citf ravishment .bo, if, the whole spectacle disclosing if~ 

 tfelf at once to us, we should be enabled to penetrate 

 into the interior structure of this wonderful assemblage 

 of living atoms ! Oivr blunted eyes discover only .the 

 most hti'ikmg parts of them 5 they only apprehend the 

 gross parts* of the decorations, whilst the machines that 

 execute them remain concealed in impenetrable cjark- 

 ness! Who shall enlighten ibis profound obscurity? 

 Who shall dive into this abyss-, where reason itself is 

 lost? Who draw from thence the treasures of wisdom 

 and knowledge coac'ealed within if? Let us learn to be 

 content with the small portion '-communicated to us, and 

 contemplate with gratitude those first traces of human 

 understanding impaired to us, towards a world, placed" 

 at such a great distance from its. 



10. You cannot quit this spring, from whence you 

 have derived so many truths, that are so astonishing : 

 you discover in it other microscopical animals, whose 

 form resembles that of a funnel. These a-e likewise 

 polypuses. They do not compose a cluster ; but cleave 

 to some body by their inferior extremity; you are cu- 

 rious to know their method of multiplying. In order 

 to this, place your microscope on one of these funnels. 

 Of a single funnel, thi?re are formed two by a natural 

 division ; Jjbut very different from that of bell-polypuses ; 

 so far has nature thought fit to vary her proceedings 

 with respect to these animals. Examine wh?t passes iu 

 the middle of the funnel'. A transverse and oblique 

 stripe indicates to you the part where the polypus is* 

 about to divide itself. The division then is made slop^- 

 jogiy. The stripe points out the edges of the new iun- v 

 Del, and' these are only the lips of the freish polypus. 

 You discover in them a pretty slow motion, which helps 

 you to discern them. They approach each other iijsen- 

 sibly, the body collects itself by degrees ; a little swell- 

 jug forms itself on the sHe, which is a new head. You 

 already clearly distinguish two polypuses placed above 

 each other. The upper polypus has the ronyier i;t s ad 

 and a new tail; the inferior one a new head and the 

 H 4 



