a MicrocGRAPHIA, 
 yarve and admirable, and fuchasI can hardly believe,that'the likeis to be 
difcover'd in any other body in the world; for there is hardly a large 
| Feather in the wing of a Bird,but contains neer a million of diftin& parts, 
and every one of them fhap'd ina moft regular & admirable form,adapt- 
edto a particular Defign : For examining a middle ciz’d Goofe-quill, I 
eafily enough found with my naked eye,that the main ftem of it contain’d 
about 300. longer and more Downy branchings upon one fide, and as 
many onthe other of more {tiff but fomewhat fhorter branchings. " Many 
cof thefe long and downy branchings, examining with an ordinary 24- 
crofcope, 1 found divers of them to contain neer 1200. {mall leaves (as] 
may call them, fuchas EF of the firft Figure of the 23. Scheme) and as 
‘many ftalks 5 onthe other fide, fuch as 1K of the fame Figure, each of 
the leaves or branchings, EF, feem‘d to be divided into about fixteen or 
eighteen {mall joints, asmay be feen plainly enough in the Figure, out of 
moft of which there feem to grow {mall long fibres, fuch as are exprefs'd 
in the Figure, each of them very proportionably fhap‘d according to its 
pofition, or plac’d on the ftalk E F 5 thofe on the under fide of it, name- 
ly, 1,25 3545 526 7585 9, Gc. being much longer then thofe dire@tly op- 
pofite tothem on the upper 5 and divers of them, fuch as 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 
@c. were terminated with fmall crooks, much refembling thofe {mall 
ctooks,which are vifible enough to the naked eye, in the feed-buttonsof _ 
Bur-docks. The ttalks likewite, IK on the other fide, feem’d divided into — | 
neer as many {mall knotted joints,but without any appearance of ftrings 
or crooks,each of them about the middle K,feem'd divided into two parts — 
by akind of fork, one fide of which, namely, K L, was extended neer 
the length of KI, the other, M, was.very fhort. - fe 
The tranfverfe Sections of the {tems of thefe branchings, manifefted - 
the fhape or figure of it to be much like INO E, which confifted ofa 
horny {kin or covering, and a white feemingly frothy pith, much like the 
make of the mainftemofa Feather. ~~ | cee 
The ufe of this {trange kind of form,is indeed more admirable thenall 
the reft, and fuch as deferves to. be much more ferioufly examin’d and 
confider'd, thenI have hitherto found time or ability to do; for certain- _ 
lys it may very much inftruct usin the nature of the Air, efpecially as to 
ome properties of it. Cut ee 
The ftems of the Downy branches IN OE, being rang’d in theorder — 
vifible enough to the naked eye, at the diftance of I F, or fomewhat — 
more, the collateral {talks and leaves (if Imay fo call thofe bodies Inew- 
ly defcribed ) are fo rang’d, that the leaves or hairy ftalks of the one fide 
lie at top, or are incumbent on the ftalks ofthe other, and.crof& each « 
other; much after the manner exprefs'd in the fecond Figure of the — 
23. Scheme, by which means every of thofe little hooked fibres of the — 
_ leaved ftalk get between the naked fialks, and the ftalks being full of 
_ knots, and a prety way dif-join’d, fo as that the fibres can eafily get be-- 
tween them, the two parts are fo clofely and admirab] 3 
ag’ : woven together, 
that it is able to impede.for the greateft payt, the ere Eomok thodate 
and though they are fo exceeding fmall, as that the thickne& of oncol : 
awe 
