166 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



temple, or take cognizance of the myriad manifestations of the 

 power and wisdom which enables these animated atoms to live, 

 move, and have their being, and to enjoy themselves as well as 

 the more complex productions of the Infinite. 



The microscope, however, gives us an insight into worlds here- 

 tofore hidden from view, and shows us creatures more strano-c 

 than "fancy ere had feigned or fear conceived." We may see in 

 <' the small dimensions of a point" a world peopled with creatures, 

 to which, as we believe, there is no limit. More powerful glasses 

 are only wanted to lead us farther into the labyrinth of the 

 creative wonders of the Almighty. 



Comparatively few enquire into this world of hidden wonders 

 in order to become acquainted with its inmates, still, a few 

 philosophical spirits are yet to be found, who^ like Sir Thomas 

 The Good, 



" "Would pore by the hour 



O'er a weed or a flower, 



Or the slugs that come crawling out after a shower." 



At the outset of the present sketch we would premise that the 

 glass side of our aquarium which is placed next to the wall, is 

 never cleaned, and, in consequence of this, it is soon covered over 

 with a growth of what botanists call Confervce. The Confervce 

 are among the lowest forms of Algce, a group which contains a 

 great number of very minute microscopic plants, which have been, 

 of late years, specially studied by microscopists. Among the lower 

 forms of these Protophytes are the Diatomacece, Desmidice and 

 Vohocince, plants of very simple organization, only lately removed 

 from the animal kin2:dom. Other orders are the Pahnellacea\ 

 likewise plants of humble type; Ulvacece, plants of a rather more 

 complex character ; Oscillato7'iacecc, remarkable for a peculiar 

 kind of motion ; JS^ostocliacece, Ulvacece, Siplionacece, and Co7i- 

 fervacece. 



First, let us scrape some of the growth off the glass at the 

 back of the tank, then place it in the live box with a drop of 

 water over it, and, having adjusted our microscope, what do we 

 see? 



First of all notice the vegetation contained in this drop of water^ 

 That long pointed ribbon, having the green colouring matter 

 twisting and curling through the centre, is one of the Confervce, a 

 species of Spirogyra, and close beside it there is another jointed 

 species having the chlorophyll or colouring matter in patches : 



