1542.—Dutch Bible by Jacob Van Leisvelt. The sixth and best edition given by Leisvelt, and famous as being the cause of this printer being beheaded.
1566.—French Bible by Rene Benoist, Paris, 1566, folio, 3 vols. completed.
1622.—Swedish Bible, printed at Lubeck, in 4to., very defective.
1666.—A German Bible, printed at Helmstedt, in part only, 4to.
1671.—A French Bible, by Marolles, in folio, containing only the books of Genesis, Exodus, and the first twenty-three chapters of Leviticus.
EXTRAORDINARY REPRODUCTIVE POWER OF THE HYDRA.
One of the fresh-water Polypes, from its power of perpetual reproduction, has received the name of Hydra, by which it is known among naturalists: as if it realised the ancient monster of fabulous story, whose heads sprouted anew as fast as they were cut off by Hercules.
Most curious monstrosities were produced by the experiments of philosophers on these animals, especially by partial separations. If a polype be slit from the summit to the middle, one will be formed having two heads, each of which will capture and swallow food. If these again be slit half-a-dozen times, as many heads will be formed surmounting the same body. If now all these be cut off, as many new ones will spring up in their place, while each of the severed heads becomes a new polype, capable of being, in its turn, varied and multiplied ad infinitum;—so that in every respect our little reality exceeds its fabulous namesake.
The polypes may be grafted together. If cut-off pieces be placed in contact, and pushed together with a gentle force, they will unite and form a single one. The head of one may be thus planted on the trunk of another.
Another method of uniting them, perhaps still more wonderful, is by introducing one within the other; the operator forced the body of the one into the mouth of the other, pushing it down so that the heads were brought together. After forcibly keeping it for some time in this state, the two individuals at length united, and a polype was formed, distinguishable only by having twice the usual number of tentacles.