486 AMP 
by far than any fpecies of the phoca, whofe fkin is ana¬ 
logous to that of a horfe or cow. The hippopotamus, 
•who wades into the Jakes or rivers, is a quadruped, and 
remains under the water a confiderable time ; yet his chief 
refidence is upon land, and lie mult come on-lhore for re- 
fpiration. The teftudo, or fea-tortoife, though he goes 
out to fea, and is often found far from land ; yet, being a 
refpiring animal, cannot remain long under water. He 
has indeed a power of rendering himfelf fpecifically hea¬ 
vier or lighter than water, and therefore can let himfelf 
down to avoid an enemy or a frorm : yet he is under a ne- 
celhty of rifing frequently to breathe; and his 1110ft ufi|al 
fituation, while at fea, is upon the furface of the water, 
feeding upon the various fubftances that float in great 
abundance everywhere ab'out'him; thefe animals deep fe- 
curely upon the furface, but not under water; and can 
remain longer at fea than any other of this clais, except 
the crocodile; becaufe, like him, his covering is not in 
danger of being too much macerated ; yet they muft both 
go on-lhore to copulate and lay their eggs. 
The confideration of thefe is fufficient to inform us of 
the nature of the firlt order of the clafs of amphibious ani- 
inals; let us now fee what is to be faid of thofe which 
chiefly inhabit the waters, but occalionally go on-lhore. 
Thefe are but of two kinds : the eels and water ferpents, 
or fnakes of every kind. It is their form that qualifies 
them for loco-motion on land, and they know their way 
back to the water at will; for, by their ltrudhire, they 
have a flrong periltaltic motion, by which they can go for¬ 
ward at a pretty good rate : whereas all other kinds of 
filh, whether vertical or horizontal, are incapable of a 
voluntary loco-motion on (hore; and therefore, as foon as 
fuch fifh are brought out of the water, after having floun¬ 
ced awhile, they lie motionlefs, and foon die. The rea- 
fon is, that filh in general have, inftead of lungs, gills, or 
branchiae: and as, in land-animals, the lungs have a large 
portion of the mafs of blood circulating through them, 
which mull be flopped if the air has not a free ingrefs and 
egrefs into and from them; fo, in filh, there is a great 
number of blood-velfels that pafs through the branchiae, 
and a great portion of their blood circulates through them, 
which mull in like manner be totally flopped, if the bran¬ 
chiae are not perpetually wet with water. So that, as the 
air is to the lungs in land-animals a conftant affillant to 
the circulation, fo is the water to the branchiae of thofe of 
the rivers and feas : for, when thele are out of the water, 
the branchiae very foon grow crifp and dry, the blood- 
velfels are fhrunk, and the blood is obltruCted in its paf- 
fage; fo, when the former are immerfed in water, or o- 
therwife prevented from having refpiration, the circula¬ 
tion ceafes, and the animal dies. Again, as land-animals 
would be deltroyed by too much maceration in water; fo 
fifties would, on the other hand, be ruined by too much 
exliccation : the latter being, from their general ftructure 
and conflitution, made fit to bear, and live in, the water; 
the former, by their conflitution and form, to breathe and 
dwell in the air. But it may be alked, why eels and wa¬ 
ter-fnakes are capable of living longer in the air than the 
other kinds of filh? This is anfwered, by confidering the 
providential care of the great Creator for thefe and every 
one of his creatures; for, fince they were capable of loco¬ 
motion by their form, which they need not be if they were 
never to go on lhore,. it feerned necelTary that they Ihould 
be rendered capable of living a confiderable time on lhore, 
othCrwife their loco-motion would be in vain. This is 
provided for in a moll convenient manner : for this order 
of fifties have their branchiae well covered from the exter¬ 
na! drying air; they are alfo furnifhted vvitli a flinty mucus, 
■which hinders them from becoming crifp and dry for many 
hours ; and their very (kins always emit a mucous liquor, 
which keeps them fupple and moill for a long time : 
whereas the branchiae of other kinds of filh are much ex- 
poled to the air, and want the flinty matter to keep them 
moift. Now, if any of thefe, when brought out of the 
water, were laid in a velfel without water, they might be 
AMP 
preferved alive a confiderable time, by only keeping the 
gills and lurtace of the Ikin conltantly wet, even without 
any water to fwim in. 
