MORE PEOBABLE VIEW. 141 



kind found in these fungi, and that the same 

 holds with regard to certain animalculse and 

 insects. This reasoning is opposed to all the 

 soundest principles of inductive philosophy. 

 The evidence, on the contrary, tends to the 

 conclusion which has been previously an- 

 nounced. Innumerable myriads of sporules, 

 finding suitable matrices, give rise to fungi ; 

 and innumerable minute eggs, similarly cir- 

 cumstanced, give birth to the animalculse 

 which have been attributed to these unte- 

 nable causes. This opinion is further con- 

 firmed by the fact, that fungi are fre- 

 quently absent when they might have been 

 expected to have abounded. The reason is, 

 that by some means or other the sporules 

 have not found their way to the localities 

 which otherwise indicate the conditions of 

 their growth : consequently the expected 

 fungi have not appeared. Mark the instance 

 of preserved fruits, which generally give rise 

 to certain moulds. If these are covered, 

 no moulds appear ; if left exposed to the air, 

 they are almost sure to be developed. In the 

 former case the sporules in the air were ex- 

 cluded; in the latter they found a ready admis- 

 sion. Again; if a match is burned immediately 



