( 20fi ) 



thol^e newly voided by the parent, and, in my opinion, was only 

 one day old ; but I was not able to Judge with certainty, relpefting 

 the particles which I took, out of its body, (by reafon of their ex- 

 ceflive minutenefs), whether they were fuch as would in time be- 

 come young animals. 



Addition, by the Translator. 



THE Tranflator hopes to be indulged in bearing his teftimony to the 

 accuracy of Mr. Leeuwenhoek's inveftigation of the preceding fubjeft, and 

 alfo as to the utility of his difcoveries. 



This part of the tranflation having been made at thehoufeofa friend in 

 the country, and in the month of June, the Tranflator was led to examine 

 the fruit trees in the garden, cxpefting to find fomeof the Animalcules men- 

 tioned in this Effay : he faw many of them exa£lly agreeing with tlie de- 

 fcription here given; on the goofeberry and currant trees (particularly the 

 latter) they faftened themfelves at the extremities of the young flioots, and 

 the farther extenfion of the flioot feemed to be entirely prevented, for the 

 bud in the centre was deftroyed and the ftalk of the fhoot grown into an ir- 

 regular knobbed form, and fwelled to two or three times its natural fize, 

 having the fame appearance as a gouty limb. 



Some perfons may perhaps be difpofed to ridicule the great pains taken by 

 Mr. Leeuwenhoek to inveftigate the nature of fo minute, and, as they 

 may think, fo contemptible a creature, as that under confideration. 

 But the ftate of the fruit trees juft mentioned will at once demonftrate that 

 thefe minute animals are of a formidable nature, and capable of deftroying 

 all the next year's produce- For if they attack the young fhoots in the early 

 part of their growth, and thereby put a flop to their further vegetation, the 

 confequence muft be that from thofe trees, whofe fruit is produced upon the 

 lafl year's wood, little or no fruit can be expefted in the fucceeding year. 





