GNAT. 335 
creatures find still smaller creatures on 
which they can prey ? 
Mother, Yes, my dear; water is 
thickly inhabited by animalcula, which 
are so small as to be invisible to the eye 
without the help of a very good micro- 
scope. 
Itucy, What does animalcula mean ? 
Mother, An animalcule means an ex- 
tremely small animal ; the term is applied 
to those little creatures which can only 
be seen through magnifying glasses. 
Lucy. I am very sorry to find that 
water is not as pure as it seems to be. 
We must swallow these little animals at 
every sup. 
Mother. Certainly ; and every vegeta- 
ble you eat, and even the air you breathe, 
swarms with animalcula, but we need 
not let the mind dwell on such things. 
The water, which appeared clear and 
pure when you were ignorant that it con- 
tained any animalcula, is, in fact, not 
less so now, nor less fit for all the uses 
