LETTER vm. 205 



26. In paragraph 37^^ of my feventh Letter, 

 I ought to have informed you, That a Shark Fi(h 

 never fpawns, but breeds its Young in a regular 

 Matrix, fituate in the lower part of its Belly. For 

 inftance, A Surgeon of my acquaintance faw in the 

 Weft Indies a Female one cut open ; She had eleven 

 Young ones of about fourteen Inches apiece long 

 in her, and each of them had a fair Navel-ftring, 

 (at leaftof the thicknefs of his little Finger) that 

 was faftened to the Matrix, which he cut in two 

 with a Knife, and then immediately put the Young 

 ones which were alive into a Bucket of Water, 

 where they fwam about a little. Sir Hans Sloan in 

 his Voyage to Jamaica^ Page 23, fays: I once 

 on opening one of the Female Sharks found the 

 Eggs in the Ovary perfeftly round, as big as the 

 top of one's Thumb; and at another time the 

 F^tus or Young ones in their Coats, lodged 

 in the Uterus^ after the manner of our Viviparous 

 Creatures ; for upon cutting the Coats the fmall 

 live Fiihes came out, being able to frifk and 

 fwim up and down the Salt Water. I fancy that 

 Whales, Grampuffes, and indeed all other Levia- 

 thans of the Ocean, propagate in the felf fame 

 manner. And if you objeft againft the young 

 Sharks going into the old one's Maw for Food, (as 

 afferted iii that Paragraph) I only beg you to 

 remember, that common Vipers here in England 

 do the fame} efpecially when they are under a 



fright ; 



