( 4>9 ) 
About a Year ago I had in my Houfe the Gut of an un- 
common great and fat Cow, a part of which I blew up, 
but not much, leaft the Membranes of it fhould be too 
much extended, but I made no Draught of that Obferva- 
tion^ but I imagined that I obfcrved one Membrane of tbc 
fame in which there lay abundance of little Fibres, length- 
ways, and very regularly one by another 5 and in another 
Membrane in the fame place, lay other Fibres crofs-ways, 
that ran from the Centre to the Circumference of the 
Gut 5 from which Obfervation I fuppofe that that moti- 
on which we fee in the Guts, as foon as they are taken 
out of an Ox, is the motion that Nature ufes, to pro- 
trude, and difcharge the* Chyle out of thofe Parts. 
I alfo took the Bladder of that Bead, and Mow’d it up 
as big as two common Fifts, to the end that I might bet- 
ter feparate ordiftinguilh the Membranes of it, and fo let 
it dry 5 and having cut it through at about two Fingers 
breadth from the Neck, I judged that there were twelve 
•Membrances lying one above another, and I put the Mi- 
crofcope (before which a little piece of that Bladder was 
placed) into the Hands of a Perfon thatftood by, defiring 
» him to obferve how many times double he faw the faid 
Membranes lye, who told me he alfo obferved 1 2 of them ; 
I was likewife of opinion that fomeof thofe Membranes 
were divifible into two, to the end that the Bladder might 
be extended into a larger fpace. 
Antony van Leeuwenhoek. 
R. r r 2 
IIL 
