MOTION OF THE VlliEIONtS. 87 



fields of corn, having grains that appear black- 

 ish, as if scorched ; and such, when opened, 

 are found to contain a soft white substance, 

 that, attentively examined, seems to be nothing 

 else but a congeries of threads or fibres, lying 

 as close as possible to each other in a parallel 

 direction, and much resembling the unripe 

 down of some thistles, on cutting open the 

 flower-heads before they begin to blow. This 

 fibrous matter discovers not the least sign of 

 life or motion, unless water be applied to it ; 

 but immediately on wettmg, (provided the 

 grains of wheat are newly gathered,) the sup- 

 posed fibres separate, and prove themselves to 

 be living creatures, by motions that at first 

 are very languid, but gradually become more 

 vigorous, twisting or wriggling themselves 

 somewhat in the manner of eels in paste, 

 but always much slower than they, and with 

 a great deal less regularity; for in them the 

 head and tail are constantly moving contrari- 

 wise, and alternately, with the same kind of 

 bending or undulation in the bodies of them 

 all ; whereas the animalculse we are now de- 

 scribing have no uniformity in their motion, 

 but bend their extremities sometimes differ- 

 ently, and sometimes in the same direction. 



