If. 



SEMINAL VERMICULI. 289 



and their appendages with much greater conve- 

 nience and precifion. As the thicknefs of a clot on 

 a talc Aider prevented me from feeing it diilindtly, 

 I fwept it with a hair-pencil ; but the talc was 

 not fo clean that fame httie portion of fperma- 

 tic matter did not remain which dried in a mo- 

 ment. I cannot fay what induced me to examine 

 the talc again with the mierofcope, but I there 

 found what could never have been fuppofed. 

 Scores of corpufcula were vlfible, and the whole 

 motionlefs becaufe they were dry; they were very 

 diftin£l: and free from any mixture with the fper- 

 matic matter. The appendage of fome was curved j 

 of others ftraight, and nearly of the fame length in 

 all, that is, about fix times the length of the bo- 

 dy ; not much pointed at the extremity, and 

 thicker as it approached the body ; and it was 

 evidently perceptible, that the corpufcule or bo- 

 dy made one whole with the appendage, vhich, 

 in the thickeft part, was thrice as fmali as the 

 body, and even more. Each corpufcle was fonic- 

 what like the red globules of blood, but inal- 

 ler, Both the appendage and the corpufcle learn- 

 ed to be compofed of an homogeneous fubftance. 



After this fortunate event, I frequently v.iped. 

 the talc bearing drops of feraen, aiid conilantly 

 faw the corpufcle with equal precifion. Thef 

 remained dry on tlie talc feveral days without any 

 change of figure. 



Vol. I, T } 



