Royal Society. 197 
all covered with a ihort foft lort of down, not unlike in texture, 
colour and lubftance, to that which grov;s on the back of the 
leaf o^Tu£Ila^o or colt's-foot j joming'to the edge of this Itripe 
there ran a lift about two tenths of an inch broad, that covered 
both fides of the animal, and part of his back, this lift or 
verge was thickly /liagged with a fine foft hair, that was very 
thick, and about a quarter of an inch long, of a moft dehcate 
changeable red and green colour, and of fo fparkling and yivid 
a luftre, that nothing of this kind could ihew more beautiful , 
amongfl this foft hair there was thickly interlperfed, without any 
order, a number of black, fiiarp, hard prickles, about the length 
of the hair, and the thicknefs of a hog's brittle, but much har- 
der, and very fliarp at the points 5 the tail, or Imaiier end termi- 
nated in the back, with two triangular pellucid foft Icales, that 
covered the orifice of the ^nus. The larger end, tho' it had not 
any horns, eyes, ears, nole or gills, yet becaule it was oppofite 
to the tail, and here had its mouth, may properly enough be cal- 
led the head ; the mouth was a very large aperture for the bulk 
of the animal, not placed at the end, but fomewbat underneath, 
as forming part of 'the belly, and could not be feen v.hen the 
back was turned uppermoft^ the belly was flat, and no ways pro- 
tuberant, covered with a fmooth naked fkin, of a much lighter 
colour than the back, irregularly fpotted, with little dark 
brownifh fpots, Ibme larger, fome li-naller^ it was broader to- 
wards the head, and grew ftill narrower towards the tail, where 
for above the ipace of an inch, it was curioufly pinched with lit- 
tle indentures, refembling the fmall joints in the tail of fome in- 
fe61:s5 theie divifions, or joints were Hill Hiorter and cloier to 
each other, the nigher they were to the extremity of the tail ; 
dole to each corner of the mouth, and fo along both fides of the 
belly, there was a row of feet, in a dole continued feri^s down to 
the outmofl tip of the tail 5 the largeft were placed towards the 
mouth, and upper part of the body, where they were about ^ of 
an inch long, but downwards they grew leis and iliorter, ftill 
gradually diminiftiing, the nearer they approached the end of the 
tail 5 where they were fo minute, that they were infenfibly loft, 
and not eafily to be diftinguiflied by the eye 5 from within the 
body, thro' the middle of each foot there pafled four, five or fix 
of the fame fort of /harp hard prickles, interfperfed amongft the 
loft hair^ thele were larger or imaller, more or fewer in number, 
according to the fize of the foot, and give it ftrength and firm- 
nefs inftead of bones, and likewiie their iffuing out beyond the 
end of the foot, ferves in lieu of toes or claws; joining to this 
row 
