VOL. XLII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 625 



The more we search into the manner how a polypus comes from the body of its 

 parent, the more we are persuaded, that it is done by a true vegetation. There 

 is not on the body of a polypus any distinguished place, by which they bring 

 forth their young. M. T. had some of them, that greatly multiplied under his 

 eyes, and of which he can almost say, that they have produced young ones, 

 from all the exterior parts of their body. 



A polypus does not always put forth a single young one at a time; it is a 

 commpn thing to find those which produce 5 or 6 : he had some which put 

 forth 9 or 10 at the same time, and when one dropped off, another came in its 

 place. These insects seem so many stems, from which issue many branches. 

 He learned by a continual attention to 2 species of them, that all the individuals 

 of these species produce young ones. 



He had for 2 years under his eye thousands of them ; and though he ob- 

 served them constantly, and with attention, he never observed any thing like 

 copulation. On supposition, that this copulation is performed in some secret 

 manner, he tried at first to be sure it had not place between 2 of them, after 

 they were severed from the body of their parent. To this end, he took young 

 ones, the moment they came from the parent, which was alone in a glass ; or 

 he even parted them with scissars. Each of these young ones he put into per- 

 fect solitude, and fed them every one separately in a glass ; they all multiplied, 

 not only themselves, but also their offspring, which from generation to gene- 

 ation, as far as the 7th, were all confined to solitude with the same precaution. 



Another fact, which he observed, has proved that they have the faculty of 

 multiplying, before they are severed from their parent. He has seen a polypus, 

 still adhering, bring forth young ones ; and those young ones themselves have 

 also brought forth others. On supposition, that perhaps there was some copu- 

 lation between the parent and young ones, while they were yet united ; or be- 

 tween the young ones coming from the body of the same parent ; he made 

 divers experiments, to be sure of the fact ; but not one of those experiments 

 ever led him to any thing that could give the idea of a copulation. The polypus 

 multiplies more or less, as he is more or less fed, and as the weather is more or 

 less warm. If plenty of food, and a sufficient degree of warmth concur, they 

 multiply prodigiously. 



He next proceeds to the singularities resulting from the operations he tried 

 upon them. If the body of a polypus be cut into 2 parts transversely, each of 

 those parts becomes a complete polypus. On the very day of the operation, the 

 first part, or anterior end of the polypus, that is the head, the mouth and the 

 arms ; this part lengthens itself, it creeps and eats. 



VOL. VIII. 4 L 



