Re SEMINAL VERMICULI. TL 
dhad become motionlefs, but they foon refumed 
their original vivacity. The .fingularity of the 
phenomenon made me fuppofe it accidental, and 
I did not think of-repeating the experiment during 
this winter and the following fpring. But I had 
afterwards occafion to obferve, that the fun was 
conftantly fatal to vermiculi in a few hourss 
though the intenfity of the:heat did not equal the 
degree-which, in the preceding chapter, is faid to 
have been fatal to them. This was afcertained 
by means of the fun in autumn.; but thepheno- 
enon, which Lat firft thought accidental, has 
appeared conftant and invariable. ‘The folar in- 
fluence, at the fame time, has no quality -noxi- 
‘ous to the putredinous animalcula of the fame fe- 
men, provided its intenfity does not raife the 
thermometer to 106° or 108°, which alfo con- 
tributes to prove the difference between the ver- 
amiculi and animalcula. 
The novelty. of fuch.refults: was a fufficient in- 
-centive for mveltigating the caufe. Experiment 
having fhewn me that.a certain degree of folar 
heat quickly kills vermiculi, .though an equal de- 
gree in ancapartment does novinjury, I-could not 
be perfuaded that the fimple heat of the fun 
caufed their deftruction, but imagined fomething 
entirely different. My firft idea was, the agitation 
pof the air: I conceived that, by putting the femen 
on the outfide of the window, the vermiculi were 
) more 
