160 LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS “ LITTLE ANIMALS ”’ 
The 24th of July, the water was for the most part dried 
up. I again added well-water thereto; and in this well- 
water there were now many very little living creatures,’ 
which, whenever the well-water came under the water 
containing the nutmegs, died in a trice. 
The 3rd of August. Made divers observations since 
the last foregoing date, but discovered no living creatures 
in this water till to-day. The creatures now seen’ were 
very few, and so small, that they well-nigh escaped the 
sight, notwithstanding that one had a very good micro- 
scope. And as the water was, for the most part, dried 
up again, and very many living creatures were at this 
time present in all the common kinds of water, I poured 
on some snow-water, in which there were no animalcules. 
The 4th ditto, the animalcules as before; and they 
moved among so many various particles, of very near the 
same bigness as the animalcules themselves, that you 
would say, ’twas no mere water in which the nutmegs 
lay ; for twas made up of soft fluid particles stuck beside 
one another, much as if you beheld, with your naked eye, 
the spawn of frogs, or the seed of fishes when it is spent.’ 
The 5th ditto, I saw plenty of animalcules, which I 
can’t call long, they looked to me to be round rather ; 
for they were no bigger, through my microscope, than 
very little sand-grains to one’s naked eye; and I must 
say, that I deem them to be a good three or four times 
smaller than the thickness of the hair of a mite, or one 
of the little hairs wherewith the body of a louse is beset." 
The 6th ditto, the animalcules as before. 
The 7th ditto, I saw a huge number of exceeding 
minute animalcules. 
* Probably bacteria and monads. 
* Bacteria. 
? I, doubtless observed, on this occasion, bacterial “ zoogloea’”’ mixed 
with particles derived from the macerated nutmegs. 
‘ Cf. p. 337 infra. The very minute animalcules here mentioned were 
undoubtedly bacteria. 
