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and alfo the membranes of grubs or cryfales produced from cater- 

 pillars, are of fuch folidity and firmnefs that the moifture in them 

 will not evaporate, fo the Ikins of the Animalcules I am now treating 

 of are formed of fuch a folid texture, that they do not permit the leaft 

 evaporation : and, were it not fo, I will venture to affirm that thefe 

 creatures in very dry weather, being deprived of water, mull all 

 perifh : and this, M^hich we find to be the cafe with thefe, we may 

 fairly conclude takes place with Animalcules a thoufand times lefs. 



We can now ealily conceive, that in all rain water which is col- 

 lected from gutters in cifterns, and in all waters expofed to the air. 

 Animalcules may be found, for they may be carried thither with the 

 particles of dull blown about by the winds. And not only fo, but 

 Animalcules, millions of times fmaller than a grain of fand, may 

 be carried up in particles of water, if not to the clouds, yet to fuch 

 a height as to defcend with the evening dew : or by the winds they 

 may be raifed from the earth, and fpread on all fides. Nor will this 

 appear incredible, if we confider that, in great llorms, the fea water 

 is dafhed with fuch force againll the Ihore, that the particles of it 

 are carried many miles, fo as by fettling on the leaves of trees and 

 herbs to give them a fait talle. 



The preceding kinds of experiments I have many times repeated 

 with the fame fuccefs, and in particular with fome of this fediment, 

 which had been kept in my lludy for above five months, and upon 

 pouring on it rain water, which had been boiled and afterwards 

 cooled, I faw in a few hours time many of the Animalcules before 

 defcribed. And if, after being fo long in a dry llate, thefe Animal- 

 cules, upon water being given to them, can unfold their bodies and 

 move about in their ufual manner, we may conclude, that in many 

 places, where in fummer time the waters llagnate, and at length dry 

 up, there may be many kinds of Animalcules, which, though not 

 originally in thofe waters, may be carried thither by water fowl, in 

 the water or mud adhering to their feet or feathers. 



