yo4 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1714. 



microscope appeared so small, that I could but just discover the figure of them. 

 In some other muscles the eggs were larger: and though the first unborn 

 muscles, which I judged to be so perfect, as to be ready to be placed on the 

 shell, were of a brownish colour, mixed with little specks, yet the very small 

 eggs were clear and transparent ; but in the larger, one might discover some of 

 the parts of the little fish within. I took out of the ovarium of one of the 

 muscles some particles, as large as an unborn muscle, and which were some- 

 what longer than broad ; being very white, and some of them of a particular 

 figure : at which I was amazed, and began to consider whether these might not 

 be some of those creatures, which are so prejudicial to such as eat muscles. 



Turning my thoughts to the consideration of the excrements, or food of the 

 muscle as it lay in the guts, I observed a gut, which had its beginning, or 

 rather its ending, in the thinnest part of the fish, where the shell opens when 

 the muscle is in the water; and which gut was very near the extreme part of the 

 fish, and ran into that part where the stomach is. I have often separated this 

 gut from the fish ; and squeezing the matter out of it, I always observed that 

 the earthy matter, which was in the gut, was mingled with a great number of 

 grains of sand of different magnitudes ; so that I judged there was above 1000 

 grains of sand in one gut ; some of which were as large as the sand on the sea 

 shore ; but others again so small, that 1000 of them were not equal to one of 

 the other large grains. I took a second gut out of the muscle, which lay 

 deeper in it; and therein I also discovered as great a quantity of sand. I have 

 likewise squeezed the matter out of the guts of some muscles, in which I found 

 but few grains of sand. 



In the matter taken out of the stomach, I observed several minute animal- 

 cula swimming ; and had not till now perceived the stomach so full of food, nor 

 of so thin a substance as this was. I have observed, that in all the muscles I 

 have opened, there were ovaria or egg-nests ; and I have taken the eggs out of 

 them : and of those opened latest, I observed that the eggs were larger than 

 before. So that I concluded that all muscles brought forth young ones ; and 

 that the eggs that were found on the outside of the shell were not all laid by 

 the muscle itself; but that other muscles did also lay their eggs on each others 

 shells ; and accordingly 1 have observed some shells that were covered all over 

 with eggs. 



During the motion of those parts above-mentioned, which I shall here call 

 the beard of the muscle, I have observed several times two or three animalcula 

 swimming ; and the small parts that lay round about were put into such a mo- 

 tion, that one would be apt also to take them for animalcula. And in my judg- 

 ment, after several observations, most if not all, of the shell fish, bring forth 

 young without the help of males : so likewise I believe it is in oysters ; and I 



