176 EVENINGS AT THE MICROSCOPE. 



egg, furnished with long antennas, with five pairs of 

 branching feet, and a long tail terminating in bristles. 

 But its parts and organs must not be dismissed in this 

 •summary way ; we must look at them in detail. 



And, first of all, in the very midst of its forehead, like 

 that obscene giant* after whom our tiny friend is named, 

 — it possesses a single eye that glares like a ruby. It 

 would need no vast beam of olive-wood, sharpened and 

 heated in the fire, and "twirled about" by the united 

 strength of five heroes, to "grind the pupil out;" for 

 though brilliant and mobile, it is far too minute to be 

 touched by the tip of the finest needle. Yet it is 

 elaborately constructed; for it consists of a number (not 

 very large) of simple eyes placed beneath a common 

 glassy cornea. Several muscle-bands are attached to this 

 compound organ of vision, and are arranged so as to 

 form a cone, of which the eye is the base ; these give the 

 eye a movement of rotation upon its centre, which may 

 be distinctly seen. 



All the limbs, including both pairs of antenna*, two 

 pairs of foot-jaws, five pairs of feet, and a pair of tail- 

 lobes, are furnished, at each of their many joints, with 

 tufts of long hairs ; these appear to act the part of 

 paddles, as the active little animal strikes the water 

 vigorously with all its limbs, for the purpose of pro- 

 gression ; and also for the creation of currents in the 

 fluid ; which currents subserve a double object, — the 

 bringing constant supplies of water to be respired, and 

 floating atoms of food to be devoured. 



In this individual, which is a female, the antenna? are 

 nearly equal in size throughout their length ; but, in the 

 male, the middle joints of the upper pair are remarkably 

 enlarged, forming a large swelling, followed by a sudden 

 contraction, the first part of which is hinged. All of the 

 true feet and the second pair of foot-jaws are divided 



* Odyss. IX. 



