t>8 2 ] 
none of thefe authors had mentioned, and of which 
notwithstanding a fmall one had produced a larger 
number of eggs than Bradley himfelf had aflignsd to 
the carp, which has been always looked upon as 
■remarkable for its prolific quality, not to mention the 
unknown writer, who makes its fecundity much 
lefs. 
The make of my eyes, which are much lefs proper 
for diftinguifhing objects at a distance, than the feeing 
fmall things that are near ; and my living in a mari- 
time country, and though not near the fea, yet in a 
fituation which I thought very proper for the pro- 
curing fuch fifh as I wanted, were additional motives 
to the fearch : though as to the laft particular, I have 
fince found myfelf greatly difappointed. 
It will not he imagined, that, in order to afeertain 
the real number of eggs in each fifh which I exa- 
mined, I told them all over one by one; this would 
have been, if not abfolutely impracticable, at leaftin- 
confiftent with other engagements, and much more 
fatiguing than was necefiary. My way was to 
weigh the whole fpawn very exactly ; then to take a 
piece weighing twenty, thirty, or forty, or more grains, 
as was mod: convenient, and after weighing that 
parcel with care, and giving the turn of the leales 
to the weights, not to the eggs, to tell them over 
very carefully ; and then by dividing the number of 
eggs by the grains, to find how many eggs there 
were in each grain, or nearly fo. I fay nearly, for 
there mud, according to this method, have been 
rather more ; but I chofe to eftimatc them after this 
manner, that there might be no danger of reprefent- 
ing the fecundity of thefe animals greater than the 
truth 
