The Animalcules in Water. 105 



CHAPTER X. 



THE ANIMACULES AND OTHER MINUTE INHABITANTS OP 

 WATER. 



jHE animacules in water what, in the water 

 we drink ? Such, perhaps, is your question, 

 reader, on observing the title of this chapter ; 

 and I hope you will simply feel pleasure, and not a 

 shade of regret at the loss of a long-believed horror, 

 when you hear that animalcules do NOT inhabit spring- 

 water, and you might look in vain for them in many a 

 clear pool or flowing stream. It would be difficult 

 perhaps to say whence we have each derived the tradi- 

 tion that all water is full of animalcules ; but my im- 

 pression is, that some worthy Oriental in a story-book 

 impressed my young mind with the belief. He was a 

 Brahmin, and boasted to a European sage that he 

 never ate anything which had life. The sage forth- 

 with demanded a glass of water, and exhibited the 

 supposed swarming animalcules with a microscope, 

 whereupon the Brahmin dashed the too-instructive 

 instrument on the ground. With my present ex- 

 perience I should feel but little alarmed for the 

 fate of my microscope, if its destruction were to 



