268 LEEUWENHOEK AND HIS “‘ LITTLE ANIMALS” 
water is judged by the vulgar (though mistakenly) to be 
the salt evaporated by heat from the sea.’ 
On the said* 4th of September, it rained a little while 
at eventide; yet so much fell, that in the leaden gutter 
aforesaid there was some water on the 5th and 6th of 
September: and this water I examined on both days, 
and discovered, in every drop that I took from the gutter, 
eight or ten of the animalcules described, though I could 
not discern a single one of the round green or red creatures 
that was alive. 
On the 6th of September, I put up seven glass tubes, in 
which I placed some of the dry stuff aforesaid out of the 
leaden gutter; pouring into some of them boiled, and 
into others unboiled rain-water.2... On the 7th of 
September I viewed the said glass tubes, and beheld with 
wonder in one of them an inconceivably great number of 
little green animalcules,* all alive, all of which seemed 
round, as before described, and a-moving among one 
another ; nay, I saw so many that the very water seemed 
to the naked eye to have a faint green colour: but how 
curiously soever I examined the other glass tubes, I could 
find no living green animalcules in them... .° 
On the 9th of September it rained a little; and two or 
three days later it rained so much, that on the 14th of 
September there was water to the depth of about a finger’s 
breadth in the leaden gutter. Of this water I took 
about two drops; and examining it, I saw a great many 
of the little round animalcules previously made mention 
* dat door de warme wytwaseminge van de Zee werd voortgebragt. These 
words were omitted by Hoole—also most of what follows. 
2 Mentioned earlier, in connexion with Rotifers, in a paragraph not here 
translated. Apparently anno 1701. 
* I here omit two lines referring to Rotifers. 
* There can hardly be any doubt that these organisms were Chlamy- 
domonas. In similar experiments I have always obtained this flagellate in 
abundance. 
° Further observations on Rotifers are here omitted. 
