't^6 AKIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS'.- L 



malciila of the fecond flratum did the fame, ai 

 alfo thofe of the remaining ftrata, until the globed 

 was entirely decompofed. This experiment wasr 

 made on feven animalcula from different ftrata ;- 

 and all feven afforded me as many globes. 



Thefe are the dixfferent generations of animal- 

 cula propagating by divifion, in the way hitherto 

 explained ; and which are in xcdXiij polypi that we 

 will name infufton, or, more properly, microfco- 

 pic, to ufe a general expreffion, as their kingdom 

 is not bounded by the narrow confines of infu- 

 fions. I have, at various times, examined the 

 water of ditches, dunghills, ftanks, and pools ; 

 fountain, fnow, and rain water ; thermal and 

 medicinal water, both of mountains and plains ; 

 and I can affirm, that 1 have found ?-Vi more or 

 lefs abounding with minute polypi of infinite va- 

 riety. If the multitude is fuch, that a drop of 

 water contains hundreds, nay thoufands, as ex- 

 periment proves, every one may conceive the 

 number inexpreffibly immenfe, which Ihould be 

 contained in the receffes of all the waters fo amp- 

 ly diftributed over the furface of the globe ( i ). 



It 



( I ) The number will rife above all belief, if to the po- 

 lypi of frcih water we add thofe of the fea ; for, by Mlai- 

 ler's obfervations, the fea abounds in animalcula peculiar 

 to itfelf.-- -A. 



After the publication of thefe Tra'ds, the author feems 



to 



