THE POLVI'L'S. 410 



common to all the tribes of insect nature ; but with regard to 

 such as are produced like buds from their parent stem, or like 

 cuttings from an original root, their history requires a more de- 

 tailed explanation. If a polypus be carefully observed in sum- 

 mer, when these animals are chiefly active, and more particularly 

 prepared for propagation, it will be found to bourgeon forth 

 from different parts of its body several tubercles or little knob? 

 which grow larger and larger every day ; after two or three days' 

 inspection, what at first appeared but a small excrescence takes 

 the figure of a small animal, entirely resembling its parent, fur- 

 nished with feelers, a mouth, and all the apparatus for seizing 

 and digesting its prey. This little creature every day becomes 

 larger, like the parent to which it continues attached ; it spreads 

 its arms to seize upon whatever insect is proper for aliment, and 

 devours it for its own particular benefit : thus it is possessed of 

 two sources of nourishment, that which it receives from the 

 parent by the tail, and that which it receives from its own in- 

 dustry by the mouth. The food which these animals receive 

 often tinctures the whole body, and upon this occasion the pa- 

 rent is often seen communicating a part of its own fluids to that 

 of its progeny that grows upon it ; while^ on the contrary, it 

 never receives any tincture from any substance that is caught 

 and swallowed by its young. If the parent swallows a red 

 worm, which gives a tincture to all its fluids, the young one 

 partakes of the parental colour ; but if the latter should seize 

 upon the same prey, the parent polypus is no way benefited 

 by the capture, but all the advantage remains with the young 

 one. 



But we are not to suppose that the parent is capable of pro- 

 ducing only one at a time ; several young ones are thus seen at 

 once, of difl'erent sizes, growing from its body, some just bud- 

 ding forth, others acquiring their perfect form, and others come 

 to sufficient maturity, and just ready to drop from the original 

 stem to which they had been attached for several days. But 

 what is more extraordinary still, those young ones themselves 

 that continue attached to their parent, are seen to bourgeon, and 

 propagate their own young ones also, each holding the same de- 

 pendence upon its respective parent, and possessed of the same 

 advantages that have been already described in the first connec- 

 tion. Thus we see a surprising chain of existence continued, 



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