production, and will furnish you with fresh motives for admiring the fecundity of her ways. That is a bell that detaches itself from the cluster, and that floats along in order to fix itself to some support. Follow it. A short pedicle issues from its extremity and the bell fastens itself by the end of this pedicle.It lengthens and becomes a little stalk. It is no longer a nosegay you are beholding, it is a single flower. Redouble your attention; you are just arrived at the most interesting moment of inspection. The flower is closed, has lost its form of a bell, and assumed that of a bud. You perhaps suspect that this bud is some fruit, or a seed that has succeeded to the flower: for you are loth to give up your first conjecture. Do not lose sight of this bud; it is now divided by degrees according to its length, and the stalk is at present supplied with two buds less than the first. Examine what passes in both of them. They widen themselves insensibly, and you perceive a motion at the edge of the opening, which increases in swiftness in proportion as the bud unfolds itself. The mill appears again, and the two brads have assumed the form of a bell. Can a fruit, which changes into flowers, be a real fruit? Can such flowers be real flowers, that swallow little insects? Suspend your observations, and repeat them a few hours hence. Your flowers are closed up as the first was; you easily guess that they will separate themselves as before, afterwards open, and present you with four bells. That is already effected, and you have a little nosegay, composed of four flowers. If you continue your inspection, you will see them augment in bulk by new divisions in two's and soon after you will count sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four flowers.-Such is the origin of this microscopical parterre, which at first drew your attention how much more admirable does it now appear than you then conceived it to be! What a group of wonders does a single spot of mouldiness afford! What unforeseen, varied, and interesting scenes, are transacted on a scrap of rotten wood! What a theatre does it exhibit to a thinking being! but our abode is so recluse, that we have but a glimmering view of it; how great would our ravishment be, if the whole spectacle disclosing itself at once to us, we should be enabled to penetrate into the interior structure of this wonderful assemblage of living atoms! Our blunted eyes discover only the most striking parts of them; they only apprehend the gross parts of the decorations, whilst the machines that execute them remain concealed in impenetrable darkness! Who shall enlighten this profound obscurity? Who shall dive into this abyss where reason itself is lost. Who draw from thence the treasures of wisdom and knowledge concealed within it? Let us learn to be content with the small portion communicated to us, and contemplate, with

gratitude those first traces of human understanding imparted to us, towards a world placed at such a great distance from us.

You cannot quit this spring, from whence you have derived so many truths that are so astonishing. You discover it in other microscopical animals, whose form resembles that of a funnel. These are likewise polypuses. They do not compose a cluster; but cleave to some body by their inferior extremity; you are curious to know their method of multiplying. In order to this, place your microscope on one of these funnels. Of a single funnel, there are formed two by a natural division; but very different from that of bell-polypuses; so far has nature thought fit to vary her proceedings with respect to these animals. Examine what passes in the middle of the funnel. A transverse and oblique stripe indicates to you the part where the polypus is about to divide itself. The division then is made slopingly. The stripe points out the edges of the new funnel, and these are only the lips of the fresh polypus. You discover in them a pretty slow motion, which helps you to discern them. They approach each other insensibly, the body collects itself by degrees; a little swelling forms itself on the side, which is a new head. You already clearly distinguish two polypuses placed above each other. The upper polypus has the former head and a new tail; the inferior one a new head and the former tail. The upper polypus is connected with the other only by its lower extremity. By a motion it gives itself, it is at last detached from the other; and floats away in order to fix elsewhere. The inferior polypus remains fastened to the place where the funnel was before the division.

Net-polypuses likewise derive their name from the exterior form of their bodies; they pretty nearly resemble that of a fishing-net. They assemble in groups, and fasten on all the bodies they meet with in fresh water. They are very transparent. In the inside of the polypus there is formed an oblong and whitish body. As soon as it is formed, it descends by degrees, shews itself on the outside, and remains fixed perpendicularly on the polypus. It produces new ones every day; and the group they compose on the exterior part of the polypus, increases in growth. If these minute bodies be eggs, they are of a singular species; they are absolutely without any covering, and are neither membraneous or crustaceous. cannot affirm of these eggs, that young are hatched from them, but are under a necessity of acknowledging,`that these little oviform bodies unfold themselves. This developement is accomplished in a few minutes, and the polypus becomes the same as its mother: imagine to yourself a bird that should issue from its mother's belly, entirely naked, rolled together like

We

a ball, whose members should afterwards display themselves, and you will have a representation of the production of netpolypuses.

Cluster-polypuses propagate by dividing in the middle; armpolypuses do not multiply in this manner. They bring forth their young almost as a tree shoots forth its branches. A little bud appears on the side of the polypus. Do not suppose that this bud contains a polypus, as the vegetable bud comprises a branch; it is itself the polypus in its growth. It increases in size and length, and at last separates from its mother. Whilst it is united to her, they both compose one body, as the branch with the tree. You are to understand this in the strictest sense. The prey, which the mother swallows, passes immediately into her young, and imparts the same colour to it. So that the whole consists of one little bowel in a great extent. The prey which the young one seizes, (for it fishes for it as soon as it has arms) passes in like manner into the mother. They nourish each other reciprocally.

