312 SEMINAL VERMICULI. Ilr' 



lidce genlturae innatant, non fecus ac particular 

 oleofe, quod fe!e£la Lieberkunii microfcopia 

 nobis maniiefte oflenderunt/ Hoc poftea etiam 

 vidit, et confirmavit fummus Phyfiologus illuft- 

 ris D. V. Kallerus, ut adeo auSoritas vermium 

 feminalium jam prorfu^ fere in defuetudinem . 

 venerit." 



This fmgular opinion of Linnaeus v/as un- 

 knowTi to me until communicated in a letter from. 

 M. Bonnet, who tranfcribed his words. He, 

 undoubtedly from politenefs, or perhaps with a. 

 defign to encourage me to profecute my refearch- 

 es on fpermatic A'^ermiculi, added the following 

 paragraph : ' You perceive there is here cited 

 ^ the eminent teflimony of a Gronovius, a Van. 

 ' Swieten, a Lieberkuhn, &c. and even that of 

 ' Haller. At fome future period, I fiiall write to 

 ' him about it ; neverthelefs, all thefe authorities 



* could not weigh with me, nor, in my view, ba- 

 ' lance your opinion, becaufe I know you to be. 

 ' a much better judge of fuch things than the il- 

 ' luftrious authors Linnaeus names in his thefis* 



* You have paid much more attention to the 



* vermiculi in queftion, and long ftudied the. 

 ' animalcula analogous to them ; you have thus. 

 ' obtained a kind of touchftone, which experi- 



' ment more and more improves, and which caa. 



* never prove deceitful/ 



Before- 



