Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 012.djvu/12

 very nimbly, and which I was not able to discern till after several Observations. The upper part of the body was round, and had within, 8, 10, or 12 globuls, where they were very clear. These little Animals did sometimes change their figure into a perfect round, especially when they came to lye on any dry place. Their body was also very flexible; for as soon as they hit against any the smallest fibre or string, their body was bent in, which bending presently also yerked out again. When I put any of them on a dry place, I observ'd, that changing themselves into a round, their body was raised pyramidal-wise with an extant point in the middle, and having lain thus a little while with a motion of their feet, they burst asunder, and the globuls were presently diffus'd and dissipated, so that I could not discern the least thing of any film, in which the globuls had doubtless been inclosed: And at this time of their bursting asunder I was able to discover more globuls than when they were alive.

But then I observ'd a third sort of little Animals, that were twice as long as broad, and to my eye yet eight times smaller than the first. Yet for all this, I thought I discern'd little feet, whereby they moved very briskly, both in a round and streight line.

There was, further, a fourth sort, which were so small, that I was not able to give them any figure at all. These were a thousand times smaller than the eye of a big Louse: For I judge, the axis of the eye of such a Louse to be more than ten times as long as the axis of any of the said little creatures. These exceeded all the former in celerity. I have often observ'd them to stand still as 'twere upon a point, and then turn themselves about with that swiftness, as we see a Top turn round, the circumference they made being no bigger than that of a small grain of Sand; and then extending themselves streight forward, and by and by lying in a bending posture.

I discover'd also several other sorts of Animals, but these were very big respectively; of which I intend not to speak here; only this, that they were generally made up of such soft parts, as the former, they bursting asunder as soon as they came to want water.

The 26. May, it rained hard; the rain growing less, I caused some of that Rain-water, running down from the house-top, to be gather'd in a clean Glass, after it had been washed two or