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ftrong focvcr and furprizirig, were neither fo wonder- 
ful or extraordinary as fome others I obfcrv’d after 
Mr. de Bufforis Departure. From the wheatcn fila- 
mentous Zoophytes it was eafy to infer, that they 
fprung from, and were Productions of, the Mafs of 
Matter that had fubftded to the Bottom of the Phial. 
Yet this I could not obtain a Sight of j nor was it 
pollible in this Way to obferve them without fe- 
parating them from their Roots and from the Mafs, 
out of which they arofe. The Method the molt na- 
tural therefore which occurfd to me for the view- 
ing of thefe Zoophytes, without difturbing their 
Vegetation, and for obferving their whole Procefs, 
from the Origin of the Plants to their laft Degree 
of Maturity, was to take extreme thin Slices of Cork, 
and infat, through little Holes which I made, four 
or five in each Slice, Grains of Wheat or Barley, or 
any other farinaceous Seed, for thefe all nearly agree 
in the Phenomena they exhibit, with the Germ either 
turned upwards, or carefully pick’d out with the Point 
of a Penknife, to prevent their ufual fhooting. 
Thefe were permitted to fwim upon the Surface 
of frefh Spring-water, in a Glafs expofed to the 
Sun, that the whole vegetating Force might be de- 
termin’d downwards towards the inferior Moiety 
of each Gram, which alone could in thefe Circum- 
ftances imbibe and be faturated with Moiffure. This 
anfwa’d my Purpofe intirely j my Plants grews 
downwards into the Water like Corals, but appear’d 
not till feveral Days after the Grains had been thus 
expos’d 5 and were at laft fo large and ftrong, that 
1 could fee them with my naked Eye. 
When 
