[ +66 ] 
which, upon obfervation, exhibits nearly the fame 
phenomena with the preceding. 
It remains now, that I lay before you fome account 
of our author’s opinion concerning the propagation 
of thefe animals. He fuppofes, that they fpawn, as 
oyfters do ; and that their fpawn is inveloped in a 
vifcous fubfiance, like that of teftaceous and other 
fifh ; and that by this vifcofity it is fatten'd indiffe- 
rently to whatever folid body falls in its way, whe- 
ther it be a rock, glafs, broken pots, flint-done?, 
and fuch-like. This vifcous matter, coming to flag - 
nate, is changed, according to its nature, into a folid, 
and forms a lamina or Jlratum , fuch as is oblerved at 
the bale of thefe productions, and ferves as it were 
for their firfl principle. The egg, inveloped in this 
vifcous fubftance, is hatch’d in its proper time, and 
furnifhes the animal, which refembles the fea polype, 
and other fbft flfli. Thefe animals have all the ne- 
ceflary organs, and among others a particular gut, 
which, in the cuttle-fifh, is fill’d with a black liquor, 
the ufe of which, according to the vulgar opinion, is 
that of being pour’d out at pleafure, to prevent the 
animal being taken when purfued : but this liquor, 
according to our author, ferves the animals, the fub- 
jeCts of this treatife, with a matter capable of grow- 
ing hard j and furnifhes the increafe of the body or 
fhell of the animal, which, like other fhells, re- 
mains always of the fame form, and is of a fize 
proportionable to the animal. In the madrcpora it 
lifts itfelf up under the animal, which always lies 
upon it ; but in the millepora it increafes from the 
centre as the animal grows larger ; and thus thefe 
marine productions grow in jnfl proportions. 
Thefe 
