I. ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIOKS. I94 



vital, and from the fingular caufe, that they pro- 

 pagate by divifion ? Fh-ft, 1 fay the author draws 

 a general conclufion from particular fads, as he 

 siffumes a general proportion, that all animalcula 

 propagate by divifion. But many others multi= 

 ply without it. The objedion therefore will af- 

 fed only thofe of the firfl fpecies j and far 

 from not admitting a plaufible anfwer, it had 

 formerly been advanced by the partifans of 

 automat if Tu, when a difcovery was made, that the 

 fedions of the polypus became complete animals, 

 as may be feen in Bonnet's Corps Grga7iifes\ which 

 Work, if Needham had taken the trouble to per- 

 ufe, would have prevented him from publifhing 

 his objedions ; becaufe if in abftrufe and obfcure 

 matters one is contented with probability, as a wife 

 and rational philofopher ought to be, there he 

 would have found enough to his fatisfaction. There- 

 fore I adhere to M. Bonnet's principles, not only 

 becaufe ingenious but juft ; and by their means 

 we can comprehend and explain how the divided 

 parts of an animalcule are transformed into am* 

 mated and fentient beings. The fad may be e- 

 lucidated by an animal many million times larger 

 than infufion animalcula, by the earth worniv 

 Every fegment becomes a new whole regenerating 

 in itfelf the parts deficient, and among others the 

 head and tail(i). The reprodudion of thefe 



parts, 



(i) Prodrome fopra le Reproduzioni Animali.- In Mq= 

 (3ena, 1168. 



