ANIMAL REPRODUCTIONS, 25% 
the fame limbs of this amphibious animal ? Shall 
we fay, that this virtue, this reprodutive power, 
which the animal enjoyed while a tadpole, has 
been loft by it becoming a frog? as if, by the 
metamorphofis, it ceafed to be the fame animal, 
which is but an unphilofophical fentiment (1). I 
find it more confiftent with truth, to fuppofe the 
reproductive power continues in the frog ; it is 
enabled to operate in the tadpole, by means of 
_ the great tendernefs of fibre, but its action is af- 
terwards prevented from the iucceeding indura- 
tion. Let us endeavour to elucidate this a little, 
The frog, while a tadpole, never leaves the wa- 
ter ; and it wouid perifh on attempting to do fo. 
Only from time to time does it dart trom ‘hy 
bottom to the furface, and, for a moment, 
puts up its mouth, to expel the air from its 
lungs, and infpire what is frefh, ‘The trunks 
of the amputated limbs then remain in a {tate o! 
the greateft foftnefs, being always immeriec 
water, and bathed by it in every point. 
minute limb, yet a germ, will be able to peric 
the trunk, if this expreflion may be ufed, to coizie 
out and freely expand. But the fame thing will 
not happen, when the frog has attained its full 
and permanent fize. ‘Then, as it generally re- 
mains out of the water, or retreats thither only 
when menaced by danger, the trunk will be fub- 
| je8 
_ (1) Differtaz. de Fif, Animal. et Vegetab. T. 2. 