It has been advanced, that man may, by art, be ren¬ 
dered amphibious, and able to live.under water as well as 
frogs. As the foetus lives in utero without air, and the 
circulation is there continued by means of the foramen 
ovale; by preferving the paffage open, and the other parts 
in Jiatu quo, after the birth, the lame faculty would' llili 
continue. Now, the foramen, it is alleged, would be pre¬ 
ferved in its open ftate, were people accuftomed, from 
their infancy, to hold their breath a confiderable time 
once a day, that the blood might be forced to refume its 
priftine pallage, and prevent its drying up, as it ulually 
does. This conjecture feerns, in forne meafure, fupporfed 
by the practice of divers, who are taught from their child¬ 
hood to hold their.breath, and keep long under water, by 
which means the ancient channel is kept open. A Cala¬ 
brian monk, at Madrid, laid claim to this amphibious ca¬ 
pacity; making an offer to the king of Spain, to continue 
twice twenty-four hours under water, without ever com¬ 
ing up to take breath. Kircher gives an account of a Si¬ 
cilian, named th ejijk Colas, who, by a long habitude from 
his youth, had fo apcultomed himfelf to live in water, that 
Ins nature feerned to be quite altered; and he lived rather 
after the manner of a fiftt titan a man. 
AMPHl'BIOUS, adj. \_amphibie, Fr. anjibio, It. am- 
pkibio, Sp. amphibius, Lat. of of a/xipi, both 
fides, and pio;, life, Gr.] That which partakes of two 
natures, lo as to live in two elements; as, in air and water: 
A creature of amphibious nature. 
On land a beaft, a fiftt in water. Hudibras. 
Of a mixed nature, in allufion to animals that live in air 
and water : 
Trail] us of amphibious breed, 
Motley fruit of mongrel feed ; 
By the dam from lordlings fprung, 
By the fire exhal'd from dung. Swift. 
AMPHI'BIOUSNESS, f. The quality of beinf able 
to live in different elements. ° 
AMPHIBLESTROI'DES, f. [ W & ir?0 f 
a net, Gr.] The retina, or net-like'coat of 
the eye. 
AMPHIBOLO'GIC AL, adj. Doubtful 
AMPHIBOLO'GIC ALLY, adv. Doubtfully; with a 
doubtful meaning. 
. AMPH 1 BOTOGY, f. lamplnbologic, Fr. amphibologies, 
Lat. of ctpip&oMyioi, of about,-and fia-KKu, to caff, 
or throw, Gr.] Difcourfe of uncertain meaning. It is 
diltinguifhed from equivocation, which means the double 
fignification of a Angle word ; as, noli regem occidere timere 
bonum cjl, is amphibology, captare lepores, meaning, by le- 
pores, either hares or jells, is equivocation.—In defining ob¬ 
vious appearances, we are to ufe what is nioft plain and 
eafy; that the mind be not milled by amphibologies into 
fallacious deductions. - Glanville. 
AMPPII'BOLOUS, adj. [a.p(pi and (Sa.XXa , Gr.] Tolled 
from one to another ; ftriking each way.—Never was there 
fo amphibolous a quarrel, both parties declaring themfelves 
for the king, and making ufe of his name in all their re- 
mcnltrances, to jultify their actions. Howell. 
AMPHIBRA'CH YS,_/J [cqw-tpi and fiquyjc, fhort, Gr.] 
In ancient poetry, the name of a foot confuting of three 
fyllables, whereof that in the middie is long, and the other 
two fnort; fuch is the word “ abire.’ 1 
AMPHIRRAN'CHIA, f. [from uy.tpt, about, and 
tct i t!le giUs of a filh ; fome fay, the fau¬ 
ces, and fome fay the jaws.] The fauces or parts about 
the ton fils. 
AMPHI'COME,yi A kind of figiwed Hone, of a-round, 
fiiape, but rugged, and befet with eminences, celebrated 
on acco int of its ufe in divination. The word is origi- 
3 naliy 
