Of the Proteus. 265 
©us Friend Mr. Turberville Needham , (whofe 
long Acquaintance with the Microfcope has 
made him equal at leaf!; to any body in the 
Knowledge and Ufe thereof,) we fortunately 
and unexpectedly difcovered one of thefe,and 
refolved to watch it carefully by Turns, and 
fatisfy ourfelves concerning it as far as pof- 
fible. Nor indeed were our Precautions need- 
lefs; for when it had been fwiniming about 
a confiderable While (in the Poftures repre¬ 
fen ted by fig. 1 and 2.) we beheld it on 
a Sudden draw in its Neck and Head in the 
Manner that a Snail does, fo that both of 
them difappeared intirely: its Body became 
then more opake, was fhaped as fig. 3. and 
moved about very flowly with the large End 
foremoft. 
I was now fufficiently convinced how I 
had been before deceived by the Animal's 
difappearing in one Shape, and appearing in 
another fo extremely different. The Dif- 
eovery we had made rendered us more ea? 
ger to difcover farther, and determined us 
not to leave it till it fhould re-affume its for¬ 
mer Shape. But we were ftill more fur- 
prized, when, infteaa of fo doing, we faw a 
Kind of Head (though quite unlike what it 
had before) thrafting itfelf out a little Way ; 
which new Head foon appeared furnifhed 
with a Wheel-like Piece of Machinery, the 
quick Motions whereof drew a Current of 
Water to it from a confiderable Diftarice. 
The Animal in this Pofture is {h^wnfig. 4. 
Having 
