WI. cONFINED IN STAGNANT: AIR. 77 
perifhed in clofe veflels ; that feeds and eggs con- 
fined were fterile ; and a general conclufion was 
made, that ftagnant air was decidedly noxious 
to both kinds of living beings. 
_ Ir the beginning of this chapter, it is faid, the 
veflels employed were very large; that each 
might contain fourteen or fifteen pounds of wa- 
ter; with them the refults enumerated were ob- 
tained. But the confequences are very different 
en ufing veflels fucceflively fmaller: In propor- 
tion as their capacity decreafes, the eggs or feeds. 
do not germinate, or they perifh when f{carcely 
evolved, and animals of every f{pecies in a fhort 
time die. All the naturalifts, who have had refults 
different from mine, certainly have ufed:veffels 
too {mall, otherwife the fame would have happen- 
ed as to myfelf.. However, I do not deny that 
their error, refpecting, animals, might arife from: 
the nature of the animals on which their experi- 
ments wete made, that they mutt perifh what- 
ever the capacity of the veflels may be, as, for 
inftance, warm blooded animals. But to under- 
ftand this better, and enforce conviction, let us 
vension to particulars. 
 Animalcula of infufiens originate, exift, and 
propagate in the large veflels; which alfo fuc- 
eeéds in veflels one third of the fize, only. we then 
begin to perceive the difadvantages of ftagnant 
air. When the capacity is fuch as to contain 
(mtwligtsis. three. 
