144 
LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS ‘‘ LITTLE ANIMALS ”’ 
much like (only much smaller) that animalcule which I 
have previously likened to a piece of citron-peel. More- 
over, I could not convince myself that I now saw, among 
the sorts of animalcules described, those creatures which I 
have said I saw in the well-water, although I examined the 
well-water also. 
The same day, about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I saw 
still more animalcules, both the round ones and those that 
were twice as long as broad; and besides these, a sort 
which were still smaller ; and also incredibly many of the 
very little animalcules whose shape, this morning, I could 
not make out. J now saw very plainly that these were 
little eels,, or worms, lying all huddled up together and 
wriggling; just as if you saw, with the naked eye, a 
whole tubful of very little eels and water, with the 
eels a-squirming among one another: and the whole 
water seemed to be alive with these multifarious animal- 
cules. This was for me, among all the marvels that I 
have discovered in nature, the most marvellous of all; and 
I must say, for my part, that no more pleasant sight has 
ever yet come before my eye than these many thousands 
of living creatures, seen all alive in a little drop of water, 
moving among one another, each several creature having 
its own proper motion: and even if I said that there were 
a hundred thousand animalcules in one small drop of 
water which I took from the surface, I should not err, 
Others, seeing this, would reckon the number at quite 
ten times as many, whereof I have instances; but I say 
the least. My method for seeing the very smallest 
animalcules, and the little eels, I do not impart to others ; 
nor yet that for seeing very many animalcules all at once ; 
but I keep that for myself alone. 
The same day, about 11 at night, the animalcules were 
as before. The sort in which I could hitherto discern no 
shape, I now fancied to be round, rather than long. 
* Spirilla. 
