qQ philosophical transactions. [anno 1696. 



with a peculiar sort of mites. But yet of these two sorts of mites, there was 

 but a small number in comparison to our common mites, which I came to find 

 in the flour-like stufl\ 



I have said before that I have taken a great deal of pains, to see the plant in 

 the seed of a fig, yet that I could never accomplish it, for it seemed to me 

 that the figs were not perfectly ripe, when they were pulled off and tunned up, 

 to be sent beyond seas. But having some lately which seemed to have been 

 gathered ripe, I therefore took many seeds of these figs to dissect them ; and 

 after I had cut or broke their hard husk, I brought out their kernel or pith per- 

 fect ; and after taking off their film, and had separated the stuff wherein the 

 young plant was laid, I saw the perfect plant, consisting of two leaves, and of 

 that part that is to make the roots and stem. 



When eating some strawberries, and fixing my eyes on the little apices we 

 see on a strawberry, I concluded that every one of them was a seed ; and to 

 confirm my opinion I took a strawberry, one of the largest and ripest, and there 

 I found a great many seeds, after I had taken ofi^" the film wherein they were 

 wrapt up, and found that every seed had also a string by which they were 

 nourished. I opened several of them, by taking off their hard husk, and saw, 

 that every one of them had the stuff we call a pith : having separated this pith 

 from its ancient film, I took out the plant, which I also caused to be delineated, 

 that we might see how many seeds we send together into our stomach, when 

 we eat but one spoonful of strawberries ; for when I divided one of the largest 

 into four equal parts ; I found in one of these parts about 50 seeds ; according 

 to this, the strawberry contained 200 seeds, and another that was much less I 

 guessed to contain 120. Now if we consider that a young plant of strawberries 

 shoots in a year (for I never heard that they sow strawberries) into several shoots 

 over the ground, which take root, and grow all up into plants, and bear the 

 next year ; and that besides this, each plant produces many strawberries, each 

 whereof has as many seeds as is before said : we must lay our hand on our 

 mouth, and be astonished at the increas-ing and great multiplicity of seeds of 

 this plant. 



When I observe any remarkable things on small creatures, then I make it my 

 busine^'S to consider of the greater ones, which entirely agree with the lesser 

 ones. When some years ago I fancied to see that subtle hair, which the flies 

 have in great abundance about the end of their feet, which are delineated by 

 several ; by the help of which hair the flies can run up on any smooth body or 

 glass ; that every one of these hairs had a hook-like part on their end, with 

 wliich they could hold themselves more firm to the glass, which hook fashioned 

 parts on each little hair I could never see, although they were mentioned by 



