A Letter to Martin Folkes Esq. L L. D. Pr. R. S. Containing Some Observations upon CertainShell-Fish (Lodg'd in a Large Stone Brought from Mahon Harbour by Mr. Samuel More, Purserof the Sterling-Castle Man of War) from James Parsons M. D. F. R. S.Author(s): James ParsonsSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 45 (1748), pp. 44-48Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/104517 .

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[ 44 ]

II, Wd Leter zo Martin Folkes E/*f. LL. 19. Pr R. S. contaiNtng J ome ObWervatiors zgton certair Shell}RiS (Z>d in a large hUone broaght from Malson Harboar by Mr. Samuel- More, P>rfr of tffie Sterling-CaRle Man of EYar) from James Parfons M. D r D rf r. a av.

]?adJan. 2I.THE Favour Mr. More and Mr. Gra- 747 1 ham have done the Royal SvaietyX by their PreIent of the Stone containin;> the thell'd :Fi9}, and calIed the iDottle Stont has given OccaF fion to the following Hints, tO {hew of what fort thefe Fi& are, and that they are rare and curious to us.

VJpon our 1StR hearing of them by Mr. More's Letter to Rithard GraDans Ef; becatSe it was faid the Fiffi were lodged in a Stone, it was thought tlley were the fame x^7e know by tlle Name of CP-holvdes, and of which there are Plenty upon our own CoaRs; baze I believe none of us had feen thefe beforea nor had a Notion of any othess loeing lodged in Stone but our (Pholades above nlention'd; whereas theSe feem to be peculiar to the Mediterranean Sea, fince Rondeletixs, and afeer him HIdroq>ndgs, hasre gisren their Account and Figures of them, among others that are Inhabitants of tlle fame Regions.

lDhefe two Authors call them fimp]y vPholables, whicll Term is derived of the Greek Verb wA§Xn

arid fig,nifies to have a lliding Place; every Aninzal thcrefore

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[45 ] thercfore tbat alzfconds in Eartll or Stones nligllt be z:alled fo too: Hcnce I think, that @'AMS iS tOO

vague and infignificant a Name for any particular Allimal, and that fome other, which 11as a nearcr Rclation to its gcnctical CharaEtcr ougllt to be given to ir.

If SIdroqvandas had reen thofe, utilich we as er- roneoutly call Pholvafes, inclofed in their CellsX hc would, no doubtX lzasc call'd thcm by tlae falne NanzeX and for thc fallle RcaCon; but I am inclincd to thxnk lue ncver fasr the intire Fi{h, but only the Shcll; becauSe he givcs a very irnperfed:t DcScription of it, amon^, feveral others which he has Figures of alSo, and which lle calis Conchae lon Sthoris alts, which follosr an Accollnt and figure of thc C>oncha loaga of GPAiny.

Dr. LiMter and Rgmphigs alfo have Fi^,ures of tllis Mediter1*aneall Fith} and, aftcr thae lNuthor, call it (Pholas: BUt finct tilis -Tcral ba£cly denotes the lzlace of its Rcrldcnce, let U3 cndeavour to gis: t a proper N7atnc, WiliCtl rzay 13c donc by conSdcrillg its Similarity svitil fiome Genxs already knosvn.

The abostc-mentioll'd Gentlcman fays, tlae Stones are from half a hundred to four or five hundrcd weight cach, lying at all Depths to twenty Fcct 1lndcr Watcr; full of Cells, cach containilug a fingle Fith, call'd by tile Inhabitants the ;:DottAe Fith; whicll Name lle judiciollily filppoScs to l)e a Corruption of the NVord 59NG¢7l2S from their Form. He alSo fays, the Fifh is of tac fame Nature xvitll thz conz- mon MuCcle, but mucll morc dclicioLIs, and that cating tllem is nes-c-- attendcd, xvith thofie poifcnotls Symptoms) tilAt haN?e bcc n oSca thougtit +o bc saus>d by cating Murclcs

T3-1e

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E 46] lilc SIlells are illdcctl} tn all RcfpcAs bllt one,

likc tilc SIytzBl1xs sgl^arisX or rox>wmo7s MaJvIe; tilCfX bOilig [lll;l St ttlC Hinc-Elz2, and having a lztoad tllin Ed^,c at tluc Oppofittw; stZI<reas the for lzler atc llcally cgtlal at both Ends) as wcll as firait and folllcshat dcplcticils alld as to tlae StruEturc of tlac FilE of borll, tlucy are alike, tllO' witll tllis fluall DiScrcllcc, t'nat tile Lint,ula of the common WItIfcle is dctacllcd towards tlle Point, and tllat of ttle otller is confin'd all aloll. I therefore fubmit it, wllctiler eitller of tlc folloxvillg Names would not plOpCrly CXpl'CfS it)

JlNvtgltls sylindroides} tlle cylindroid MuScle, or AI!t1alzxs rDadJ lifarmisX t1ut CDate Mvle. Its ex- tcrnal F6rm conducint, lnuch tO cncourage the lat- tcr, xsllich Mr. More has luintcd atX in calling the Stollc vlle (Dottle, 1Dotting, or 4Dating-Stone; for as tO thC Place of its Refidcncc} that belongs rather to its getlcral ndtllral Hiltoly than itS difringui(hing l>iame.

