i'i ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. I. 



followed ? Animalcula equally appeared In thefe 

 infufions, only a little more time elapfed before 

 they became fo numerous, becaufe the weather 

 ^as colder ; and they uniformly inhabit infu- 

 fions fooner or later according to the tempera- 

 ture of the atmofphere. 



Vegetable feeds were expofed to trials more 

 fevere : they were expofed to the greatefl heat 

 that can be excited by common fires, or fire aug- 

 mented by art. Burning coals, and the flame of 

 the blow pipe, were the two agents exercifmg 

 their power on them. And, in the firft place, I 

 kept them on an iron plate above burning coals 

 until entirely confumed by the violence of the 

 flames, and converted to a dry cinder, which was 

 reduced to powder, and as many- infufions form- 

 ed as there were feeds, A cinder was alfo made 

 by the blow pipe, which, befides exceffive aridi- 

 ty, had acquired confiderable hardnefs. I mufl 

 acknowledge I did not in the lead exped: to find 

 animalcula in this new infufion. After viewing 

 them once and again, hardly able to credit my 

 eyes, I repeated the experiment twice. Some fuf- 

 picion arofe that the animalcula might come from 

 the water ufed rather than the burnt feeds j 

 therefore, on repeating the experiment, the fame 



as 



in parts of a degree, or thermometers to agree exaflly, and 

 becaufe the difFerence here, where there is any, never 

 exceeds .25 of i*'. — T. 



