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Hooke, Robert, 1635-1703 / Micrographia: or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses : with observations and inquiries thereupon
(MDCLXVII [1667])

Observ. VII. Of some phænomena of glass drops,   pp. 33-44


Page 33


              M ICROG R AP FA.                                       33
        Obferv. VII. Offome Phxnomena of Glafs drops.
T Hefe Glafs Drops are fmall fparcels of coarfe green Glafs taken out of
    the Pots that contain the Metal ( as they call it ) in fufion, upon the
end of an Iron Pipe ; and being exceeding hot, and thereby of a kind of
fluggifh fluid Confiftence, are fiffl-red to drop firom thence into a Bucket
of cold Water, and in it to lye till they be grown fentibly cold.
  Some of thefe I broke in the open air, by fnapping off a little of the
fmall ftem with my fingers, others by cruihing it with a fmall pair of Ply
ers ; which I had no fooner done, then the whole bulk of the drop flew
violently, with a very brisk noife, into multitudes of fmall pieces, fomne
of
which were as fmall as dult, though in fome there were remaining pieces
pretty large,without any flaw at all,and others very much flaw'd, which
by rubbing between ones fingers was eafily reduced to duff ; thefe di-
fperfed every way fo violently  that fome of them pierced my skin. I
could nof findeither with my naked Eye,or a Alicrojcope, that any of the
broken pieces were of a regular figure,nor any one like another, but for
the moft part thofe that flaw'd off in large pieces were prettily bran-
ched.
  The ends of others of thefe drops I nipt off whilft all the bodies and
ends of them lay buried under the water,which, like the former, flew all
to pieces with as brisk a noife, and as llrong a motion.
  Others of there I tried to break, by grinding away the blunt end, and
though I took a Seemingly good one, and had ground away neer two
thirds of the Ball, yet would it not fly to pieces, but now and then fomne
finall rings of it would fiap and fly off, not without a brisk noife and
quick motion,leaving the Surface of the drop whence it flew very pretti-
ly branched or created, which was eaily discoverable by the Aficrofcopei
This drop,after I had thus ground it, without at all impairing the renrnant
that was not ground awad, I caufed to fly immediately all into fand upon
the nipping off the very tip of its fIlnder end.
  Another of thefe drops I began to grind away at the fmaller end , but
had not worn away on the ftone above a quarter of an inch before the
whole drop flew with a brisk crack into fand or fmall duff ; nor would
it have held fi long , had there not been a little flaw in the piece that
I
ground away, as I afterwards found.
  Several others of thefe drops I covered over with a thin but very tuff
skin of Icthyocolla, which being very tough and very tranlbarent,was the
moflt convenient fubftance for thefe tryals that I could imagine, having
diptJ fay, feveral of thefie drops in this tranfparent Glue whilft hot, and
fuffhring them to hang by a firing tied about the end ofthem till they
were cold, and the skin prett) tough 5 then wrapping all the body of the
                                       C                      <Idrop


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