3o8 on animal nutrition. Vd. j. 



About twelve years ago, a woman in RofsQiire 

 lived several years, without tasting any other kind 

 of food, but pure water alone. The fact w^s au- 

 thenticated in the most undeniable manner ; and 

 Sir John Lockhart Rofs afsured me, that he visited 

 her after flie had been on that regimen several years, 

 and found her complexion frefli and clear, her breasts 

 plump, and her body far from being in that emaci- 

 ated state he expected. 



'jth, I have often thought it was a matter of great 

 difficulty to account for the manner in which fifties in 

 the sea were sustained. The number of these is 

 very great ; probably much greater, taking into the 

 account the whole depth of it, than the same extent 

 of surface on land ; yet few are the vegetables pro- 

 duced in the bottom of the sea ; and of these few. a 

 very small portion of them are consumed by the ani- 

 mals which inhabit the ocean. We know, in fliort, not 

 perhaps a dozen of animals that inhabit the ocean which 

 feed upon vegetables of any sort. On what then do 

 fifties live ? the answer is ready ; on other fifhes. And 

 true it is, that most kinds of fifties devour those that 

 are smaller than themselves. But still the difliculty 

 recurs. If large fifti devour smaller, wliat do these, 

 smaller ones, down to the very smallest, live upon ? 

 They must come at last to derive their nutriment 

 either from vegetable or mineral substances. But I 

 have already said, that the vegetable substances pro- 

 duced in the sea are few ; and these few are not con- 

 sumed by animals, in a great degree. It would seem 

 therefore undeniable, that some of the marine ani- 



