44 NOTES ON 
CHAPTER V. 
THE ANIMALCULES, OR EELS, IN PASTE. 
Vibrio anguillula glutinis.— Muller. 
Tue animals described in the preceding chap- 
ters emanate from parents, and although our 
knowledge in some cases is very limited, yet no 
doubt is entertained of that fact. With the 
present subject it was far otherwise; for, 
although we can procure this animalcule at any 
period of the year, yet we were unable satisfac- 
torily to determine its primal production ; in- 
deed, it is one of those subjects which, until 
recently, seemed to favour the opinion of equivo- 
cal or spontaneous generation —an opinion 
utterly repugnant to sound reason. 
Figure 2, plate 4, is a magnified view of a 
mature animalcule, whose real size is shewn in 
the small circle below it; ais the mouth; the 
light-brown balls, ¢ ¢ c, are particles of matter 
found along with them. If we suppose this 
full-grown eel bisected, several living young, 
with the other bodies, will be protruded. The 
