Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 012.djvu/121



His was a female, as appeared by Eggs found within. As to the Colour of the Skin, it clearly appears mixed of several Colours, like a medly-Cloth: lighter towards the belly; otherwise, near upon it, equally mixed. The Colours discernable are Green, a Sandy Yellow, a deeper Yellow towards a Liver-colour: and indeed one may easily fancy some mixture of all or most Colours in the Skin; whereof some are more predominant at some times. There are some permanent black Spots on the ridge of the Back, and on the Head.

Upon excitation or warming she becomes suddenly full of black Spots of the bigness of Great-pins heads, equally dispersed on the sides, with small black streaks on the Eye lids; all which afterward do vanish.

The Skin is grained with globular inequalities, like the Leather called Shagreen, or the Eggs of Flies. The grossest grain is about the Head, next on the ridge of the Back, next on the Legs; on the Sides and Belly finest. Which perhaps in several postures, may shew several Colours. And when the Creature is in full vigour, may also have in some sort rationem speculi, and reflect the Colours of bodies adjacent: which, together with the mixture of Colours in the Skin, may have given occasion to the old Tradition, of changing into all Colours.

The Eyes resemble a Lens or Convex Glaß set in a Versatile globular Socket; which she turn'd backward, or any way without moving her Head. And ordinarily, the one a contrary or quite different way from the other.

Her Tongue, (which she was never seen to put forth of late, though she often opened her mouth wide) was easily drawn out, when she was dead, to half the length of her Body, being round and full toward the end, like a Pestil, with some cavity at the extremity: having a Bone about half the length of it, toward the Root; over which also the fore-part would slip backward. The Bone, where connected to the Body, is bifurcated. She hath Teeth plainly to be felt and seen above and below, on the whole circumference of the Jaw.

The Trunk of the Body, for the Structure of it, is all Thorax or Breast, having Ribs from the Neck to the seting on of