'Eels in Pqfte viviparous* 245 
of it appears alive, and are feemingly of the 
fame Kind with thofe fometimes found in 
Vinegar, were fome of the fuff minute 
Creatures the Microicope was made ufe of 
to examine, and are ftill the moft com¬ 
mon living Objects it is employed about ; 
I fhould not therefore, after their having 
been fo long known, and fo often defcrib- 
ed, have introduced them here, had not a 
very pretty Difcovery made a few Years 
ago, by Mr. James Sherwood , an ingenious 
young Surgeon, rendered them the Sub¬ 
ject of a curious and entertaining Experi¬ 
ment. 
Separating one of thefe fmall Eels from 
a Number of others, in order to examine 
it by the Microfcope, and wounding it 
accidentally in the Belly, he took Notice 
that a long {lender Tube, doubled like an 
Inteftine, proceeded from the Wound ; 
of which informing Mr. Needham , it ex¬ 
cited their Curiofity to cut in two another 
Eel, near its Middle : when they difcover- 
ed a Number of living young ones , each 
inclofed in its proper Membrane, iftuing 
from what now plainly fhewed itfelf to be 
the Uterus. This induced him to make 
tarther Trials, and finding ufually the fame 
Appearance, he thought proper to commu¬ 
nicate his-Obfervations to his Friends, and 
afterwards to the Royal Society 
* Philof. TranT. N° 478. 
R 3 
I fir ft 
