366 Mist OR dr 



found to perform, and endued with powers that 

 many of them are destitute of. But what is most 

 extraordinary remains yet to be told ; for, if ex- 

 amined With a microscope, there are seen several 

 little specks, like buds, that seem to pullulate 

 from different parts of its body ; and these soon 

 after appear to be young polypi, and, like the 

 large polypus, begin to cast their little arms 

 about for prey in the same manner. Whatever 

 they happen to ensnare is devoured, and gives a 

 colour not only to their own bodies, but to that 

 of the parent ; so that the same food is digest- 

 ed, and serves for the nourishment of both. The 

 food of the little one passes into the large poly- 

 pus, and colours its body ; and this, in its turn, 

 digests, and swallows its food to pass into theirs. 

 In this manner, every polypus has a new colony 

 Sprouting from its body ; and these new ones, 

 even while attached to the parent animal, be- 

 come parents themselves, having a smaller co- 

 lony also budding from them : All, at the same 

 time, busily employed in seeking for their prey, 

 and the food of any one of them serving for the 

 nourishment, and circulating through the bodies 

 of all the rest. This society, however, is every 

 hour dissolving ; those newly produced, are seen 

 at intervals to leave the body of the large poly- 

 pus, and become shortly after the head of a be- 

 ginning colony themselves. 



In this manner the polypus multiplies natural- 

 ly ; but one may take a much readier and shorter 

 way to increase them, and this only by cutting 

 them in pieces. Though cut into thousands of 



