236 Of the H’air-lifce Tnjedh 
wholly of thefe and other Infedts,intermix¬ 
ed with different Sediments from the Water* 
He affures me, he has conftantly found much 
the greater Part of this black Matter to be 
really Infers : but were they only one half 
or a quarter Part thereof, what Numbers 
beyond all Conception mult this Ditch con¬ 
tain ! 
It was Accident'(whereto more Difcove- 
ries have perhaps been owing than to Delign) 
that fortunately prefented thefe Animalcules 
to Obfervation.—-My Friend having got 
fome Water from this Ditch, with Intent to 
examine by the Microlcope other Infedts he 
had taken Notice of therein, found before 
his Eyes a great Abundance of llender Hair¬ 
like Fibres, which he imagined to be the 
Stems or Roots of fome extremely fmall 
Water Plants, from their appearing to him 
without any Life or Motion, tho’ he won¬ 
dered much at their Uniformity of Figure. 
Being however not fatisfied with a fingie 
View, but continuing them under the Mag¬ 
nifier, and looking at them now and then, 
he perceived that many -of thofe feeming 
Flairs which be had feen before feparated 
from one another as at d, in N° IF were 
flowly drawing themfelves together in Com¬ 
panies as at e in the fame Number.—This 
gave him the frrib Notion of their being liv¬ 
ing Creatures, and fet him upon watching 
them fo narrowly, that he was quickly con¬ 
vinced. 
