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Turtle *. Whether it is to be found in fifh, I cannot 
yet determine. Since I faw it in birds and in the Turtle, 
I made indeed fome enquiries after it in fifh, but hi- 
therto without fuccefs. Yet, that they are not without 
fuch veifels, I think is probable, from conlidering that 
the lymphatics are fo general, as to be found in quadru- 
peds, birds, and amphibious animals. And from the 
conlideration of theextenfivenefs of this fyftem through 
fo many claffes of animals, I am inclined to think that 
opinion mod probable, which you advanced fome time 
ago, when you printed your difcovery of the ufe of 
thofe veffels, viz. “ That the lymphatics are the 
l( oi2ly abforbents ■f-”. 
For the fake of thofe who may incline to profecute 
this enquiry farther, I (hall now relate the method by 
which thefe veffels may be demonftrated ; and that is, 
having chofen a young and very lean goofe, and fixed 
it upon a table, let the abdomen be opened whilft it is 
yet alive, and a ligature be paffed round its mefente- 
ric veffels, as near the root of the mefentery as poflible. 
The ladteals will begin to appear near the ligature in 
* The part of this fyftem, which I faw in the Turtle, was the 
ladteals. I filled them with quick- filver as far as the root of the 
mefentery, where they formed a confiderable net-work into which 
a lymphatic of the fpleen entered. I had not an opportunity of 
tracing them farther, having taken the mefentery out of the ani- 
mal before I had thought of looking for thefe vefi'els, as I was not 
at that time intent on this enquiry. The la&eals in that animal 
agreed with thofe in the bird above defcribed, in nyt having any 
mefenteric glands. From this circumftance, and from another 
obfervation which I made, I am inclined to believe, that the whole 
fyftem in this animal will be found to agree pretty exactly with 
that of birds. 
Thefe veffels I obferved fo long ago as in the winter ] 763-64.. 
| Vide Hunter’s Commentaries, ch, v, 
t a few 
