i 144 i 
naeus has joined the beroe with the volvox^ one of the 
miimalia infuforia. The beroe is a marine animal 
found on 'our coafts, of a gelatinous, tranfparent na- 
ture, and of an oval or fpherical form, about half an 
inch to an inch diameter, divided like a melon into 
longitudinal ribs, each of which is furniflied with 
rows of minute fins, by means of which this animal, 
like the animalia infuforia^ can fwim in all diredtions 
with great fwiftnefs. In the fame manner I have 
feen mofi; of thefe minute animals, which move fo 
fwift that we could not account for it, without fup- 
pofing fuch a provifion of nature, which is really true;, 
but cannot be feen till the animals grow faint for 
want of water ; then, if we attend, we may, witlr 
good glalTes, plainly difcover them 
I come now to a fingular property, which I have 
difcovered in hempfeed, of producing an indiflbluble 
* I have lately found out, by meer accident, a method to 
make their fins appear very diftindlly, efpecially in the larger 
kind of animalcula, which are common to moft vegetable infu- 
fions, fuch as the Terebrella : this has a longifh body, with a ca- 
vity or groove, at one end, like a gimblet : by applying theti’ 
a fniall (talk of the horfe-fhoe Geranium (or Geranium zonale ef 
Linnaeus), frefh broken, to a drop of water in which thefe ani- 
malcula are fA'imming, wc {hall find, that they will become tor- 
pid inftan-tlv, contra<£fing themfelves into an oblong-oval fhapej 
with their fins extended like fo many briftles all round their bo- 
dies ; the fins are in length about half the diameter of the middle 
of their bodies^ Before I difeovered this expedient, I tried to kill 
them by different kinds of falts and fpirits ; but though they 
were deftroyed by this means,, their fins were fo contrafted, that 
] could not diftinguifh them in the leaft. After lying in this {late 
ef torpidity for two or three minutes, if a drop of clean water is 
applied to them, they will recover their {hape, and fwim about 
immediately, rendering their fins again invifiblc.i For the- 
dificrent flates of this animalcule, fee Tab. VI^ Fig. 5. a, b, c, 
fait. 
