( 758 ) 
thy particles. Nor is there any great difference betwixt fome 
forts of Spars, andSea fliells • neither do I know, why Shells 
mightnotas well be producd in Mines, as any forts of Spars 
are in the Sea i forinftancc , the Fu?^gi Mar im^ which are of a 
fparryfubftance, fome of them having their fur face all wrought 
with flowers, as it were, which are only the terminations of 
fparry cells,as in Coral ^anS CoraVit felf is a fort of Spar5\vhich 
fo well refembles our Stone-plants in its growth y efpecially if 
fome of it be joynted, as Mr^ Ray informs us, that I know not a 
more apt name for thefe than to call them Mineral Coral 3 unlefs' 
fOfne haply will rather fay, they are Flmres arboreleentes inter- 
mdiu dijlinSii'^ and as I find the bodies and branches of fome 
Coral are all rul'd op with lines, fo are many of thefe in-fome 
Mines, and are terminated with cells like it. 
Mr.Liftdr N.79. of the TranJai}.p,72S2, judges, thaf Shells 
found in Stone-quarries were never any part of an Animal;and 
gives this probable reafon for it, becaufe Quarries of different 
Sone yield us quite different fpecies of Shells, not only one 
frbi]ianother,but from any thing in Nature befides,which either 
the land, fak,or freili water does yield ; and though fomefeem 
of the faiire fpecies, and much like each other, yet there is di- 
ftinZiion enough to hinder them from being fampled by any. 
Thk Mr. Lifter. 1 obferv'd the fame thing fome years (ince,wben 
I fc'ndeavour'd to fatisfie my felf of the procefsof Nature in 
this kind ; and have now by me ftveral fpecies or Stones refem- 
bling Shell-Jijh^ which I gather'd from Plowed- fields and Quar^ 
ries, that are fcarce to be parallerd, as I^udge,byall theCoI- 
lefiions ofSea-ftells extant. tv 
To examine this opinion of PetrifaBion funhGY ; perhaps it 
might feem rafli to deny a petrifaftion of Animals JindVegeta- 
bles/o many inflances being alledg*d on all hands by judicious 
perfonsatteflingir ; though I cannot fay, ihatmy own obferva- 
itions have ever yet prefented me with an ocular evidence of the 
thinp : 1 only find, that the thing fuppos'd to be petrified bc^ 
corns firfl crufted over wiih a ftony concrction,and afmvards, 
asjhat rots away inwardly, the lapidefcent juyce infinuatesit 
felf by degrees into its room, and makes at laft a firm ftone re- 
fefnbl ng the thing in ftape ; which may lead fome to believe it 
really petrified. But^though a real petrifaflion were allow'd in 
feme tc fce p h would not bq. rational to plead this in all the 
figur'd 
