8 LETTER I. 



Poifon, their Shells loofe thofe Darts, and as 

 foon as a Storm comes they arc thrown up on 

 the Shore, where the violent Heat of the Sun 

 bleaches the whole Shell, till it becomes as white 

 as you now have them. Whilft they are alive, 

 they have a foft, black, and round fubftance, 

 not unlike the Nipple of a Woman*s Breaft, 

 which they can raife out of the largeft hole on 

 the flatteft or bottom fide, and a much lefler 

 round fubftance of the fame nature appears out 

 of the much lefler hole on the other flat fide 

 or rather top of the Shell : I imagine the bot- 

 tom round fubftance to be its Head that feeds 

 or grazes on Weeds, &c. which lye or grow at 

 the bottom of the Sea j but then I am entirely 

 at a lofs what to determine about the leflfer round 

 fubftance, unlefs I durft venture boldly to pro- 

 nounce that another Head : In fliort it is all a 

 meer Conjefture. If you examine the Infide of 

 it, you will perceive a prodigious number of 

 little Holes that you may ftick a fmall minikin 

 Pin into, running in due diftances in proportion 

 to their number quite thorough the Shell, in 

 Lines that are exadly parallel, from the bot- 

 tom part quite up to the center in the top of 

 this Shell, and thorough which the Salt Water 

 did I fuppofe enter in order to fcoui; and keep the 

 Fifli in health. The Fifli is both in colour and 

 form juft like Salmon or indeed any other Fifties 



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