716 A N I M A L - 
papilla, or the beginning of an animal of the like kind, 
molt probably to convey it nourifhment until it is provided 
with claws; the remaining parts of tliefe {lender guts are 
continued on in the flelhy tube, without doubt for the 
fame purpofe of producing and l'upporting more young 
front the fame common parent. 
The abbe Dicquemarre, by many curious, though cruel, 
experiments, related in the Philolophical TranfaCtions for 
1773, has fhewn that thefe animals poflefs, in a mod 
extraordinary degree, the power of reproduction ; fo that 
Icarcely any thing more is neceffkry to produce as many 
fea-anemonies as we pleafe, than to cut a lingle one into 
as many pieces. A lea-anemone being cut in two by a 
lection through the body, that part, where the limbs and 
mouth at e placed, ate a piece of a nntfcle offered to it foon 
alter the operation, and continued to feed and grow daily 
for- three months after. The food lometimes paffed thro’ 
the animal; but was generally thrown up again, conlide- 
rably changed, as in the perfect fea-anemone. In about 
two months, two rows of limbs and a mouth were per¬ 
ceived growing out of the part where the incifion was 
made. On offering food to this new mouth, it was laid 
hold of and eaten ; and, the limbs continually increaftng, 
the animal gradually became as perfect as thole which had 
never been cut. In fome inftances, however, when one 
of thele creatures was cut through, new limbs would be 
produced from the cut place, thole at the mouth remain¬ 
ing as before ; fo that a monltrous animal was the confe- 
quence, having two mouths, and feeding at botli ends. 
Under a large hollow cliff, in the illand of Barbadoes, 
where the fea flows up, and forms a bafon, there is a fixed 
Hone or piece of rock in the middle, which is always un¬ 
der water. Round its lidcs, at different depths, feldom 
exceeding eighteen inches, are feen, at all times of the 
year, hiding out of little holes, certain fubftances that 
have the appearance of fine radiated flowers, of a pale 
yellow, or bright draw colour, (lightly tinged with green, 
having a circular border of thick-let petals, about the lize 
of, and much refembling, thole of a Angle garden-mari¬ 
gold, except that the whole of this Teeming flower is nar¬ 
rower at the difcus, or letting on of the leaves, than any 
flower of that kind. Mr. Hughes, in his Hiftory of Bar¬ 
badoes, gives the following curious account of them : “ I 
have attempted to pluck one of thefe animal-flowers from 
the rock, to which they are fixed ; but never could effebt 
it: for, as foon as my fingers came within two or three 
inches of it, it would Immediately contradt its yellow bor¬ 
der, and 111 rink back into the hole of the rock; but, if 
left undifturbed for about four minutes, it would come 
gradually in light, expanding, though at firft very cau- 
tioully, its feeming leaves, til! at laft it appeared in its 
former bloom. However, it would again recoil, with a 
furprifing quicknefs, when my hand came within a fmall 
diltance of it. Having tried the fame experiment by at¬ 
tempting to touch it with my cane, and a fmall llender 
rod, the effedt was the fame. But, though I could not 
by any means contrive to take or pluck one of thefe ani¬ 
mals entire, yet I cut off’ (with a knife which I had held 
for a long time out of fight, near the mouth of a hole out 
of which one of thefe animals appeared) two of thefe 
feeming leaves. Thefe, when out of the water, retain 
their fhape and colour; but, being compofed of a mem¬ 
brane-like fubftance, furprifinely thin, they loon (hrivelled 
up, and decayed.” The reproductive power of the Bar¬ 
badoes animal-flower is prodigious. Many people coming 
to fee thefe Itrange creatures, and occafioning fome incon¬ 
venience to a perfon through whofe grounds they were 
obliged to pafs, he refolved to deflroy the objedts of their 
curiofity ; and, that lie might do fo more effectually, he 
caufed all the holes out of which they appeared, to be 
carefully bored and drilled -with an iron infirument, fo 
that we cannot fuppofe but their bodies mult have been 
entirely crufhed to a pulp; neverthelefs, they again ap¬ 
peared in a few weeks in (till greater abundance, from the 
very fame places. 
