TREMBLEY 279 



ABRAHAM TREMBLEY 



1700-1784 



M^raoires pour servir k I'histoire d'un genre de Polypes d'eau douce, k bras 

 en forme de comes. 4to. Leyden. 1744. 



The Polypes d'eau douce is a book of 324 pages, 

 illustrated by thirteen plates and four vignettes. It is 

 printed in the handsome style of Eeaumur's Histoire 

 des Insectes. 



The author was a Genevese, related to Charles Bonnet. 

 When he wrote the book he was tutor to the two boys 

 of the Hon. William Bentinck, English resident at the 

 Hague. He afterwards followed Bentinck to London, 

 and served as travelling tutor to the young duke of 

 Kichmond. In 1757 he returned to Geneva, and became 

 a member of the Council, which led him to pay atten- 

 tion among other things to economic entomology. 



The four vignettes which enliven the book show 

 Bentinck's country-house (Sorgvliet, a mile from the 

 Hague), the artificial lakes in which Trembley was 

 accustomed to fish for polyps, and the schoolroom of 

 the mansion. Trembley and his pupils are brought into 

 each picture. 



At the time of his first arrival at Sorgvliet (summer 

 of 1740) Trembley happened to collect some water- 

 plants, which he put into a glass vessel and set in a 

 window. Being occupied with aquatic insects, he paid 

 little attention to a small green stalk, barely visible to 

 the unaided eye, which he found attached to one of the 

 plants, until the slow movement of its thread-like 

 tentacles attracted his notice. When lie gently shook 

 the vessel, the stalk and tentacles contracted, but soon 

 extended themselves again. Was this new object a 



