[ S°9 1 
many fpecies of which we find foffil, of which I have 
the honour to fhew feveral fpecimens : And I have 
no doubt, but it will be hard to find any creatures 
more deficient, or, in other words, more abandon'd 
to deftrudtion by the Creator, than thefe, in any 
part of nature. 
Whatever is conftrudled by an animal, that is, 
among tbofe, that we know with any certainty, it is 
furely to dwell in themfelves, or to depofit eggs or 
young in. There was really no need to build a fa- 
bric to dwell upon 5 becaufe all thofe creatures, luch 
as the polypi of every kind’, which attach themfelves 
to bodies, have innumerable forts of matter, to 
which they can adhere every- where, near them : And 
if thefe of the fea have, in their nature and proper- 
ties, any analogy with our frefh-water polypi, as 
to their propagation, and the detachment of their 
young from themfelves ; with the feveral kinds of 
the fame genus, the polypes a panache , polypes a 
bouquet , the bell-like polypi, and every other kind, 
difeover’d by our ingenious obferver Mr. Trembley, 
all which detach their young from them nearly in 
the fame manner ; one would almofi: be perfuaded, 
that they were never intended to dwell in cavities, 
but upon nidus's convenient for their attachment 
only, with full liberty, at proper times, to detach 
their young in like manner ; who immediately meet 
fome or other of thefe fubmarine bodies for their 
fecurity alfo ; for indeed there is hardly room to fup- 
pofe any other way of propagation for thefe, than for 
thofe of M. Trembley, fince they are much of the 
fame fubftance and confiftency every way. And it 
muft be remark’d, that few or no animals, that have 
fhells 
