DECOMPOSING BLOOD, ETC. 



231 



of the true plane. Upon close examination, some of the commas 

 may be noticed as having a slight enlargement at each end. 

 Whether this is caused by the ends only of the little curve being 

 in contact with the cover-glass, and thus not in correct focus 

 with the other part, it is difficult to state. 



Upon resuming the microscopical examination two days later 

 the whole material appeared to be charged with very active 

 flagellate infusoria, from very minute ones, which appeared when 

 seen edgewise as rather narrowed and beaked, through all sizes 

 up to the large ones, which were provided with minute cilia 



Fig. 62. — Flagellate Infusoria, x 200. 



covering the entire body, and at one end with a long pendant 

 cilium. Scarcely any other organism could be seen in the exami- 

 nation of many fields. Unfortunately, the method employed to 

 fix and stain them much altered their shape by contracting the 

 contents of the body. Nevertheless, a preparation was made and 

 a slide mounted v.ith xylol balsam. Some apology is needed for 

 the indistinct outline and detail of these objects, as represented 

 in the photograph, Fig. 62. Several attempts were made to pro- 

 cure a better negative, but I found I had to content myself with 



