144 ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. L 



preflion on my mind at iirft, but it was foon evi- 

 dent that it difappeared in a few feconds, and in 

 a little appeared again, which feemed to be perio- 

 dical. While the tint was vifible, I gently took 

 away the radicle ; it fuddenly vanifhed ; but, the 

 ihock having abated, unexpectedly re-appeared. 

 The fmgularity of the phenomenon recalled to 

 my memory the animalcula of the marfh lentil. 

 Examining the fpot more narrowly, I faw, with 

 extrem.e pleafure, it was a group of more than 

 fifty tails of the animalcula, the extremity of 

 which was fixed to a lentil root. Thefe ani- 

 malcula refembled the bulb fpecies, not only in 

 extenfion and contraction of the body and tail, 

 but in generating a vortex and directing the float- 

 ing particles into the hollow or bell, by means of 

 a circle of filaments or points, proceeding from 

 the edge of the bell, PL i. fig.' 6. As this fpe- 

 cies is much larger than the bulb animalcula, fo 

 are the points and vortex proportionally larger. 

 If the bell was wide open, which happened when 

 the animal was extended, it feemed to terminate 

 in the body by a little central hole, I. I tranf- 

 ported this family of animalcula with the lentil 

 root into a watch-glafs, for more convenient ex- 

 amination. They remained feveral days with- 

 out appearing to multiply. At length all perilh- 

 ed J the animalcula were untwined j motion ceaf- 



ing. 



