E ANIMALGULA OF INFUSIONS. 249 



criminately beftowed. He writes to me, ' The 

 fyftem of Epigenefis is abfurd ; he would not 

 wifh to be obliged to explain any fad ; * and 

 adds, ' that he would rather colled a certain 

 number, and then make fome reflexions, which 

 would juftify his referve.' 1 earnellly wifh this 

 excellent obfer.ver would realise his fentiments, 

 and give us the reflexions which, various polypi 

 have excited : but notwithftanding the interval 

 of many years fmce I folicited him to refume the 

 pen, I have not yet been able to obtain a fnigle 

 page^ Doraeftic occupations of much greater 

 importance prevent him from again- beginning 

 his works on natural hifl:ory : he has refigned. 

 this department to me, and I endeavour to acquit 

 myfelf as well as pcSible,. 



I have paid particular attention to that para- 

 graph of your letter, myefteemed correlpondent, 

 where it is faid you have fean the propagation of 

 infufion animalcula by divifion into parts. Does 

 this mode of propagation differ from that of the 

 other animalcula which you. have obferved divid- 

 ing through the middle of the body? I have like- 

 wife to afli, whether it is inilantaneous or gra- 

 dual ? If the latter, it will return to the divifion, 

 and fubdivifion of bell-polypi ; if the former, it 

 will be a new and mod wonderful manner, of 

 , propagation. Neverthelefs, it is referrible to that 

 which M. de Saulfure defcribes in his letter, pub- 



lifhed 



