[ 8 °3 3 
length of time the immediate caufe of their adhefion 
becomes weakened, and difplaystoview their texture); 
after which they grow inactive and dull, the effedt 
of extreme old age, fuffering other marine bodies, as 
worms, oyfters, &c. to penetrate and affix themfelves 
to their outer coat. The like appearances we fre- 
quently meet with on belemnits, when the animal 
within, I fuppofe, w r as either wax’d old, or dead ; 
and is an additional proof that the body is of marine 
origin. 
Every one, that has made this part of natural hi- 
ffory his ftudy, muff have obferved, that the minu- 
tiae, or exceeding fmall foffil ffiells, very frequently 
occur, and in the greateft abundance, efpecially in 
fine loam or clay proper to preferve them : which 
fhews that it was fpring or fpawning-time when the 
deluge overwhelm’d the country they were natives 
of. And that diminishes one of the difficulties con- 
cerning the belemnites, why fome have the cavity, 
others not, or but very fmall : for may we not attri- 
bute thefe feveral appearances to the different ages 
of the animal ; as in the fpring or fpawning-time, 
and fome time after, a thoufand fmall fifli appear 
in the water to one grown to maturity, or feedlings 
on the fhores of fiiell-fiffi, to one at full growth ? 
and, from a parity of reafoning, is there not great 
likelihood to believe that every bellemnites would 
have had a nucleus, if it had lived ? and to fuppofe 
that deficiency to be caufed by the deluge coming 
on, in the early part of the feafon, in that fpot 
whereof they are natives, before they had attained 
perfection ? 
Not that I doubt of there being the fame variety 
of fpecies among the belemnitce as of any other tribe 
