Dr. Lifter to Mr. Ray. 1 17 



For other Difcoveries and Experiments, I refer you 

 to a late Letter I wrote to Mr. Oldenburgh, which he 

 threatened to print in the next Tranfa&ions. When 

 you fee it, give me your Opinion freely of the Par- 

 ticulars. 



Mr. Dent 0/ Cambridge to Mr. Ray. 



SIR, Cambridge June 21. 167$*. 



• 



Since my Return I could not meet with any Thorn- 

 backs, till upon Friday laft, and then I had a 

 Male Flairmaid and a Female Thornback. They were 

 fo far from aflifting me to perfeft what I had begun, 

 that they have given me juit Occafion of a great deal 

 farther Search, efpecially the Male, which had be- 

 tween the Fins and the Tail, of each Side, another 

 'Tail, as the Fifhmonger calPd it, and which (he 

 faith) all the Males of Flair, and Flairmaid, Thorn- 

 back, and Thornback-maid, have. They are not Tails, 

 but fuch (Creatures I had like to have calPd them) as 

 deferve an excellent Defcription, and the Art of an 

 excellent Graver. The extreme Part (more than half 

 way) very much refembles an Eel without Eyes; 

 within an Inch of the Fins it grows a little fmaller, 

 the outfide of each is a Rima, from the Extremity to / 

 that Part which begins to be fmaller. This Rima 

 examined and dilated, (which k eafily admits of, and 

 afterwards contracts itfelf) that which was like the 

 Head and Part of the Body of an Eel, feems to be 

 an expanded Webt Foot, .with feveral Remarkables 

 in it, as a Heel, a fharp edg'd Bone half Inch long, 

 i§c. Thefe (calPd Tails) feem to me like un- 

 fhap'd Legs kneed, and.join'd with the Bones of 

 the Fins (which may be cali'd Thigh Bones) and they 



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