140 THE MINUTE ANATOMISTS 



very near, be look'd at through it, it will both magnifie 

 and make some Objects more distinct then any of the 

 great Microscopes." 



The chapters or sections of the Microgra/phia are 

 called Observations, and are numbered in order. Olden- 

 burg in a notice of the book says that the figures were 

 drawn by Hooke's own hand.^ 



Obs. 1. Hooke begins by illustrating the perfection 

 of the works of nature and the comparative grossness of 

 the works of man. The point of a needle, a printer's 

 full stop, the edge of a razor, a piece of fine lawn, &c. 

 are shown magnified. 



The next sections discuss certain properties of matter 

 which we may be excused for mentioning without com- 

 ment. Explanations are ofi"ered of what is now called 

 surface-tension, of Prince Rupert's drops, of the colours 

 of thin films, of the nature of light and heat. Heat is 

 defined as " a property of a body arising from the motion 

 or agitation of its parts." 



Obs. 8. The fused globules obtained by striking fire 

 with flint and steel are shown. 



Obs. 11. The shell of a Foraminifer (Rotalia), from 

 white sand, is engraved. This is probably the first 

 figure of any Ehizopod, or indeed of any Protozoan. 



Obs. 14. The " figures of snow " are well shown. The 

 snow was collected on a black hat or a piece of black cloth. 



Obs. 16. The structure of wood charcoal is demon- 

 strated. Hooke shows that the charcoal is traversed by 

 pores, arranged circularly and also radiately. It is easy, 

 he says, to blow through a piece of charcoal. 



Obs. 17. Petrified wood, &c. are discussed. Hooke 

 rejects the " plastic virtue," which had been supposed to 

 produce fossil shells. 



'^Phil. Trans. Vol. I, p. 28 (1665). 



