C 141 3 
water till It was reduced to a mealy confidence. I 
put part of it, with an equal proportion of the boiling 
liquor, into a cylindrical glafs vefTel that held fome- 
thing lefs than half a wine pint, and covered it clofe 
immediately with a glafs cover. At the fame time, I 
fliced an unboiled potatoe, and, as near as I could 
judge, put the fame quantity Into a glafs veflel of the 
fame kind, with the fame proportion of New-river 
water, not boiled, and covered it with a glafs cover, 
and placed both veflels clofe to each other. 
On the 26th of May, twenty-four hours after- 
wards, I examined a fmall drop of each by the firfi: 
magnifi'er of Wilfon’s microfcope, whofe focal did- 
ance is reckoned at _/.^th part of an inch, and to my 
^ amazement they were both full of animalcula of a 
linear (hape, very diftinguifhable, moving to and fro 
with great celerity ; fo that there appeared to be 
more particles of animal than vegetable life in each 
drop. 
This experiment I have repeatedly tried, and al- 
ways found it to fucceed in proportion to the heat of 
the circumambient air, fo that, even in winter, if the 
liquors are kept properly warm, at lead in two 
or three days the experiment will fucceed. 
In Mr. Needham’s experiments he calls thefe 
7natic animals^ Philofophical Tranfadions, vol. XLV. 
p. 644 and 666 ; what I have obferved are infinitely 
fmaller than real fpermatic animals, and of a very 
different lhape j the truth of which every accurate 
obferver will foon be convinced of, whofe curio - 
fity may lead him to compare them; and I am 
perfuaded he will find they are no way a-kin 
to that furprizing part of nature. And though fome 
