78 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1703. 



contained globules slip out of it; and while the large one lay still, forwent of 

 sufficient depth of water to float in, this small one that came out had imme- 

 diately a very quick, rotation on its axis; and what was most surprising, at the 

 same time it kept an equable revolution about the larger globe, as the centre of 

 its orbit, always very nearly at the same distance, though I could not perceive 

 any vortex in the water which bore it ; and what is still more remarkable, I saw 

 it stop, and then make its revolution round the central body the contrary way, 

 the rotation on its own axis alwavs continuing. And when the water was so 

 far evaporated, that all lay at rest, by the addition of new water the same mo- 

 tions were renewed. This I thought a very pretty representation of the plane- 

 tary motions about the sun. I think it not easy to account for the motions of 

 these globules, nor will I, to solve the difficulty, say in contradiction to Mr. 

 L. that I believe them animate, though I have formerly seen some not very un- 

 like them both in shape and motion, which I am satisfied are animals. 



I find all the earwigs, which I have examined by a microscope, infested with 

 great numbers of minute insects, which stick like lice on many parts of their 

 bodies, and especially just under the setting on of their head. They are alike 

 on all, and I never found the same on any other animal; they are white and shin- 

 ing like mites, but much smaller; are round backed, flat bellied, and have long 

 legs, especially the two foremost. 



Concerning some Spots on the Sun, observed in June last. By Mr. Stephen Gray. 



N° 288, p. 1502. 



June the 15th, 1703, between 4 and 5 o*clock in the afternoon, I saw a spot 

 in the sun, by placing a white paper so far behind the 6-foot telescope as to 

 give the image of the sun 9 inches diameter ; the spot was in the lower right 

 hand quadrant of the sun's disk ; its form was almost round, inclining to an 

 ellipsis; it was distant from the sun's limb about 6 or 7 minutes, and its dia- 

 meter I judged to be about lO or 12 seconds. A little before the sun set I saw 

 the spot with a 1 6-foot telescope, and could perceive that it was environed with 

 a mistiness. The 1 6th I saw the spot again, about 2 in the afternoon, and 

 found it advanced nearer to the sun's western limb. But the 17th was cloudy, 

 and so was the night, which hindered me from observing the eclipse of the 

 moon. The 18th in the afternoon it cleared up, and a little before 5 I saw 

 the spot with the 1 6- foot glass, through thin clouds, and found it was now very 

 near the sun's limb, little more than half a minute from it ; it was much con- 

 tracted in its breadth, so as to be 4 or 5 times longer than broad. The IQth, 

 in the morning, I looked for it again, but could not see it, so I concluded it 



