184 DROPS OF WATER. 



even should the observer only seek to wile away 

 an hour, the objects are always novel and full of 

 interest ; but to those who delight in examining 

 the wonderful works of creation, there can be no 

 greater source of pleasure than the possession of 

 a good microscope, and the power of beholding 

 minute beings, all of which are so totally dissimilar 

 to those seen without this assistance. The gift of 

 a microscope to a young inquiring mind, may, 

 therefore, prove one of the purest sources of quiet 

 pleasure, and lead to the cultivation of a taste for 

 natural history in general, in the study of which 

 so many hours may be profitably spent, which 

 would, perhaps, otherwise be wasted in trifling 

 or idle amusements. Allow me, then, to press 

 this fascinating pursuit, not only on those who 