There is scarcely any polypus without buds. All of them therefore are so many polypuses, or so many shoots that grow ou a common trunk. Whilst they are unfolding, they themselves send forth smaller shoots, and these smaller still. They all extend their arms on both sides. You think you are beholding a very bushy tree. The nourishment received by one of these shoots, is soon communicated to all the rest, and to their common mother; the chief of the society and the members are one. The society is dissolved by little and little, the members separate themselves, are dispersed, and each shoot becomes in its turn, a little genealogical tree.

Such is the natural method by which the arm-polypus multiplies. It may also be multiplied by slips. There is no need to mention, that when it is cut in pieces, each piece, in a short time becomes a perfect polypus. It were better to say at once, that the polypus, after being cut into small pieces, rises again from its ruins, and the little fragments yield as many polypuses. Being cut either in length or width, this extraordinary animal is re-produced in the same manner, and the sources of life are equally inexhaustible.

But the following is what fable itself has not presumed to invent: bring to their trunk the heads that have been struck off, they will reunite to it, and you will restore to the polypus its head. You may also, if you think proper, affix to it the head of another polypus. The mutilated parts of the same or different polypuses, when placed end to end, will untie in like manner, and form only a single polypus.

What have I hitherto said? There is scarce any miracle

that may not be performed by means of the polypus; but miracles, when multiplied to so great a degree, hardly appear to be such. A polypus may be introduced by its hind part into the body of another polypus. The two individuals unite, their heads become ingrafted into each other and the polypus which at first was double, is converted into a single polypus, that eats, grows and multiplies.

I have compared the polypus to the finger of a globe: this finger may be turned inside out: so may the polypus likewise, and being so shifted, can fish, swallow, and multiply by slips

and shoots.

It will be easily believed that the polypus does not like to remain thus shifted. It makes an effort to regain its former position, and frequently succeeds either in part, or altogether. The polypus, which is partly turned back again as at first, is a real Proteus, that assumes all kinds of forms, which are all equally strange. Endeavour to represent to yourselves the polypus thus turned again. You remember that the insect is made in the form of a bowel. One part of the bowel then is turned backwards on the other; it there fastens and engrafts itself. In that case, the polypus is as it were double. The mouth ercompasses the body like a fringed girdle; the arms are the fringe. They then point towards the tail. The forepart continues open the other is usually shut up. You expect, no doubt, to see a new head and new arms, to grow out of the forepart; which you have observed in all the polypuses that have been divided transversely. But the polypus combines itself a thousand different ways, and each combination has its consequences, which experience alone can discover to you. The forcpart closes itself; it becomes a supernumerary tail. The polypus, which was at first extended in the right line, is curved more and more. The supernumerary tail lightens every day. The two tails resembles the feet of a pair of compasses. The compasses are partly open. The ancient mouth is at the head of the compasses. This mouth which is fastened to the body, and embraces it like a ring, cannot discharge its functions. What then must become of the unfortunate polypus with two tails and without a head? How will it be able to live? Do you think that you have taken nature at unawares? You are mistaken. Towards the upper part of the polypus, near the ancient lip, there are forming not only a single mouth, but several; and this polypus, concerning which you inquired a minute ago how it could exist, is now a species of hydra, with several heads and mouths, and devours with all these mouths.

An account of the phenomena of Meteors and other fires, which arise from minerals in the earth, such as caverns, wells, and deep cellars.

[Meth. Mag. Eng.]

AMONG fiery meteors are reckoned, thunder, lightning, ignis fatui, lambent flames, and what are called falling stars. Unless we account for these (as indeed it is easy to do) upon the principles of electricity, we must suppose they are owing to sulphareous or bituminous particles, floating in the air, which when collected in sufficient quantities, take fire by various means. If a large quantity of inflammable vapour takes fire at once, the flame tears the cloud with incredible force, as well as an immense noise. But the light moving quicker than the sound, is seen before that is heard. Sometimes an exhalation of a milder kind takes fire, and produces lightning without thunder. When it thunders and lightens, it commonly rains too, the same shock driving together and condensing the clouds. And the wisdom of God appoints it so, for the preservation of his creatures. For if lightning falls on one who is thoroughly wet, it does him no harm at all. Not that the water quenches or resists the fire; but it conveys it into the ground.

High places are most frequently struck with lightning if they have sharp points, as spires of churches, or tops of trees, which as it were, attract the fire. It sometimes burns the clothes without hurting the body; sometimes breaks the bones without scorching the skin. It melts the sword in the scabbard, or money in the pocket, while the scabbard or pocket remains as it was. In general, it passes innocently through those things that make little or no resistance; but tear those in pieces with impetuous force which resist its passage.

One very particular effect of lightning, is what the vulgar call fairy circles. These are of two kinds. One kind is a round, bare path, about a foot broad, with green grass in the middle, and is frequently seven or eight yards in diameter. The other is a circle of the same breadth, is very green grass, much fresher than that in the middle. These are generally observed after storms of thunder and lightning. And it is no wonder, that lightning, like other fires, move circularly, and burns more at the extremity than in the middle. The second kind of circles, without all doubt, spring originally from the first: the grass, which was burnt by the lightning, growing afterward more fresh and green.

But of what kind was that meteor which appeared March 21, 1676? Two hours after sunset, it came over the Adriatic sea,