8 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1703. 



there was another of the same kind, but smaller, the tail of which seemed to 

 be fastened to the other.* 



Fig. 9. ABCDEFGH represent one of these, about double the natural size, 

 whilst it was in the water, and fastened to the root of the green weeds ; a is 

 the tail with which it fastens itself; cdb represent 8 horns, though others 

 that were smaller had but 6; it is drawn as stretched out at its whole length ; 

 but when contracted, it was not the 4th part so long. The horns had a very 

 curious appearance ; a small part of one is represented at klm, fig. 10. 



In fig. 9, BH show an animalculum coming out of the body of the larger, 

 which phenomenon at first I thought might be a young animalculum fastened 

 by chance to an old one ; but observing it more narrowly, I saw it was a partus, 

 for I could now see, that whereas this animalculum when I first discovered it, 

 had only 4 very small horns, but l6 hours after it was grown much larger^ 

 both in horns and body, and 4 hours after that it forsook its mother's belly. 



In the discovery of the said young animalculum, I had observ^ed on the other 

 side of the body of the largest animalculum, a small round knob of seed, which 

 from time to time, and in a few hours, grew still larger, as in fig. 9, between 

 G and I, and at last grew pointed ; and in 13 or 14 hours it became so large, 

 that you might see 2 horns upon it. In 24 hours it had acquired 4 horns, one 

 of which was small, the ^d larger, the 2 others very large ; and these 2 last 

 were more strongly protruded and contracted than the smaller. Three hours 

 after, this little animalculum was got clear of its mother. 



I endeavoured to pursue my discovery of the generation of these creatures, 

 and in order thereto wiped off the green weeds from the body, the better to 

 make my observations ; when the animalculum was found not only dead, but his 

 horns and part of the body quite wasted. 



Another animalculum, that had brought forth two young ones, had her 

 body laden with another sort of animalcula, whose shape was flat below, and 

 round above ; which I have observed in most waters ; and this last sort were 

 above a thousand times less than the others, on which they crawled, and hin- 

 dered their motion ; but a much larger animalculum, whose body was almost 

 round, tormented one of the aforesaid animalcula, not only by running upon 

 its body, but by clinging so fast to one of its horns, that whatever effort the 

 other made to get rid of it, she could not shake it off; and at last I found she 

 had lost one ofher horns in the scuffle. 



• This appears to have been the hydra viridU, or common green polype, of which Leuwenhoeck 

 was the first observer. 



