an account thereof was written to' Mr. Needham, who having,,
by trials of his own, found out the caufe of this bad fuccefs, ad-
vifed him to deep the grains before he attempted to open them ;
on doing which, he was very foon convinced ©f- his veracity,,
and entertained with the plealing fight o f this wonderful phenomenon.
A t different times after, this,. Mr. Balter made experiments
with grains of the fame parcel, without being once
difappointed. He foaked a couple o f grains in water for the
fpace of thirty-fix hours,, when believing them fufficiently
moiflened, he cut one open, and applying fome of the fibrous
fubflance to the microfcope in a drop of water, it feparated immediately,
and prefented multitudes of the anguillse, without the-
lead motion or fign of life; but being taught by experience that
they might notwithftanding pofhbly revive,.he left them for. about
four hours,, and then examining them again, found, much the
greatefl number moving their extremities pretty brifkly, and in.
an hour or two after they appeared as lively as thefe creatures
ufeally are.. Mr. Folkes,. and fome other, friends, were witneffes
o f this experiment. We find an inftanee here that life may be
fufpended, and feemingly deflroyed; that by an exhalation of.
the fluids neceffary to a living animal; the circulations may
ceafe, all the organs and veffels o f the body may be fhrunk up,,
dried, and hardened ; and. yet,, after, a long while, life may begin
anew to,actuate the fame body, and alt the animal motions and!
faculties may be reftored, merely by replenifhing the organs and.
veffels with a fxefh fupply of fluid.. Here is a proof that the ani-
malcula in the grains of blighted, wheat can endure having their
bodies quite dried up for the fpace o f four-years together; without
being thereby deprived, o f their living power.
f i t
It appears plainly from the foregoing experiments, that when
the blighted grains of wheat have been kept a long time, and the
bodies of thefe animalcula are confequently become extremely
dry, the rigidity of their minute veffels requires to be relaxed very
gently, and by exceeding flow degrees ; for we find, that on the
application of water immediately to the bodies of thefe animalcula,
when taken from the dry grains, they do not fo certainly
revive as they do if the grains themfelves be either buried in
earth, or fteeped in water for fome time before they are taken
out: the reafon of which mod probably is, that too fudden a relaxation
burfts their delicate and tender organs, and thereby
renders them incapable of being any more employed to perform
the actions of life; and indeed, there are always fome dead
ones amongfl the living, whole bodies appear burften, 01
lacerated, as well as others that lie extended and never come to
life,
Some diferetion is needful to adapt the time of continuing the
grains in water or earth, to the age and drynefs of them; for if
they ar,e not opened before they have been too much or too long
foftened, the animalculum will not onlyfeem dead, but will really
be fo. Of the two grains he mentions to have been four years
old when put to foak, he opened one after it had Iain thirty-fix
hours, and the event was as. already related: the other was let lie
for above a week, and on opening found all the anguillse near thé
hulk dead, and-feemingly in a decayed condition; but great
numbers i-ffued alive from the middle, and moved themfelves
brifkly. Unlefs the hulks are opened to let thefe creatures out
after they have been ffeeped, they all inevitably perifli; and when
taken out and preferved in water, if the hulks are left with them
3 S 2 they