i'iO THE PHILOSOPHY 



fubftance, to the bill of a parrot. With this bill, the cuttle-^ 

 fifh is enabled to break the fhells of limpets, and other 

 fh ell-animals, upon which it chiefly feeds. In the bel- 

 ly, there is an aperture through which the animal, when pur- 

 fued by its enemies, emits a fluid as black as ink, tinges the 

 water, and often efcapes by this ingenious ftratagem. The 

 Ancient Romans frequently ufed this black fluid as ink in 

 Writing. The males and females copulate by a mutual em- 

 brace. The female depofits her eggs upon fea-plants in par- 

 cels refembling bunches of grapes. At the inftant they 

 drop from the mother, the eggs are white ; but the male im- 

 mediately coats them over with a black liquor. The male 

 perpetually accompanies the female. When the female is 

 attacked, he braves every danger, and often refcues her at 

 the hazard of his own Hfe. The bone of the cuttle-fifh is 

 very light, and, when pulverized, it is employed by different 

 artifts in making moulds. 



The medufa is an animal which has the appearance of a; 

 lifelefs mafs of jelly floating on the furface of the ocean. Its 

 body is roundifli, flattened underneath, and the mouth is 

 lituated in the centre of the under part. There are many 

 fpecies of this feemingly moft imperfeit, defencelefs, and ab- 

 jefl part of animated nature. They are, however, furnifh- 

 ed with tentacula, by which they feize infe^Sts and the fmall 

 fry of fiflies, convey them to their mouths, and devour them. 

 Although the fport of the waves, and the prey of every fifli 

 that approaches them, they are gregarious animals, and, par- 

 ticularly in warm climates, fometimes colle£l in fucli num- 

 bers as to have the appearance of whitifli rocks under the 

 furface of the ocean. 



WE have thus given a fhort flietch of the fl:ru(51;ure of 

 animals, from man down to the infe<St tribes, and Ihall now 

 conclude with a few remarks. 



