TL Pan ' of a Letter from Mr Anthony van 
' Lcwuenhoekj^'J^/^^ Delft 15* April 1701., 
V N. S. concerning the Spami of CoJpJh^ &c. 
A Bout the middle of January I obferved for feveral 
days the Semen Mafculimm^ which we call the Honi^ 
of a Living Cod-fiih : I dwelt the longer upon it, partly 
becaufe I could not difcover any life in thofe AnimalcHla. 
$iuring my laft years obfervations 5. and partly becaufe I 
intended, if it were poffible^ to view the fmd AmmalcHU, 
throlny Magnifying-Glaffes, that the Limner might take 
the exaft figure of them, in order to tranfmit it to the 
Royal Society. 
And whereas I could never before make my obfervati- 
©ns oi the faid Semen Mafculinum but in a Glafs- Tube^: 
which I ufed to blow exceeding- thin, I had now be-* 
thought my felf of a more exad way of viewing the 
fame, but it would not fucceed 5 neither could L bring 
t-hem to fuch a Pofition as that the Limner might take a? 
full and perfeft view of them, not only by reafon oftheir^ 
* wonderful fmalnefSj but alfo becaufe their Bodies are fa 
tender and foluble, that when I diluted th^ Semen wkh 
Riain-water, in order to feparate the little Creatures frorr^ 
one another, and afterwards exhaled the watry partSit 
the little Bodies burft in pieces 3 after which I could on- 
ly fee the Tail 5 thefe oval fmall parts I concluded toh^- 
tliQ Ammalcula^ turgid with Water, and burft to pieces jf 
and thefe Broken parts feemed to me four times as larger 
as the entire Body of one of thofe Ammalcfila. 
In another place, where a great many of thefe AuwmI- 
^•1^/^ lay together they appeared like bright biabbles^ caet^ 
of 
