Of the Manner of the Generation of Eels. By Mr. Benjamin Allen

NYMPHIS Veteribus ET IV ioribus MANSVETAE, CLAVDIAE VRBane, nuncupavit Hoc Lucius A IVS; and hereby the Defects in the Stone seem to be supplied with a right Number of Letters in each Vacu- ity, and this I the rather apprehend to be right, because 'tis now a Year since I communicated the same to an in- genious Gentleman, Dr. Cay of New-Castle (who was the Person that courteously sent me the Copies of both) and I hear not it is disapproved by any Critick upon the Place. VII. Of the Manner of the Generation of Eels. By Mr. Benjamin Allen. THE Manner of the Generation of Eels, as familiar a Subject as it is, has been a Question unresolv'd ever since Aristotle, and reputed Spontaneous: And the Reason of the Difficulty of discovering it, is the different way of Generation, and that they breed in February, a time when few are taken but what are preserved in Trunks or Ponds, where they breed not. This I exa- min'd Two Years since, in some taken at a Mill, in which Holes they breed, especially near Gravelly Shal- lows, and found one with Egg, another with Six young ones in the great Intestine, which I call the Strait Bow- el, that descends immediately from the Pylorus until the Winding begins; they were fastned to a very small Placenta each, which was fixt to the Intestine, the Me- eraicks at that time were very turgid: The Eggs were on the Outside of the Intestine. It is certainly Vivipa- rous, and feeds not, at least Gross, in the Winter, du- ring all which they lie still till they have discharg'd their Young. The The Parts distinguishing the Sex are discoverable, those of the Male affixt to the Extremity of the Kidney, the Females had a slender Gland transversly lying near the Bowel; but of this I dare not say much till fresh Subjects allow further Examination. Neither is this the only Fish of this Kind; for I find in Tho. Bartholine's Sixteenth History of his Second Century of Anatom. Histor. 1654. a Xiphia with Two Young form'd in the Intestinum Rectum; which too has no Ribbs as well as the Eele. In Salt-water Eels, I have not found the like, though searcht for; because, I am of Opinion, they do not breed, but are of the same with the Fresh-water ones, since such multitudes of Fresh-water Eels go down to Sea, and cannot return, yet are never taken at Sea, among the many brought hither; and there are Vestigia of their Beards in the Fresh-water ones. I shall acquaint you with one thing more observable at our Sea-Coast, with Relation to Mr. Pafcall's Observations; that People that are sick are observ'd to change at the Turns of the Tide at the Place; so as this Notion has obtain'd among all the Maritime Towns: Up-Land, with us, it does not constantly hold, which may be accounted for, (if the Moon's Effect be Fluidity, as in Frosts is seen, a New-Moon ever Thawing, and is agreeable enough to a Neighbouring Body of so quick a Motion) Upon dry Land the Moon may not have the same Force, For I observe in Capt. James's Voyage at Charleston-Island, the fix'dness of the Winter Frozen Air, occasioned the difference of Tides at the New and Full to be scarce greater than the common or neap ones; whereas Spring-Tides advanc't with the Summer. I have observ'd Agues, Tertian I mean, to come when the Moon has come to an Angle, as in One or Two exactly when the Moon was Setting, and the succeeding Fits Fits when she culminated, the Third Fit at a Rising Moon, and so on. Deaths I have kept exact Account of, but can find no one Observation hold true, some at one Time of the Tide, some at another. VIII. Account of a Book. Philippi Cluverii Introductio in universam Geographiam, tam Veterem quam Novam Tabulis Geographicis XLVI. ac Notis olim Ornata à Joanne Bunone; jam vero Locupletata Additamentis & Annotationibus Joh. Frid. Hekelij & Joh. Reiskij. in Quarto. Amst. Typis Joannis Wolters. Londini Prostant apud Sam. Smith & Benj Walford, in Cæmeterio D. Pauli. 1697. Philippus Cluverius, this Famous Geographer was born at Dantzig, in the Year 1580. where his Father, being Master of the Mint, took great Care to educate him in the best manner; at Fifteen Years of Age he sent him into Pologn; afterwards to Leyden in order to study the Civil Law, for which he had no Taste nor the least Inclination, all his Passion running wholly upon Geographical Studies, being a Master in the Art of Designing and Surveying. Joseph Scaliger, then a Professor in that University, seeing his Natural Genius bent upon Geography, advised him to pursue it, and make it his chief Business; whereupon he resolv'd, first to visit Lipsius, and view all the Netherlands; after that he spent Two Years in Hungary and Bohemia, and view'd all Germany, Italy, Sicily, France and England, with