Of the mfcular Fibres of Animals . 29 
magnified. On moiftening again the fibres reprefented 
bv the two laft figures (that were dried and fhrivell’d 
up) they became fo diftended, as to fill up the fpaces 
between the membranes, and re-afiume the fhape they 
had before they were dried. Among feveral little pieces 
of flefti, moiften’d as above, and placed before the 
microfcope, there was one, whofe particles were not fe- 
parated upon drying; fuppos’d to be owing to the 
fplitting and tearing afunder of a large membrane, 
which run through its middle, as reprefented in fig. 59. 
by QJR. ST V W, where between S T and V the 
dried particles remain unfeparated, S W fhews the thick 
membrane that divided this piece about the thicknefs 
of an hair, that fent out a branch at T, and at W 
was fplit into two. Fig. 60. reprefents a very fmall 
piece, confifting only of five fibres cut lengthwife, as 
they appear’d through the microfcope; between C and 
F may be feen the little membranes which encompafs 
the fibrils, but are here torn afunder. Fig. 6i» exhibits 
four fmall fibrils of a piece of flefh of another whale, 
by which it plainly appears, that the diameters of thefe 
fibres are as fmall again as thofe in the foregoing fi¬ 
gure, therefore they muft be four times as big as thefe ; 
as each flefhy fibre is compofed of a great many fmaller 
fibrils, we may imagine each of thefe inclofed ones, 
to confift alfo of others of the like nature. 
Mr. Leeuwenhoek, on viewing feveral fmall fibres 
of ox flefh, obferved each of its contained fibrils to 
be encompafied with a thin membrane; but could not 
fhew thefe membranes fo diftinctly to others in this 
flefh, as in that of a whale; becaufe the parts of the 
firft are of a texture much more compact and clofe, 
than thofe of the latter; for which reafon they do not 
fhxink fo much in drying. And is alfo of opinion, 
that 
