266 LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS “ LITTLE ANIMALS ” 
they can “‘return to life” after desiccation. Whilst relating 
his experiences, however, he mentions an organism which is 
almost certainly identifiable—from the figure which he 
fortunately gives—as the ciliate Coleps. He says:? 
Now divers little animalcules came before the draughts- 
man’s eye, whose structure was very like what is shown 
in [Plate XX VII] Fig. 3,’ between P and Q, whose belly 
was flat, and from which little instruments stuck out, 
wherewith it effected its progress. And as this animal- 
cule had little round globules in its body, so there were 
yet many other little animals * a-swimming in the water, 
whose whole body seemed no bigger, under the micro- 
scope, than one of these globules in the bigger sort just 
spoken of.* 
I have divers times so placed the said animalcules’ out 
of water, that they were encompassed by an amount of 
water not so big as a sand-grain; in order to see whether 
these little creatures, when all the water round them was 
evaporated away, and they were lying in nothing but air, 
would burst asunder, as I had made certain of in other 
animalcules:° and I saw that whenas the water was 
1 Brieven, III, p. 407: Op. Oman. III, p. 387. 
* In the figure as copied by Hoole (II, Pl. XVI, fig. 35) the resemblance 
to Coleps is largely lost. The original—though very small—shows quite 
clearly the characteristic barrel-like form (with one side somewhat flattened) 
of this organism. The expanded anterior end (bearing the terminal mouth), 
the caudal spines, and even the four girdles of armour-plates, are all clearly 
indicated. Biitschli noted the resemblance to Coleps, but considered the 
identification as doubtful. To me it appears certain. 
* Possibly bacteria—or perhaps flagellates. 
“ These two sentences are very clumsily constructed in the original— 
though their meaning is clear enough—and I have not attempted to improve 
them. 
* de verhaalde dierkens. It is not absolutely certain that this expression 
means the organisms just mentioned : it possibly refers to the Rotifers. If 
it really refers to the Protozoa, then the ensuing words confirm the view 
that L. was here describing Coleps; for this ciliate has a cuirass composed 
of numerous interlocking platelets, which prevent its bursting when dried. 
° Cf. Letter 18, p. 120 supra. 
