Volume 2

Dissertations relative to the natural history of animals and vegetables / Translated from the Italian of the Abbe Spallanzani ... To which are added two letters from Mr. Bonnet to the author.

  • Spallanzani, Lazzaro, 1729-1799.
Date:
1784
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dissertations relative to the natural history of animals and vegetables / Translated from the Italian of the Abbe Spallanzani ... To which are added two letters from Mr. Bonnet to the author. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    was moiftened with the feed remaining in the veficles of the male; the third with juice ex- prefled from the tefticles ; and the laft with two drops of the feed with which the male was impregnating the cord as it was excluded, which I had intercepted in a watch-glafs. Thefe four pieces were fet in feparate veftels of water, and in a fifth was placed that piece of cord which had been already fecundated. The refult was what I imagined it would be, from former obfervàtions. Except the un- touched piece of cord, all the reft were ani- mated with a number of tadpoles . ; whence we may draw two inferences, firft, that in this frefh ipecies fecundation is alfo external; and fecondly, that it may be effected hy art, either by means of the leminal fluid, or the juice of the tefticles. Four other couples were afterwards brought to me, two of which ierved to confirm the foregoing obfervàtions, and the two others for experiments, which I fhall relate in another place. CXXVII. I fhall finifh the prefent chapter, with a fhort digrelfion concerning the mode of propagation in this new fpecies. The cord, both in the oviduCts and uterus, is full of black globules, which whether examined internally or externally, exhibit characters perfectly refembling thofe of the tadpoles of other fpecies, when they lie in the oviduCts or uterus. If the impregnated globules be compared with the unimpregnated, they will likewifebe found to bear an exaCt relemblance both internal and external. But in time the latter become white, the furface grows wrink- led, and chopped in various places ; the wa- ter diflblves them, and they at laft fall to pieces,