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Article OF ANIMALS LIVING IN SOLID BODIES. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Of Animals Living In Solid Bodies.
These phenomena remind us of others of a similar nature ; aa related in a letter , of the th of February , 17 S 0 , written from the neighbourhood of Saint Mexent , of which the following is a copy : ' A few days ago I ordered an oak-tree of a tolerable size to be cut down , and converted into abeam that was wanted for a building which I was then constructing . Having separated the head from the trunkthree
, men were employed in squaring it to the proper size . About four inches were ' to be cut away on each side . J was present during the transaction . Conceive what was my astonishment , when I saw them throw aside their tools , start back . rem the tree , and'fix thei r eyes on the same point with a kind of amazement and terror ! I instantlapproachedand looked at the
y , part of the tree which had fixed their attention . My surprise equalled theirs , on seeing a toad , about the size of a large pullet ' s egg , incrusted m a manner in the tree , at the distance of four inches from the diameter , and fifteen from the root . It was cut and mangled by the axe , but it still moved . I drew it with difficulty from it s abode , or rather prison , which it filled so completely , that it seemed to have been
compressed . I placed it on the crass - it appeared old , thin , languishing , decrepid . We afterwards ° examined the tree with the nicest care , to discover how it had o-fided in ; but the tree was perfectly whole and sound . " These facts , but particularl y the memoir of M . Guettard , induced x-i . Henssan to make experiments calculated to ascertain their certainty .
February 21 , 1771 , he closed three live toads in so many cases of plaster , and shut them upinadeal box , which he also covered with a thick plaster . On the 8 th of A pril 1774 , having taken away the plaster , he opened the box , and found the cases whole , and two of the toaos alive—The one that died was larger then the others , and had been more compressed in it ' s case . A careful examination of tins convinced
experiment those who had witnessed it , that the animals were so enclosed that they could have no possible communication with the external air , and that they must have existed during this lapse of time without the smallest nourishment . _ The Academy prevailed upon Mr . Herissan to repeat " the experiment . He enclosed again the two surviving toadsand
, placed the box in the hands of the Secretary , that the Society might open it whenever they should think proper . But this celebrated natura-Jist was too strongly interested in the subject to be satisfied with a Single experiment ; he made therefore the two following 1 . He placed , 15 th April , in the same year , two live toads in a bason of plaster , which he covered with a glass case , that he might observe them the
frequentl y . On ninth of the following month , he presented this apparatus to the Academy . One of the toads was stUJ jiving ; the other had died the preceding ni ght . 2 . The same day , 15 th April , he inclosed another toad in a glass bottle , winch he buried in sand , that it mi ght have no communication with the externa ] air . This animal , which he present .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Of Animals Living In Solid Bodies.
These phenomena remind us of others of a similar nature ; aa related in a letter , of the th of February , 17 S 0 , written from the neighbourhood of Saint Mexent , of which the following is a copy : ' A few days ago I ordered an oak-tree of a tolerable size to be cut down , and converted into abeam that was wanted for a building which I was then constructing . Having separated the head from the trunkthree
, men were employed in squaring it to the proper size . About four inches were ' to be cut away on each side . J was present during the transaction . Conceive what was my astonishment , when I saw them throw aside their tools , start back . rem the tree , and'fix thei r eyes on the same point with a kind of amazement and terror ! I instantlapproachedand looked at the
y , part of the tree which had fixed their attention . My surprise equalled theirs , on seeing a toad , about the size of a large pullet ' s egg , incrusted m a manner in the tree , at the distance of four inches from the diameter , and fifteen from the root . It was cut and mangled by the axe , but it still moved . I drew it with difficulty from it s abode , or rather prison , which it filled so completely , that it seemed to have been
compressed . I placed it on the crass - it appeared old , thin , languishing , decrepid . We afterwards ° examined the tree with the nicest care , to discover how it had o-fided in ; but the tree was perfectly whole and sound . " These facts , but particularl y the memoir of M . Guettard , induced x-i . Henssan to make experiments calculated to ascertain their certainty .
February 21 , 1771 , he closed three live toads in so many cases of plaster , and shut them upinadeal box , which he also covered with a thick plaster . On the 8 th of A pril 1774 , having taken away the plaster , he opened the box , and found the cases whole , and two of the toaos alive—The one that died was larger then the others , and had been more compressed in it ' s case . A careful examination of tins convinced
experiment those who had witnessed it , that the animals were so enclosed that they could have no possible communication with the external air , and that they must have existed during this lapse of time without the smallest nourishment . _ The Academy prevailed upon Mr . Herissan to repeat " the experiment . He enclosed again the two surviving toadsand
, placed the box in the hands of the Secretary , that the Society might open it whenever they should think proper . But this celebrated natura-Jist was too strongly interested in the subject to be satisfied with a Single experiment ; he made therefore the two following 1 . He placed , 15 th April , in the same year , two live toads in a bason of plaster , which he covered with a glass case , that he might observe them the
frequentl y . On ninth of the following month , he presented this apparatus to the Academy . One of the toads was stUJ jiving ; the other had died the preceding ni ght . 2 . The same day , 15 th April , he inclosed another toad in a glass bottle , winch he buried in sand , that it mi ght have no communication with the externa ] air . This animal , which he present .