X ANIMALCULA OF INFUSIONS. 203 



ly frozen ( i ). To the celebrated Reaumur are we 

 indebted for our knowledge of this part of the 

 ■ animal economy. In January 1767, I repeated 

 the curious experiments with frozen infeftso 

 Chryfalids of the beautiful cabbage caterpillar 

 were expofed to 12 or 13° (2); they fcemed 

 completely frozen ; and, when aropt into a china 

 vefTel, founded like a (lone. But they were not 

 dead ; and, towards the middle of May, the 

 butteriiy appeared, nor was the transformation 

 later than of others of the fame fpecies that had 

 pafled wmter and part of fpring on the fLOve 

 of my apartment. Infufion animalcula might 

 in this way prefent uAich more furprifing fa£ts : 

 we have only to invent experiments ht to diicover 

 them. The fubjedt is too interefting not to ex- 

 cite the curiofity of a naturalift as intelligent as 

 you (3). 



VI. 



( 1 ) M. Bonnet means thsfe degrees below freezing ; 

 becaufe the fcale of Reaumur's thermometer begins 

 at the freezing point, or 32 of Fahrenheit's; therefore 

 14 will be nearly o, and 15 about two below o of Fah- 

 renheit's. — T, 



(2) About 5 and 3 of Fahrenheit. — T. 



( 3 ) My anfwer to M. Bonnet informed him that I had 

 anticipated the experiment he fuggefts ; but that the com- 

 munication was referved until I had obtained enough of 

 ^a(Ss. Thefe are detailed in the Traft, 



