i6 A NATURAL HISTORY 



•not above four or fix Inches long. Moft of thefe Minutillos vary 

 ia outward Form. 



And here, I can't but obferve that as the Magnitude of fome 

 other Animals is very w^onderful, fo, on the contrary, the Mi- 

 nutenefs of fome is equally aftonifhing, if not more fo : There are 

 fome very little InfeSls that are confpicuous to the Eye, but more 

 that are inviftble v/ithout the Help of a Microfcope, w^hich is an 

 optical Inftrument, that magnifies Objefts, aud makes them big- 

 ger than really they are; it helps to difcover minute Particles, of 

 which Bodies are compofed, and the curious Contexture of 

 them. 



To thofe who are not ufed to a rigid mathematic Proof, this 

 may be illuftrated by the Smallnefs of many organized Bodies. 

 There is a Plant called Harts-Tongue, ten thoufand Seeds of which 

 hardly make the Bulk of a Pepper-Corn. Now the Cover of the 

 true Body of each Seed, the parenchymous and ligneous Parts of 

 both; the Fibres of thofe Parts, the Principles of thofe Fibres, and 

 the homogeneous Particles or Atoms of each Principle, being mo- 

 derately multiplied one by another, afford a hundred thoufand 

 Millions of formed Atoms in the fpace of a Pepper-Corn, fays the 

 learned Dr. Grew *. 



The fame is yet more evident from the ftupendous Smallnefs 

 of fome Animals, efpecially in the Sperm of finaller Infedls; 

 which have been obferved by Mr. Lewenhoeck, to be fome Mil- 

 lions of times fmaller than a great Sand. This learned Gentle- 

 man has obferved more of them in the Spawn of a Cod-fifh, than 

 there are People living on the Face of all the Earth at once -f-. 



N B. It is the infinite Number of thefe little invifible Ani- 

 mals that makes ftagnating Waters or Pools appear of fo 

 many different Colours, as green, reddifh, brown, — accord- 

 ing to the feveral Natures of thefe little Animals th^ live 

 therein. 



Thus, among Men, we find big and litde; Giants and Pig- 

 mies: Whether that Difproportion be from meer natural Caufes, 

 or by Defignation of Providence, I determine not. It is very 

 queflionable whether there be a particular Nation of Pygmies -j but 



no 



* Cofmologia Sacra, B. i. chap. 3. + Numerum an'imalculorum ex unius ajfelli 

 tnajoris la£fibus provenientium plus decies fupa'are homines in univerfa terrarum orlc 

 vivenUs. — EpiJlola ad Dom. N.Grtw,^. I. 



