146 
LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS ‘“ LITTLE ANIMALS ’”’ 
than ever before; the animalcules that were twice as long 
as broad were fewer in number than hitherto, and now I 
could discern that before and behind they ran somewhat 
to a point; and ’twas pretty to behold the motion, all 
a-quivering and a-shivering, that such very little creatures 
made in going forward. No others than these two sorts 
could I discover. Among other particles, there drifted 
through the liquid a multitude of short straight little 
tubes, several times (yea, 3 or 4 times) shorter than 
the foresaid very thin little eels or worms, so that they 
were only to be made out by very curious inspection. 
The 21st ditto, in the afternoon, the animalcules in 
abundance, as before. The long animalcules are clear; 
the rounded ones appear encircled with a dark streak, and 
having at the hindmost part of their body a little dark 
spot or point. 
The 22nd ditto, the animalcules as before. The short 
and very smali tubules were in greater numbers. 
The 3rd of September, the animalcules being as before, 
without my being able to espy any notable change in 
them, I again poured well-water (in which there were 
many living animalcules) upon the pepper, and at the 
same time put also two eggspoonfuls of coarsely pounded 
pepper into the water; considering whether the animal- 
cules might not then die. 
* (L have, moreover, well-water containing whole pepper 
still standing in my closet; but I have sent no notes of 
the observations made thereon. I have seen in it, besides 
divers animalcules, a great many little eels or little 
worms, together with a sort of little animals that were a 
bit smaller than the oval creatures already oft-times 
referred to. These were rounded like an oval at the hind 
end of the body, but their foremost part had, at its end, 
a crooked bend, like a parrot’s beak.” 
*The whole of this passage is thus put in parenthesis in the MS., and 
was perhaps meant for a footnote. 
* Probably Chilodon. 
