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commonly an oyller Ihell, they, by fiiddenly Ihrinking, 
leave upon that body fome fmall portions of the rim 
of their bafes, in fize inferior to a lentil. Thefe lit-* 
tie flireds have, at firft, no determined figure ; but gra- 
dually aflTume the rounded fliape of a drop of tallow : at 
length, in the fpace of two or three months a hole ap- 
pears in the middle, which forms the mouth. An in- 
ternal organization, dilatations and contractions, fenfi- 
bility, and other gradual improvements, foon after prove 
them to be animals fimilar to thofe to which they owe 
their origin. It might be imagined, that fome time mufl: 
clapfe before they can grow to a circumference of two 
feet. I have not been able to follow them to that degree 
of increafe ; but 1 have feen them in my houfe, where 
they are far from being fo favourably lituated as in the 
fea, growing to a fize large enough to convince perfons of 
ever fo little obfervation, that they belong to the fpecies 
of the large anemonies. The fame flired often produces 
feveral 
une grofle huitre, ils fe retirent fur eux memes, et laiflent par ce moyen fur cc 
corps uneou plufieurs petites portions du bord de leur bafe, moins grolTes qu’une 
lentille. Ces petits lambeaux paroiflent d’abord informes, ils s’arrondilTent peu 
a peu en goute dc furf ; enfin dans I’efpace de deux a trois mois, on y obferve un 
trou dans le milieu, e’eft la bouche ; une organifation interieurc, des dilatations, 
des contraAions, la fenlibilite, et autres progres fucceflifs, qui en font une ane- 
mone femblable a celle dont ils tirent leur origine. II paroit qu’avant d’ avoir 
acquis deux pieds de circonference, cela doit etre long. Je n’ai pu les fuivre juf- 
qu’a ce terme ; mais je les ai vues chez moi ou dies nc font pas dans des circon- 
ftances femblables a cellcs de la mer, devenir affez grandes pour que ks gens les 
jplus grofliers puffent les reconnoitre pour appartenir aux grandes anemones. Sou- 
vent 
