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An Malcules: New-River

In the Philosophical Transactions, vol. 89, is a curious account of animalcules produced from an infusion of potatoes, and another of hemp-seed, by the late Mr. Ellis. "On the 25th of May, 1768," he says, "Fahrenheit's thermometer 70°, I boiled a potato in the New-River water, till it was reduced to a mealy consistence: I put part of it, with an equal proportion of the boiling liquor, anto a cylindrical glass vessel, that held something less than half a wine pint, and immediately covered it close with a glass cover. At the same time I sliced an unboiled potato, and, as near as I could judge, put the same quantity into a glass vessel of the same kind, with the same proportion of New-River water, not boiled; and, covering it with a glass cover, placed both vessels together. On the 26th of May, twenty-four hours afterwards, I examined a small drop of each by the first magnifier of Wilson's microscope, whose focal distance is reckonedth part of an inch; and, to my amazement, they were both full of animalcules, of a linear shape, very distinguishable, moving to and fro with great celerity, so that there appeared to be more particles of animal than vegetable life in each drop. This experiment I have repeatedly tried, and always found it to succeed in proportion to the heat of the circumambient air; so that even in winter, if the liquors are kept properly warm for two or three days, the experiment will succeed. I procured hemp-seed from different seedsmen, in different parts of the town; some of it I put into the New-River water, some into distilled water, and some into very hard pump-water: the result was, that in proportion to the heat of the weather, or warmth in which they were kept, there was an appearance of millions of minute animalcules in all the infusions; and, some time after, oval ones made their appearance, much larger than the first, which still continued; these wriggled to and fro in an undulatory motion, turning themselves round very quick all the time they moved forwards."

THE CHEESE-MITE. - This minute creature is a favourite subject for microscopic observations. It is covered with hairs or bristles, which resemble in their structure the awns of barley, being barbed on each side with numerous sharp-pointed processes. The mite is oviparous: from the eggs proceed the young animals, resembling the parents in all respects, except in the number of legs, which at first amount only to six, the pair from the head not making their appearance till after casting