275 



It may seem whimsical to make a distinction be- 

 tween the animal perfections of turbinated and bivalve 

 shell. fish, or to grant a degree of superiority to the 

 snail above the oyster. Yet this distinction appa- 

 rently obtains in nature ; and we shall find the bival* 

 ved tribe of animals in every respect inferior to the 

 other. Inferior in all their sensations ; inferior in 

 all their motions ; but prculiarly inferior in their 

 system of animal generation. The snail tribe are 

 hermaphrodite ; but require the assistance of eack 

 other for fecundation ; all the bivalve tribe are 

 hermaphrodite in like manner, but they require no 

 assistance from each other towards impregnation ; and 

 a single muscle or oyster, if th*re were no other in 

 the world, would quickly replenish the ocean. 



The multitude of muscles is in some places very 

 g^eat; but I'roin their defenceless state, the number 

 of their destroyers are in equal proportion. The 

 crab, the cray-fish, and many other animals are seen 

 to devour them j but the tochus is their most for- 

 midable t-nemy When their shells are found de- 

 serted, if we then observe closely, it is most probable 

 we shall find that the tochus has been at work in 

 piercing them. There is scarce one of them with- 

 out a hole in it ; and this probably was the ave 

 nue by which the enemy entered to destroy the in- 

 habitant. 



But notwithstanding the number of this creature's 

 animated enemies, it seems still more fearful of the 

 agitanons of the element in which it resides ; for if 

 dashed against rocks, or thrown far on the beach, it 

 is destroyed without a power of redress. In order to 

 guard against these, which are to this animal the com- 

 monest and the most fatal accidents,, although it has a 

 power of slow motion which I shali presently describe, 

 yet st endeavours to become stationary, ami to attach 

 itself to any fixed object it happens to be near. For 

 this purpose it is furnished with a very singular capa- 

 city of binding i'sclf by a number of threads to what* 

 sver object it approaches 5 And those Reaumur sup* 

 w 5 



