5^ ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. I. 



^ not unlike the manner of the firil American 

 * navigators.'(i). After Mr Needham, I have at- 

 tempted to make little excurfions in this univerle. 

 I have endeavoured to penetrate the Continent, 

 to view the inhabitants, and have not failed to 

 give naturalifts a faithful account on my return. 

 But from new excurfions, and by exploring the 

 country with greater diligence and leifure, I per- 

 ceive my narrative is very fuperficial to what 

 may be given. This is what I have begun to 

 communicate to the reader in the preceding chap- 

 ters, and which Ihall be profecuted in the fubfe- 

 quent. 



V/hat above all fliould be inveftigated is the 

 nature of the inhabitants of this microfcopic 

 world. The nature of an object is difcovered 

 from its properties, that is, its relation to other 

 beings. The more analogies there are, the great- 

 er fcope is there for comparifon ; and the more 

 comparifons we can make, our knowledge of it 

 acquires greater extent. My principal purpofe 

 in thefe new refearches fliould therefore be, to in- 

 ftitute the greatefl pofTibie number of compan- 

 ions between animalcuia and other animals. I 

 have already made fome experiments on them 

 with heat, and I ihall now proceed to fpeak of 

 others ; and firft of what is direftly the reverfe of 

 heat, namely, the influence of cold. 



CHAP, 

 ( I } Corps Organlfes, T. 2. 



