William Briggs

“ In Brutes also we see their Eyes accommodate themselves in their viewing a single object: But however the rays seem to fall here more readily upon the external Fibres, because of the oblique insertion of the optic Nerve, and therefore they do not so indifferently turn their Eyes to discriminate the Motion of objects as we do, nor is their Sphere of Vision so large. ”

“ Hereby it appears that if the Object be so plac't that it is seen with both Eyes, the right Eye accommodates it self to the position of the left, that the rays strike correspondent Fibres, and the percussion or Vibration being toward the bottom or Papilla of the Eye (or near its Axis) where I before observ'd Vision to be chiefly performed, a small turning of one Eye to another will make that accommodation. ”

“ Secondly, That being of a whitish colour, and resembling thereby the white Paper in the dark house, it is fitter to receive the images of colour'd objects then the dark shade of the Choroeides. Thirdly, It being the more inward or medullary expansion of the Optic Nerve it can more immediatly transmit any motions to the Meditullium of the brain (or the common sensory) then the other part, which by its continuation to the pia mater does not reach it ”

“ Besides toward the bottom of the Eye the Fibres of this Coat converge very much or come closer together, and 'tis here that is the most lively representation or exquisitest sense of the object, for wch reason partly, as also partly from it's figure, I formerly took the liberty of calling it a Pupilla inverted. This lies in Men diametrically opposite [6] to the Pupill, as the Optic Nerve is plac'd in the forementioned figure: but in Brutes more obliquely by reason of the insertion of the Optic Nerve more toward the inner Canthus ”