 poilibly become a Polype 3 the Te?ith Expe- 

 riment^ where it did not fucceed, being in 

 my Opinion not fufficiently conclufive, fince 

 the flimy Matter, whereby that Piece was 

 iofl:, might pofiibly be an Accident that may 

 not always happen. 



^ This Polype had two large 



young Ones hanging to it, 

 and at the Time of Cutting 

 appeared thus. 



This Figure (hews the Slit 

 along the Body ; and the Cut acrofs the Tail \% 

 exprefs'd by the little tranfverfe Line. Some 

 of the Horns were (hortened by the Opera- 

 tion. 



Oa 



