OF NATURAL HISTORY. 227 



* and Tome of the tubes were broken, fome comprefled, and fome 

 ' diftorted, in the mofl; Irregular manner *.' 



The fmooth and blunt fubftances formerly employed, Spalanzani 

 remarks, though fo violently adted upon, could not injure the fto- 

 mach ; he therefore tried what efFedts would be produced by (harp 

 bodies thrown into the gizzards of fowls. He found that the fto- 

 mach of a cock, in the fpace of twenty-four hours, broke off the 

 angles of a piece of rough jagged glafs. Upon examining the giz- 

 zard, no wound or laceration appeared. ' Twelve flrong tin needles,' 

 fays Spalanzani, ' were firmly fixed in a ball of lead, the points 



* projecting about a quarter of an inch from the furface. Thus 



* armed, it was covered with a cafe of paper, and forced down the 

 ' throat of a turkey. The bird retained it for a day and a half 

 ' without fhowing the lead fymptom of uneafinefs. Why the fto- 



* mach fhould have received no injury from fo horrid an inflrument 



* I cannot explain : The points of the twelve needles were broken 

 ' off clofe to the furface of the: ball, except two or three, of which 

 ' the flumps projedted a little higher. — Two of the points of the 



* needles were found among the food ; the other ten I could not 



* difcover, either in the ftomach or the long track of the inteftines ; 



* and therefore concluded, that they had pafled out at the vent t-' 



The fame author made a fecond experiment feemingly ftill more 

 cruel. He fixed twelve fmall lancets, very fliarp both at the points 

 and edges, in a fimilar ball of lead. * The lancets,' fays he, ' were 

 ' fuch as I ufe for the difledtion of fmall animals. The ball was 

 ' given to a turkey cock, and left eight hours in the ftomach ; at 



* the expiration of which time that organ was opened; but no- 



* thing appeared except the naked ball, the twelve lancets having 



F f 2 «been 



* Spalanzani's Diflertations, vol. i. p. 12. ■(■ Ibid. p. 18. 



