124 - Of Animalcula in Fluids, 
obtained to put upon a flip of glafs, in order to view the 
falts floating therein at firft, and afterwards (hooting into 
c'ryftals ; or if you gently fqueeze its tail, you may per¬ 
ceive a drop of this diaphanous liquor at the very end of 
the fling, which if wiped off will be immediately re¬ 
new’d. 
The flings of fcorpions may be examined in the like 
manner. 
The poifon of vipers has alfo been viewed by the mi- 
crofcope, but for a defcription of this I fhatl refer the 
reader to Dr. Mead’s Effay on Poifons. 
Of animalcula in fluids. 
T HE rhicrofcope hath difcovered to us that the 
fmalleft of all living creatures, we have been able 
to trace, are the animalcula in fluids, which would for 
ever have remained invifible, had it not been for the af- 
fiftance of that inftrument. 
If pepper, pafte, vinegar, hay, ftraw, grafs, oats, &c. 
or any other vegetable production be infufed a few days 
in water, expofed all that time to the open air, they 
will abound with inexprefiible numbers of minute living 
creatures peculiar to themfelves, but of various forms 
$nd fizes. 
Whereof feveral of the fame fpecies of animajcula, are 
frequently to be met with in different infufions, and 
even in waters, that have been expofed, efpecially in 
September, without any mixture; fuch have been fre¬ 
quently found therein, as are found in the cavity of a cab¬ 
bage leaf, or on the dipfacus d , &c. and that certainly 
feveral of thefe are the fame animals under different 
forms, 
* Phil. Tranf. No. 284. 
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