Page:Micrographia - or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon.djvu/315

Rh relations how much the Negro Women do besmeer the of-spring of the Spaniard, bringing forth neither white-skinn'd nor black, but tawny hided Mulattos.

Now, though I propound this as probable, I have not yet been so farr certify'd by Observations as to conclude any thing, either positively or negatively, concerning it. Perhaps, some more lucky diligence may please the curious Inquirer with the discovery of this, to be a truth, which I now conjecture, and may thereby give him a satisfactory account of the cause of those creatures, whose original seems yet to obscure, and may give him cause to believe, that many other animate beings, that seem also to be the mere product of putrifaction, may be innobled with a Pedigree as ancient as the first creation, and farr exceed the greatest beings in their numerous Genealogies. But on the other side, if it should be found that these, or any other animate body, have no immediate similar Parent, I have in another place set down a conjectural Hypothesis whereby those Phænomena may likely enough be solv'd, wherein the infinite wisdom and providence of the Creator is no less rare and wonderfull.

Reading one day in Septemb. I chanced to observe a very smal creature creep over the Book I was reading, very slowly; having a Microscope by me, I observ'd it to be a creature of a very unusual form, and that not less notable; such as is describ'd in the second Figure of the 33. Scheme. It was about the bigness of a large Mite, or somewhat longer, it had ten legs, eight of which, A A A A, were topt with very sharp claws, and were those upon which he walk'd, seeming shap'd much like those of a Crab, which in many other things also this little creature resembled; for the two other claws, B B, which were the formost of all the ten, and seem'd to grow out of his head, like the horns of other Animals, were exactly form'd in the manner of Crabs or Lobsters claws, for they were shap'd and jointed much like those represented in the Scheme and the ends of them were furnish'd with a pair of claws or pincers, C C, which this little animal did open and shut at pleasure: It seem'd to make use of those two horns or claws both for feelers and holders; for in its motion it carried these aloft extended before, moving them to and fro, just as a man blindfolded would do his hands when he is fearfull of running against a wall, and if I put a hair to it, it would readily take hold of it with these claws, and seem to hold it fast. Now, though these horns seem'd to serve him for two uses, namely, for feeling and holding; yet he seem'd neither blind, having two small black spots, D D, which by the make of them, and the bright reflection from them seem'd to be his eyes, nor did it want other hands, having another pair of claws, E E, very neer plac'd to its mouth, and seem'd adjoining to it.

The whole body was cased over with armour-shells, as is usuall in Rh