i22 animalcula of infusions. 1. 



' experienced in the rare and uncommon art of 



* interrogating nature, is reftrained by modefty 



* from making his difcoveries known, left they 

 ' may not be fufficiently comprehended* A work 

 ' containing excellent obfervations on the Petals 

 ' of Flowers^ a fubjecl but little underftood, has 

 ' already fpread his name among the limited 

 ' number of his equals. It is evident I mean M. 

 ' de Sauffure, who, at an age when men only be- 

 ' gin to think, already fills one of our philofophi- 

 ' cal chairs with credit. His affeftionate attach- 

 ' ment to me, which is merited but by a recipro- 

 ' cal fenfation, would not permit him to let me 

 ' remain ignorant of his difcoveries concerning the 

 ' mode of animalcula propagating. Thefe are re- 

 ' lated at large in the following letter, which well 

 ' deferves the attention of obfervers (i). 



" Geneva^ 25 Septe?nber 1769. 

 " You have great reafon. Sir, to fuppofe, that 

 " animalcula of infufions may multiply by con* 

 " tinual divifion and fubdivifion like polypi. You 

 " ftate it only as a fufpicion ; however, my ob» 

 " fervations, on many fpecies of thefe fingular ani- 

 " mals, convince me that we may regard it as a 

 " fadt. Animalcula of a roundiih form, without 



" beak 



( This and M. de SaufTure's letter are inferted in the 

 republication of La Puiingenelie. 