FLOWER. 
The fea-carnation, or animal-flower, found among the 
rocks at Haftings in Suffex, is very limilar to the animal- 
flower of Barbadoes. This animal adheres by its tail, or 
fucker, to the under-part of tire projecting rocks oppofite 
the town ; and, when the tide is out, has the appearance 
of a long white fig; which is alio the form of it when put 
into a glafs of fea-water. 
The f>efn-water polypus is alfo of a (imilar fpecies, and 
of a cylindrical figure, but variable, with very long tenta- 
cula, or claws. There is fcarcely an animal in the world 
more difficult to deferibe; it varies its whole form at plea- 
fure, and is frequently found befet with young in fuch a 
manner, as to appear ram ole and divaricated; thefe young 
ones adhering to it in fuch a manner as to appear parts of, 
its body. When fimple, and in a moderate Hate as to con¬ 
traction or dilatation, it is oblong, llender, pellucid, and of 
a pale-reddifh colour ; its body is fomewhat fmaller to¬ 
wards the tail, by which it affixes itfelf to fome folid bo¬ 
dy; and larger towards the other extremity, where it has 
a large opening! called its mouth, around which are the 
tentacula, or claws, which are eight in number, and are 
ufually extended to about half the length of its body. By 
means of thefe tentacula, or arms, as they are commonly 
called, expanded into a circle of more than half a foot 
diameter, the creature feels every tiling that can ferve it 
for food ; and, feizing the prey with one of them, calls 
in the afiiftance of the others, if necelfary, to conduCt it 
to its mouth. The production of its young is different 
from the common courfe of nature in other animals ; for 
the young one iflues from the lide of its parent in the form 
of a fmall pimple, which, lengthening every hour, be¬ 
comes, in about two days, a perfeCt animal, and drops 
from oft its parent to (hilt for itfelf: but what is Hill more 
furprifing, is the reproduction of its feveral parts when 
cut off'; for, when cut into a number of feparate pieces, 
it becomes in a day or two lo many diltinCt and feparate 
animals; each piece having the property of producing a 
head and tail, and the other organs necelfary for life, and 
all the animal functions. 
There is no diftinguifhed place in the body of the po¬ 
lypus, from whence the young are brought forth ; for 
they fpring out like (hoots or brandies of a tree, from all 
the exterior parts of their bodies. They are always to be 
found in clear (lowly-running waters, adhering by the tail 
to flicks, (tones, and water-plants, and live on fmall in- * 
feCts. What were originally taken for feet, have fince 
been called its horns, and of late more properly its arms, 
their office being to catch its prey. With thefe little 
•anus, which are capable of great extenlion, it feizes mi¬ 
nute worms, and various kinds of water-infecis, and brings 
them to its mouth ; and, like the fea-anemone, often fwal- 
lows bodies larger than itfelf; having a furprifing pro¬ 
perty of extending its mouth wider, in proportion,, than 
any other animal. After its food is digefted in its ftomach, 
it returns the remains of the animals upon which it feeds 
through its mouth again, having no other oblervable 
emundory. In a few days there appear fmall knobs or 
papillae on its (ides : as thefe increafe in length, little fi¬ 
bres are feen riling out of the circumference of their heads, 
as in the parent animal; which fibres they loon begin to 
ufe, for the purpofe of procuring nourifhment, &c. When 
thefe are arrived at mature lize, they fend out other young 
ones on their fides in the fame manner ; fo that the ani¬ 
mal branches out into a numerous offspring, growing out 
of one common parent. Each of thefe provides nourifli- 
ment not only for itfelf, but for the whole fociety ; an in¬ 
creafe of the bulk of one polype by its feeding, tending to 
an increafe-in the reft. Thus a polype of the frelli-water 
kind becomes like a plant branched, out, or compofed of 
many bodies, each of which has this Angular charadterif- 
tic, that, if one of them be cut in two in the middle, the 
feparated part becomes a complete animal, and foon ad¬ 
hering to fome fixed bale, like the parent from which it 
was feparated, produces a circle of arms; a mouth is 
formed in the centre; it increafes in bulk, emits a nu¬ 
merous 
