266 



It is certain all animals perspire and are eucenu 

 passed with an atmosphere which exhales from them. 

 Suaiis have nothing peculiar in this respect, unless 

 that their atmosphere condenses and hardens about 

 them, and forms a visible cover for the body, while 

 that of other animals evaporates. This difference 

 may arise from the different substance perspired ; that 

 from snails being viscous and stony. This is no sup. 

 position, but a matter of fact, proved by numerous 

 experiments. 



But the re- production of the shells of some fish, 

 yea, and of the parts contained therein, is tar more 

 strange and unaccountable, than their first production. 

 This is particularly observed in crabs and lobsters* 

 Lobsters cast their shell yearly, some time after mid- 

 summer. In the room of the old, a new, thin shell is 

 immediately prepared by nature, which in less than 

 eight days, acquires almost the same degree of hard* 

 ness as the other* 



The legs of a lobster consist of five articulations. 

 When any of these legs break, which frequently hap* 

 pens, the fracture is always near the fourth joint, and 

 ivhat they lose is precisely reproduced in some time 

 after : four joints shooting out, the first wheroof has 

 two claws, as before. 



If a leg be broken off purposely at the fourth or 

 fifth joint, it is constantly reproduced : but very 

 rarely, if at the first, second, or third joint. What 

 is still more supprising is, that upon visiting the 

 lobster, which is maimed in these barren articulations, 

 at the end of two or three days, all the other joints 

 are found broken off at the fourth, which he has un- 

 doubtedly donenimself. 



The part re-produced is perfectly like that broke 

 eff, a;<d in a certain time gro^s equal to it. Hence it 

 is, that lobsters have often their two big legs un 

 equal. This shews the smaller leg to be a new one. 

 If a part thus re- produced is broken off, there is a 

 second reproduction. The summer,, which is the 



