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it ) ill that cafe we are to conclude, that the foetus is 
in fome part nouriflied by it. The whole trad: of 
the alimentary paffage abounds with abforbent veffels 
in the foetus, more than in the adult animal ; and efpe- 
cially the fmall inteftines have ladeals plentifully 
opening into them. The liquor amnii is concretable 
by heat, like the white of an egg ; which charader- 
iftic in animal juices is, I believe, denied by none 
to be a proof of their alimentary nature. To fuch 
as will not grant this poftulatum, if any fuch there 
be, this paper is not addrefled. Contra negantem prin- 
cipia non eji dij'putandurn. 
But I proceed to relate the obfervations. 
On the 25th of July 1753, being informed, that 
a calf, come to full maturity was juft then brought 
forth dead in this town (Erigg, in Lincolnfliire), 
which had been alive, and appeared ftrong a very 
jfhort time before its birth. I begged it of the owner, 
fuch inftances being rare. The fkin being of value, 
for it was an extraordinary large calf, it was fent to 
my houfe flay’d. I firft examined the thorax, which 
was my chief motive for begging it. All I ikall 
mention now of what I obferved there, is the expe- 
riment of the lungs of a new-born animal their 
finking in water. After cutting out the lungs and 
heart, I clipped off a piece of the former with flaarp 
fciflars, about an ounce weight, or more, and threw 
it into a bafon full of water. It quickly funk to the 
bottom, and fettled there. Immediately after, I blew 
into the remaining part of the lungs, through the 
trachea ; and though I could by that means diftend 
them but very little, becaufe the air flowed out readily 
through the cut bronchia, and therefore adled but 
faintly 
