ii 8 The Statural Hifiofy 



was informed by a perfon of good credit, of a flone of this na- 

 ture refembling a Cockje-fiell, found in the belly of a Beef, where 

 in all likelyhood it bred, and (hot into that figure : Which if true, 

 fays he, there can be no reafon to doubt, but that thofe in the 

 Quarries and other places arefo generated. 



113. But againft this opinion there are feveral confiderable 

 objeSlions brought by the ingenious Mr. Hock, Steno and 

 Boccone, which I {hall next faithfully propound to the bed ad- 

 vantage, and then fee whether they may not more eafily be 

 folved, than the arguments on the other fide perhaps are like 

 to be. 



114. Firft, That amongft thofe ftones, there are fome with 

 the perfe&^e//, in figure, colour and fubftance, {ticking to their 

 furface ; efpecially, fays Mr. HookJi (difcourfing of thefe mat- 

 ters} thofe Serpentine or Helical ftones were covered with, or re- 

 tained the fiining or pearl-colour'' d fubftance of the infide of rffhell , 

 which fubftance on fome parts of them was exceeding thin, and might 

 be eafily rubbed off* on other farts it was pretty thick-, and retained a 

 white coat, or flaky fubftance on the top, jufl like the out fides of fuch 

 fhells ; fome of them had very large pieces of tbe {hell, very plainly 

 flicking on to them, which were eafily broken or flaked off by degrees. 

 Add hereunto fome particulars mention'd by Steno b . 1. That 

 there was found a Fearl-bearingfiell in Tufcany, a F earl yet flicking 

 to the {hell. 2. A piece of the great Sea-nacre [pinna marina] in. 

 which the filkrlih fubftance within the fhell being con fumed, the co- 

 lour of that fubftance did remain in the earthy matter which had fil- 

 led the {hell. 3. That about the City of Volaterra, there are many 

 beds of earth, not ft ony, which do abound with true Cockle-ihells, that 

 havefuffefd no change at all, and yet they muft needs have lain there 

 above ycooyears ; whence it is evident, tbattbat part of Tufcany 

 was of old time cover' d with the Sea : And why then might not as 

 well all thofe other places where thefe petrified fiells are found ? 

 4. To which alfo let me add, that at fome places here in Eng- 

 land, particularly at Cats-grove near Reading, a place fufficiently 

 remote from the Sea (of which more at large whenl come into 

 Berk-fiire) they meet with a bed of Oyfter-fiells both flat and gib- 

 bous, about 1 2 or 14 foot under ground, not at all petrified, all 

 of them opened, except fome very few, that I fuppofe haveca- 



* Micrograph. Objerv. lj. b InTrodromo. 



fually 



