422 ME M O IR S of thff 
more tenacious, and not fo tranfparcnt as what Mr. Cowper 
found in ail tiie other animals he examined ^ there is fome- 
thing particular in their contrivance in this animal, each gland 
being covered with a peculiar mufcle not unlike the gizzards 
of ibme fowl 5 which mechanifm feems contrived for more for- 
cibly comprefling them, to difcharge their very tenacious con- 
tents into the Urethra, and that not only in the time of coition, 
but at any other time ; which feems to be more particularly 
required in thofe animals, becaufe the paffage of their urine 
is very long, and therefore flands in need of more of this gluti- 
nous matter to befmear it, whereby it is defended from the in- 
juries that may arife from thefalts of the urine : As the urine 
of different animals is more or lefs impregnated with pungent 
falts, fo the proportion of thofe glands differ as well as on ac- 
count of the various lengths of their Urethra's: It is remar- 
kable we do not find thefe glands in females, like thofe in 
males, tho' they have fomething analogous to them, which are 
delcnbed by de Graeffy and called Troftat^ Alnlierum ^ but 
the orifices of their excretory dudls, opening at the extremity 
of the Urethra, they ferve not only to defend the Nymphs and 
Labia ^tideridl, from the urinous falts ; but alfo to dilcharge 
their liquor in coitu -^ the whole Urethra in them being fo 
ihort, that the contradion of the fphinfler mufcle of the blad- 
der IS fufHcient to expel any remains of urine from that paf- 
fage : The ufe of thefe glands is two-fold; firfl, on the erefiion 
of the 'Pg';//;, there is fo much of their liquor difcharged into 
the Urethra, as fuffices to drive out any remains of the urine, 
and prevent its mixing with the Semen -^ and at other times the 
continual dilcharge of fome part of their liquor into the 
Urethra,^ defends that pafTage from the falts in the urine 5 the 
like continual exfudation cannot happen either from the excre- 
tory dufts of the 'Proftatie, or thofe of the Veficulde feminales^ 
becaufe the nearnefs of the SphinEter mufcle fo corrugates the 
inner membrane of the Urethra, as to prevent an eafy paflfage 
of the liquor by the Oftiola of the former 5 nor can the Semen 
run out of the latter, lince the Carunctda or Caput Gallinagi- 
nis, is contrived on purpofe to prevent it ; wherefore the dia- 
phragm, abdominal mufcles, and Levatores Ani are employed 
in comprefTing thofe parts to difcharge their contents : It is not 
improbable that the matter, which flows at the latter end of 
the cure of the veneral difeafe, and is called a gleet, proceeds 
from thefe glands, and not from the "ProfiatfC or Feficulce Semi- 
naks-i as is confjmonly fuppofed3 vvhtch may afford no inconfi- 
derablc 
