359

Iuly. the 31. 1679.

mr. Henshaw the vice presidt. tooke the chair
The minutes of the 24 Instant were read which gaue occasion for some
additionall obseruations . vizt
Sr. I: Hoskins obserued that malpighius had obserued that the Reason of the mo
bility of the parts of Insects after they are cutt asunder is from the braine
in the medulla spinae.
mr. Henshaw conceiud it might be partly in this & partly also in the
Sliminesse & toughnesse of the juice in which the spirits moued in
those creatures which were obserued to moue after they were cutt
to peices, this juice keeping the spirits wth.out suffering them presently
to euaporate.
Sr. I Hoskins. conceiud that Deuouring animall knowing where to fasten
on their prey soe as to kill them immediatly (as it has been obserued of
a lyon griping a Lamb. and a dog, to death at one bite) it the creatures fishes like
wise may haue that instinct to bite the turpedo to the heart, whence nature
seems to haue furnished that part wth. the preuentiue to wit the Be
numming quality whereby it is supposed that the preying fish becomes Im
mediatly benummed & the turpedo escapes.
mr. Hill /made/ mention of a person who passing ouer a feild in a very -
cold Day found himself as it were strucken in /on one side of/ the belly by a cold
blast wth much pain. which /pain/ continuing for two Days killd him. being
opend his belly was found in that place gangrened. this kind of cold
is calld by the country people the cold fire, and is very vsuall in
Russia & other cold countreys.
Sr. Iohn Hoskins added that Carpenter in his Geography had made menti
on of just such an eruption of water out of Hills as that mentiond
Last Day of the ouerflowing in Gascoigne, as also of subterrane
=ous fish.
______
mr Perry presented the society /for their repository/ from mr Iohn short . . . dra
per. the Head of a turtle very Large. the mouth of a shark
The heart of a tortoise. the nether part of an Indian crows bill
the piscis quadrangularis. the Tusk of a Boare a part of an
Indian Lobe, in shape like that of the Acacia.
____
mr. Hooke then Read a Discourse of his Concerning the vse he had
found of conuexes for helping shortsighted people to see /objects/ anything
at any Distance very Distinct & bigger than any one wth. the naked eye
can Distinguish, which is a Discouery of much Benefit to shortsighted per

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_361  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters