6 Observations on ihc Natural Histunf 



he began, at the same time, to move, one after another, the fore- 

 Hmbs ; so that, making use of the hind hml)s as serpents use the 

 ventral scales, and employing the fore-limbs to sustain the liead 

 and chest, the animal proceeded slowly along, crawling in part, 

 and in part moving like a biped animal. 



Sometimes, again, the proteus sought to avoid the light by 

 making use only of the limbs, keeping then the body and tail in 

 a right line, and moving the limbs alternately as quadrupeds do 

 when they move by steps. At other times, he moved in a way 

 both singular and amusing ; for gliding along so as to graze the 

 bottom of the vessel, and supporting himself on the fore-limbs, 

 he kept the hind ones applied to the sides of the trunk ; so that 

 the body, from the shoulders backward, was entirely suspended 

 and gliding ; and from the shoulders forward, was sustained on 

 the fore-limbs, which moved alternately, and with much quick- 

 ness, along the bottom of the vessel. This mode of progression 

 was a mixture of the gliding of fishes and the walking of biped 

 animals. A fourth mode in which the animal sought escape 

 from the light was by suddenly betaking himself to swimming. 

 This always occurred when the whole vessel was at once un- 

 covered. At the same time, he glided rapidly over the sides of 

 the vessel, and made attempts to escape out of the water, in or- 

 der to withdraw himself from the light, which so greatly dis- 

 tressed him. Whilst the proteus thus glides along the sides of 

 the vessel, his motions resemble those of the lamprey, and, like 

 that fish, he drops to the bottom as soon as he ceases to move. 

 The lamprey, however, aids his motions by the incurvations of 

 the trunk, while the proteus glides along chiefly by the use of 

 the tail, which moves to either side with great facility and 

 quickness, exactly as occurs to fishes. This difference arises 

 from the spine of the lamprey being wholly cartilaginous, and 

 therefore equally flexible in every part; but in the proteus, the 

 spine is entirely osseous, and incapable of any considerable de- 

 p-ree of flexion, except towards the tail. 



Beside the resemblance above noticed in the motions of the 

 lamprey and proteus, it is observed that the latter animal, when 

 he swims, makes no use of the feet, either to start him in the 

 first movement, nor afterwardr. to sustain his equilibrium, Flis 

 limbs continue applied always to the sides of the trunk, and may 



