| Show Ite remarks marks on animalcules Animal cules these creatures the smallest with which we are acquainted are called animalcules animal cules of infusion they are thus named because they are produced in infusions and are such diminutive animals for their production I 1 nothing more is required than to pour water on any animal or vegetable substance and let this infusion sion stand four or five days in a moderal moderately I 1 w warm r m room when a species of fermentation will me take pl place a e in the liquor 5 a slimy substance will grow over it and an immense multitude of these animalcules animal cules visible only by means of the mai magnifying n ayin g glass w will ill be found in the fluid they ney may be obtained from different vegetable substances s 5 but from some more from others less of the numerous infusions however with which experiments peri ments have been made none have afforded such multitudes as thyme if you put as much thyme as may be taken up between the ends of the thumb and two fingers into a wine glass fill the glass with pure water and let it stand for four days you will be truly astonished when you look at a drop of it through the microscope millions of animalcules animal cules swim about and the celerity of their motion is so great that it makes the eye almost giddy the usual form of of the animalcules animal cules when at rest a appears to be spherical or a little longish or egg shaped pey zip when they are in motion their bodies are more or less elongated accordingly as they swim swim about with more or less celerity some are seen darting I 1 tin a long along with great swiftness the figure of which is anea nearly ariy riy linear or resembling that of a small worm nothing can be conceived more lively the bustle of a nest of ants or swarm of gnats is sluggishness to it they dart in all directions like an arrow from a bow across the field of the microscope in in straight strai straight fht lines when their bodies are drawn out greatt greatly in length sometimes they conceal themselves under the slime of the liquor as if they were seeking their nutriment there then they reappear swim swimming md gin in various various directions re c ions and dexterously passing each other when they meet sometimes they draw their bodies up together in a spherical form and then stretch them out again in the same manner as a leech now they appear to dive down to the bottom of the drop as on apgear only y I 1 their hinder parts are visible presently they spin round like a to top W with I 1 ith incredible velocity when oneff these anima animal animalcules R c cules es has entangled hii himself self in a particle r c e 0 of s slime ime it is pleasing to see how he whirls himself round with withie jf in order to extricate himself it We is equally qually pleasing pleading to observe the motions which they make make with the head or fore end when they give themselves vea a spring to dart forward they fa frequently turn the head quickly on one side as if they were biting lit at something and swim forward with the head in this oblique direction curious readers will ask how big the largest of these animalcules animal cules may be an idea of their size may be given by observing that u upwards alt wards of of the largest may be contained in me e space occupied by one on of the smallest grains of sand A little mite is is to one of these animalcules animal cules much the same as t the he turkey is to the sparrow the longevity of these animalcules animal cules cannom easily tie b e ascertained those that we contemplate under tinder the microscope do not die a natural death but are destroyed by the evaporation of the fluid which leaves thousands of their dead bodies on the glass side in the shape of little scarcely perceptible dust it is observable that in an ird infusion that has stood a week or more they become smaller and at length seem to disappear whether however these smaller animalcules animal cules are the same which have gradually diminished mini shed in size or whether they are a more di diminutive eimu nimu ti species decies which at last remains cannot be ascertained t Ame american repertory |
