INFUSOKIA. 457 



fifteen of them, some of which were ever shifting their 

 places, and some were phiying around, or revolving 

 on their longitudinal axis. I found that their object 

 really was to prey on tlie soft parts of the creature 

 just excluded from the egg; for by carefully watching 

 one, I distinctly perceived particles of the flesh fly otf, 

 as it were, and disappear in the body of the Coleps, 

 The appearance was that of steel-lilings drawn to a 

 magnet, for the mouth of the Coleps was not in actual 

 contact with the flesh ; and therefore, I suppose, the 

 surface having been in some way ruptured (which I 

 could see it was), the loose gelatinous atoms were 

 sucked oft* by a strong ciliary current. They did not 

 attack any other part, and after having continued their 

 murderous occupation about ten minutes, they one b}' 

 one departed. The ciliary motion of the JEachlanis 

 ceased immediately after it M-as first attacked, and I 

 suppose it was soon killed, for it did not increase in 

 size in the least afterwards. When the Colepes left it, 

 a great portion, perhaps a third, of the excluded parts, 

 was devoured. 



As soon as the depredators were gone, or even 

 before, others more diminutive, but more numerous, 

 were ready to take their place. The drop of water 

 under review had been found amazingly full of a small 

 Monas, perfectly transparent, of an oval form, with 

 some granules visible in the interior. Tiicy were about 

 •y^Vo^li of ^^1 i"ch in lengtli. They filled the whole 

 field, gliding about very nimbly, but so close as but 

 just to allow space for motion, and that in several 

 strata. By the morning these were collected in masses, 

 which, to the naked eye, looked like little undefined 

 white clouds, but which under the microscope showed 

 20 