DoStor Li/?er, alzd aftcr lli*.ll Monfieur (Drgen.

taille hante drawn ollr CPholas with fitt Shells; but ve hasZe fotne R6af0n to fufpet tllef are only Bi VA1VCU; forl upon cxaWning thoCc inclofed in tilc

3persnen beforc you, in Cornpany writll Mr. Hilt none of tllem appearcd to haste any more than two 'jhclis. And in a-Specinacn (¢isZetl tc:s Mr. {Perer- collinron by Six Charles ARor) of one of thefe Fifh, wllicll lod:,'d itfclf in the Bottona of a Ship, there xnrere but tsvo Shells found; whicll Shell together nvith thc Picce of WoodX wllercin it was lodged,, I msTfclf faxv t lonD nvith fenteral othcr Friends in the above ̂ nzention'd Gentleman's ColleEtion. Now tllefc o*lC,llt, in likc manncr, aftcr its generical

Charaditer,

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[ 47 ] Cllaraftcr} to bc ralled asnealDt thc Chaan; and as tllN' luase a WProboAcis xvllicll llonc ots tile ta

4Nc, I xroulil afifS offEr the: fUlloxvinD Namc br tllis Fii}l ;

C/nama lorga rUgis Xer;, alba. Tluc long rouU,ll mllite (274tt74

blr. Baker luas Acsral nlc anotller Specics of SPho- xvhich llc ]attly took out of a Stonc fFom thC

ConA of Cornat alltt xvllich has rtlorc of tlle YveSncle than any ovller killd. in itS Form, , atid iitlttin? clofe:; xvilich tilc Shclis juEt mcatioll'd cannot do. :NYosr tilctc thrce dillinA Kinds of z11cll ii« Catl nestcr be laid to bc rightly called by tilC finnie a£lte of fPhoAas.

Tlhe comnwon ObieEtion to thefe Filh boring ttlelr Way into thc Stones in nvhicll thev arc found} *Zz. that ttlC Stncs arc firR i n a IbR Stvtc} and X 11arden aboue tht tn, may bc obviated byv tile follow^ ill:, Conftderations: Fir{ta tl-at in .NIr. itlAores rreat Stonc, nvhen it swas broken} tilcsc appcard thro) itS SubLtance fc+cral pctrifyJd f6fill Shcils > xvhicll c'carIsr Ihcnv that itS FOrlll1tiOn WAs of all ancicntcr Date than the Age of tilefc MuCcles can admit ofL Sc- condly} That thC HoXes oll the Qurface art narroxver, in genera!> than thc C1Vity in 5rllich the Fidll lies > and rsthich demonllratc<, til<t they enter youn¢, and are capable of enlarging tilcir Room as tlley rrow bigcr, by abradilsg thc Sidcs of thcir Celis: And this is further apparele) by tile fandy Alvtter found in tlac Eottoms t-f thofic Celi<> s<thich tilc Fifh canF not srell get rid o¢, xvlnen i£ il-^ppcnS tilat tile Ori

Ecc is hi;,her than the Bottcal; tbuliclatic: ofs 'liCtl

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[48 ] Mr. SIill alld nzyfelf obServed in Gotne of the Holes; arld u!hicll is cafily throxvlu qtlitc otlt, xvhen the Ori ficc is dcpcndi£wg; for in tllcic xYc obferarcd nonc: And tllis is furtl cr contirmed by \VllAt Dr. Mood^ard ralatcs ill tllc filft Volume of lui-s C8atalo;,ue*, that ckrtain Pillars of urhitc Carrar6z Marble taken out of tite Sea7 on ttlC Coza Of Leghora, after lying thcrc a S7llnlbel of Ycars., svelc dcLlroy'd by the boring of tllCtC CPholvdes.

As to tllc Manner of tilCil pcnetrating the Stones, T cannot ,;sc tllC lcaR Accotlnt ots it ; nvho am}

S 12>

rotZr maJ? obedifnt Serqant

James Parfons.

e Page Z g

III.

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