iGj, EXPERIMENTS 



fatliers of a numerous progeny. 1 imagined 

 thnt the prefence of the female might be nec^f- 

 farv for tlie fecretion of tlie femen; 1 therefore 

 pur uirJes and females by pairs into feparate 

 cages, fo conllrudted that they could not pcfTibly 

 copulate. Neither did this fcheme at hrft fuc- 

 ceed; for 1 opened two of them without landings 

 any femen. In the fixth, however, which was 

 a large white rabbit, full of vigour, I found as 

 much liquor in the feminal vellcls as would fill ' 

 a fmall coffee-fpcon. This matter refembled 

 the jelly of meat, w^as of a citron colour, and 

 ahr.oft tranfpaient. Having examined it with 

 the microfcope, it gradually fepaiated into fila- 

 ments and large globules, feveral of which were 

 attached t6 xach other like a firing of beads ; 

 but i could difcover no difiind motion; only, as 

 the mailer diiTolved, it formed a kind of current, 

 by which the filaments and globules were carried 

 down to one fide of the glals. 1 waited till the 

 matter fiioukl become more fluid; but I was dii- 

 appointed; for, after liquifying a little, it dried 

 up, and I could obferve notldng farther than 

 what 1 have already defcribed. I then added 

 water to it, but without fuccefs; for the water 

 feemed not to penetrate or dilute the matter, 



E X P E R. XVIII. 



I opened another rabbit, and found only a fmall 

 quantity of feminal matter, which had hardly 



any 



