Poison, their Shells loose those Darts, and as foon as a Storm comes they are thrown up on the Shore, where the violent Heat of the Sun bleaches the whole Shell, till it becomes as white as you now have them. Whilft they are alive, they have a foft, black, and round substance, not unlike the Nipple of a Woman's Breast, which they can raise out of the largest hole on the flatteft or bottom fide, and a much leffer round fubftance of the fame nature appears out of the much leffer hole on the other flat fide or rather top of the Shell: I imagine the bottom round fubftance to be its Head that feeds or grazes on Weeds, &c. which lye or grow at the bottom of the Sea; but then I am entirely at a loss what to determine about the leffer round fubftance, unless I durft venture boldly to pronounce that another Head: In fhort it is all a meer Conjecture. If you examine the Infide of it, you will perceive a prodigious number of little Holes that you may stick a small minikin Pin into, running in due diftances in proportion to their number quite thorough the Shell, in Lines that are exactly parallel, from the bottom part quite up to the center in the top of this Shell, and thorough which the Salt Water did I fuppose enter in order to scour and keep the Fish in health. The Fish is both in colour and form just like Salmon or indeed any other Fishes

of

Spawn, and pretty firmly fixed clofe in all the smooth Partitions between thofe parallel Lines of Holes. We break the Shells till we have got as much of the Fish as will fill two or three of the largest, which are each as big as my two Fifts: Then we season it pretty highly, as we do Turtle or Tortoife, and fet them with their sharp pointed Darts on (as they came out of the Sea,) over a gentle Wood-coal Fire half burnt to afhes, where it ftands till it is fufficiently ftewed: But in my opinion, it eats far too lufhiously. I faw feveral of their broken Shells upon the Coast of Lincolnshire; and have been informed, that the Fishermen at Lynn in Norfolk, and on most of our English Coafts, do frequently take them up in their Dragging Nets. I had almost forgot to mention the Variety of CockleShells I fent, that refemble our English ones in Shape, though infinitely furpaffing them in beauteous Colours, and fome of which are on the outfide far rougher than a Nutmeg-grater, but fhine like the best polished Marble: We do not eat them; and to fpeak truth, I never faw one of them alive. You have there too a Fish's Shell called a Moon: It is round and as broad as my hand, the middle being as thick as two Crown Pieces, and falling down with a gentle Slope quite to the Edges where it is no thicker. than Half a Crown; From the Center in the top

you

you fee four or five fets of Rows that are exceeding fine and narrow Cavities, thorough which the Water defcends into the Body of the Shell where the Fish refides: Thefe Cavities project out from near the Center an Inch or better towards the Edges in the form of Peach-tree Leaves: There is a round hole in the Center on the under fide that goes up into the Body of the Shell. As I never found any more of the fort, fo I thought it a pity to break that in pieces purely to examine the infide.

9. In the Month of July, 1719, one Mr. Mofes Pinheiro a Jew and myself, went to angle in Black Rock Pond, which is fituate a quar ter of a mile or better Northwards from Charles Town our Metropolis or Capital, and about thirty yards diftant from the Sea. Mr. Pinheiro's Hook catched hold on fomething at the bottom of the Pond, and he ordered my Negro Man Oxford to ftrip, dive, and unloofe it. Oxford went indeed to the bottom, but came again without effecting it; and faid, that it was entangled in a fmall Bush that grew in the bottom of the Pond, which was in that place about two yards and a half deep. However, he dived again, and after a few sturdy pulls, brought up the Bush, Roots and all. Both its Roots and Branches were vifibly enough alive, but without either Bark or Leaves, it being covered over with a foft blackifh fubstance

ftance which no doubt ferved in the room of Bark. Upon cutting it in two, I found the Wood of a pale or faded green.

10. I hereupon began to reflect feriously with myself, and concluded, that the vast Atlantick Ocean (which looks of the finest Azure Blue cofour occafioned by the great depth and exceeding tranfparence of Water) might abound at bottom with large growing Trees, and smaller Bushes, as well as with Weeds, or Grafs: And what renders the point not so chimerical as highly pro bable is, That the Shore about half a mile to the Southward of Charles Fort, is plentifully stocked with dead dry Bushes, which the Sea in Hurricanes and ftormy Weather throws up: The Roots of those Bushes, (two of which, together with my Shells, I prefented your University) are fo firmly fixed in a very hard and folid Stone, that they are all of a piece: To be plain, they must grow in the Sea, because the Land Soil of that Country produces none fuch, that I can remember at least.

11. And here perhaps a fruitful Fancy would eafily discover Mountains and Hills, Vallies and Plains, Woods and Copices, thorough which the numberless Inhabitants of the great Deep were winding their way (either feparate or in whole flocks, juft as their occafions led them,) either for Food or Paftime; as alfo, That the Vallies

and

and Plains, Woods, and Coppices are wondrous fertile, whereas the Summits of Mountains and Hills are generally speaking barren enough; and this last Article, I would willingly affign for the true Reason, why nothing bigger than small Bushes are caft afhore to the Southward of Charles Fort (as mentioned in the foregoing paragraph) in Storms and Hurricanes, whofe raging Billows want fufficient force or violence to disturb the lower receffes of the Abyss of the Ocean. If it be objected, That Natura nil agit fruftra; and of course, what ufe can they be of? The felf fame fruitful Fancy will as readily make answer, That the Bark, &c. on fuch confiderable and lofty Trees, may serve the greater Leviathans of the Ocean by way of Food; and moreover, That fuch tall Woods as well as the fhorter Coppices and Shrubs may stop the too violent pursuit of the more ravenous fort of them after the smaller Fry, who without fuch places of retreat would be fwallowed up in whole Shoals. Befides Providence may appoint other ufes of them which are unknown to us.

12. I had like to have forgot to acquaint you, That the Bush in which Mr. Pinheiro's Line was entangled, grew out of a foftish Rock (a piece of which about the bigness of my Fift I fent with my Shells) that is heavy, white, porous, and when

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