were of a regular figure, nor any one like another, but for the most part
those that flaw'd off in large pieces were prettily branched.

The ends of others of these drops I nipt off whilst all the bodies and ends
of them lay buried under the water, which, like the former, flew all to
pieces with as brisk a noise, and as strong a motion.

Others of these 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 some small rings
of it would snap and fly off, not without a brisk noise and quick motion,
leaving the Surface of the drop whence it flew very prettily branched or
creased, which was easily discoverable by the _Microscope_. This drop,
after I had thus ground it, without at all impairing the remnant that was
not ground away, I caused to fly immediately all into sand upon the nipping
off the very tip of its slender end.

Another of these drops I began to grind away at the smaller end, but had
not worn away on the stone above a quarter of an inch before the whole drop
flew with a brisk crack into sand or small dust; nor would it have held so
long, had there not been a little flaw in the piece that I ground away, as
I afterwards found.

Several others of these drops I covered over with a thin but very tuff skin
of _Icthyocolla_, which being very tough and very transparent, was the most
convenient substance for these tryals that I could imagine, having dipt, I
say, several of these drops in this transparent Glue whilst hot, and
suffering them to hang by a string tied about the end of them till they
were cold, and the skin pretty tough; then wrapping all the body of the
drop (leaving out only the very tip) in fine supple Kids-leather very
closely, I nipped off the small top, and found, as I expected, that
notwithstanding this skin of Glue, and the close wrapping up in Leather,
upon the breaking of the top, the drop gave a crack like the rest, and gave
my hand a pretty brisk impulse: but yet the skin and leather was so strong
as to keep the parts from flying out of their former posture; and, the skin
being transparent, I found that the drop retained exactly its former figure
and polish, but was grown perfectly opacous and all over flaw'd, all those
flaws lying in the manner of rings, from the bottom or blunt end, to the
very top or small point. And by several examinations with a _Microscope_,