22 LECTURE I. 



denly opened, which may be said to have consti- 

 tuted a new era in the science of Natural History. 



In warm weather so rapid is the multiplication 

 of the common Polype, that the descendants of a 

 single animal are supposed to amount to several 

 thousands in the course of a single summer. 



An ingenious observer in our own country, soon 

 after the first account of Monsieur Trembley's dis- 

 coveries had been published, made the following 

 observations, which I shall gi\^e in his own words, 



" A single Polj^pe, say she, was put into a glass 

 by itself, on the 121th of July, with two intentions, 

 viz. first, that I might learn how long-lived the 

 creature is, and at what rate it produces branchers. 

 It is still alive in this present week of September ; 

 and goes on to produce at least five in a week, 

 one week with another. But, because this Polype 

 had the appearance of a young one on it Vv hen I 

 first set it apart, (which young one was separated 

 by falling off from the parent in three days' time,) 

 I was willing to make trial how long it would be 

 before a young Poh'pe might be expected, pro- 

 vided the old one was without any appearance of a 

 bud, and was itself only of moderate growth. Ac- 

 cordingly I took such a one, which was a brancher 



