different Fruits refult, as Apples, Pears, Plumbs, Nuts, Berries, &c.

A. Pray what are the particular Parts which compofe thofe different Fruits?

The

B. The Apple doth confift of these four, viz. The Pilling, the Parenchyma, Branchery and Coar. The Pear hath five diftinct Parts; the Pilling, Parenchyma, the Branchery, Calculary and Acetary. Plumb (to which the Cherry, Apricot, Peach, &c. may be referred) confifts of four Parts; the Pilling, Parenchyma, Branchery and Stone. The Berry confifteth of four Parts; the Pilling, the Parenchyma, Branchery and Seed. The Nut confifteth of three Parts; the Cap, the Shell and Pith. All which are largely treated of by Dr. Grew in his Anatomy of Plants.

A. Pray (to be fhort) what are the principal Ufes of Fruit?

B. The Ufe of Fruit is two-fold: For, firft, it ferveth Man (and I may fay Beast) as a delicious and pleasant Meat or Food; befides the various Purposes of Medicine, Secondly, It fupplies the Seed with a due and most convenient Sap; the Fruit doing the fame Office to the Seed, as the Leaves do to the Fruit, viz. that by a due Purification and Exaltation of the Sap, the Seed may obtain its Perfection.

A. Pray, what is the Seed in its State of Gencration?

B. As

Of the Seed of Plants.

263

B. As the Original, fo the ultimate End and Perfection of Vegetation is the Seed. How it hath been in its State adapted to Vegetation we have already feen. Its State

of Generation is as follows: The Sap, having in the Root, Trunk and Leaves, paffed divers Concoctions and Separations, is now at laft, in fome good Maturity, advanced towards the Seed. In the Fruit, as was faid, it is ftill farther prepared, and the more effential Part is tranfmitted into that particular Part of the Branchery, called the Seed Branch; which, because it is a good Length, and very fine, doth yet farther maturate the Sap in paffing through it: In this mature State it is conducted through the Seed Branch into the Coats of the Seed, as into the Womb. The meaner Part of the Sap to the outer Coat, the more fine. is tranfmitted to the inner Coat, where it is farther prepared by Fermentation; and thence is filtred through a fine Skin into the inmost Part, or Concavity of the old Seed, and there becomes a Liquor apt for the Subftratum of the future Embryo Seed: And how that is particularly perfected would be long to relate, and, perhaps, not exactly known to any; wherefore I fhall defift relating any Thing farther on this Head.

A. But, pray Sir, before you quite dif mifs the Subject of Plants, please to let me know

S4

know what you think of Mushrooms, and thofe fungous Excrefcences adhering to the Sides of Trees?

B. Muthrooms, Mofs, and other fungous Subftances, are a fpurious Kind of Plants; or which may be called excrementitious Plants; fince they arife intirely from the Bodies of other Plants, or from a Kind of viscous Mucilage of the Earth: They grow indeed, and have Roots, fome inferted into the Fibres of the Plant producing them, as Miletoe is radicated into the Fibres of the Oak; and Mofs to the Fibres of the Barks of Trees. Mushrooms arife from various Matters in Earth or Wood, and are found to confift of a vaft Bundle of Fibres, proceeding from the Subftance on which they grow; these make the Stalk, and thence divaricating fpread and extend themfelves into a fpherical Canopy, or Head, which contains a fucculent Parenchyma; on the under Part of which, I am apt to think, the Seed may be produced (though none hath hitherto been feen) which being wafted about by the Wind, falls in divers Places of the Earth, and there takes Root and grows: Thus Mes undoubtedly bears Seed, by which the various Sorts thereof are propagated; though for their Smallnefs they cannot be feen. But it is now Time to divert, our Difcourfe to another Subject: If your Curiofity leads to a far

ther

Philofophy of Animals. 265 ther Enquiry about thefe Matters, you may at your Leisure confult the Works of Dr. Grew, Monf. Malphigi, Lewenbock, Ray, Clerck, &c. which will give you Satisfaction at large.

4. I am greatly obliged to you, Sir, for this concife and regular Epitome of the Science of Vegetation; and confequently the true Theory of Plants: I never underftood fo much before, nor, indeed, have I Time to perufe voluminous Authors.

СНАР. V.

Zoography, or the Philofophy of Animals; of the bumane Body, and its folid and fluid Parts; a Survey of the Nature of Beafts, of Forl, of Fifo, of Infects, of Reptiles, of ShellAnimals, &c. of Health, Dileafe, Vigilance, Sleep, Dreams, Hunger, Thirst, Death.

A. RAY what is the Etymology of the Word Zoography?

PR

B. It is compofed of the Greek Zỗợ, an Animal, or Living Creature, and Text, a Defcription; and thence it imports a phy

I

fiological

fiological Defcription of the Nature and Properties of a Living Creature, which we call by the general Term Animal.

A. What are the general Divifions of this Part of Philofophy?

B. I fhall here divide it with Refpect to the different Perfection of Animals, viz.

1. Anthropography, concerning the humane Body.

2. Zoography, of the Bodies of Brutes in particular.

3. Ornithography, of the Nature of Birds or Fowl.

4. Ichthyography, of the Nature of Fish. 5. Entomatography, of the Nature of Infects.

6. Herpetography, of the Nature of Reptiles.

7. Zoophytography, of the Nature of Shell-Animals.

8. Symptomatography, of the various Ac

dents common to animal Bodies.

4. Pray what do you particularly include under the first Divifion, which you call Anthropography?

B. A brief phyfiological Defcription of all the component Parts of the humane Body; which Parts are of two different Kinds, viz. Solids, and Fluids.

A. Which