640 I'HILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1775. 



on that body some small portions of the rim of their bases, in size inferior to a 

 lentil. These little shreds have at first no determined figure ; but gradually as- 

 sume the rounded shape of a drop of tallow : at length, in about 2 or 3 months, 

 a hole appears in the middle, which forms the mouth. An internal organization, 

 dilatations and contractions, sensibility, and other gradual improvements, soon 

 after prove them to be animals similar to those to which they owe their origin. 

 It might be imagined, that some time must elapse before they can grow to a 

 circumference of 2 feet. I have not been able to follow them to that degree of 

 increase ; but I have seen them in my house, where they are far from being so 

 favourably situated as in the sea, growing to a size large enough to convince 

 persons of ever so little observation, that they belong to the species of large 

 anemonies. The same shred often produces several small anemonies, which at 

 first adhere together, and in time are separated by the little contraction already 

 mentioned; but-if they happen to remain connected, they then produce singu- 

 lar forms and often monsters. Besides the anemony abovementioned, the old 

 one of this species, which has particularly unravelled this mystery, was formed 

 in the shape of a y, having 2 perfect bodies, of which the bases, both per- 

 forated, adhered and communicated to the same trimk ; as appeared by observ- 

 ing that the food descended into the main trunk : neither did these 2 anemonies, 

 thus connected, ever appear to have different inclinations, as is the case with 

 those that are once separated. Is it not reasonable therefore to suppose, that in 

 this state of union, every want was common, and each had its separate desire of 

 satisfying it ; and that, to keep up the habitual exercise of the animal functions 

 in each, both were on all occasions prompted to the performance of the same 

 function at the same time. 



In order to imitate the effects of nature, I clipped several small pieces from 

 the rim of the bases of anemonies of this species, and preserved them. Some 

 of them became small anemonies, similar to those that had been torn off of 

 their own accord ; but many perished without producing any thing. May we 

 not conclude from this experiment, that the prolific pieces contained a small 

 bulb intended to become a new anemony, and to be soon after torn off by the 

 mother ; and that those which perished, either contained none of those bulbs, 

 or such as were not sufficiently formed to thrive and grow after a violent amputa- 

 tion ? I the rather incline to this opinion, having observed, that among the 

 pieces I had cut off, those particularly succeeded which appeared interiorly replete 

 and of a certain thickness. If so, this conjecture may possibly lead us to another. 

 It is well known that the fresh water polypi increase by section, and that being 

 cut into several pieces, each of these pieces becomes an animal similar to the 

 original one. Thus a polypus being divided in 2, 4, 8, 1 6, or more parts, 

 each of these parts probably contains a bulb capable of becoming another 



