f. ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. 



39 



amined were more able to wiihiLand Heat than the 

 animals themfelves. Tadpoles and frogs died at 

 111°, while their eggs became fterile at 133°; and 

 fome even not fo ibon. Silk worms and the 

 caterpillars of the elm butterfly died at 108° ; 

 their eggs did not produce at 133°. Large flefii 

 flies periihed at 99°, their nymphs at iii*', their 

 larvK at 105°, and eggs at 140°. Secondly, 

 There is much the fame relation between plants 

 and feeds as between animals and eggs. S'ome, 

 as trefoil^ beans, and kidney beans, are fertile, 

 after having been expofed to 212°, or the heat 

 of boiling water, while their plants cannot fup- 

 port 167°. Thirdly, The feeds of plants are more 

 adapted for refifting the violence of heat than the 

 eggs of animals. All the feeds my experiments 

 were made on by dry heating germinated, though 

 they had fuffered 1 6"]^^ and fome 2 1 2°, but no t'g'^ 

 was hatched after 144°. Laftly, It is to be re- 

 marked, that heat is more noxious when ading- 

 along with water. None of the feeds in water at 

 212° afterwards germmated. 



I am very far from pretending to give reafons 

 for ail thefe refults. I feel the difficulty o^ the 

 enterprife, and at moft fliall only hazard fome con- 

 jectural explanations, allowing whatever weight 

 they merit, and permitting every one to think as 

 he judges bed. It may not be difficult, if we take 

 the firfl appearance only, to comprehend why 

 C 4 plants 



