104 . ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. L 



" I had feen the minute round heads which 

 " terminate the filaments of mould burft when 

 " moiftened, and difcharge a globular duft. I had 

 " communicated it to Baron Haller, who fpeaks 

 " of it in the article Mucor, in the new edition 

 *' of his hiftory of Swifs Plants ; but I had nei- 

 " ther witnelTed nor fufpeQed the furprifmg in» 

 *' deftrudlibility of this duft, which Signior Spal- 

 '* lanzani juflly fuppofes the feed of the plant. 



" I had long endeavoured to kill infufion ani- 

 *' malcula by eleftricity, and without better fuc- 

 '* cefs than Sig. Mofcati and Spalianzani j but 

 " more exaft obfervations have at laft given op- 

 "^ pofite refults. You may communicate them 

 '' to the latter if you- think proper. 



" Some drops of rice infufion, full of animal- 

 " cula, were put on a glafs Aider four inches 

 " long and one broad, with the rounded point 

 " of a quill, and the drops drawn out fo as to 

 " form an uninterrupted, line from one extremity 

 " of the glafs to the other. When the Aider was 

 *' applied to the machine, fo that the eledric 

 *' fluid pafied continually, and without fhocks 

 " and fparks, they moved about, and did every 

 '' thing as ufual. In general, I have obferved, 

 " that fimple electricity, that is without ihocks 

 *^ and fparks, never produced the leaft effed ; 

 " but, when the Aider was fo difpofed that a 



" flrong 



