FORAMINIFERA. 25 



whether they are elevations or depressions, or whether the 

 fracture be transverse or obUque ; but rather studying them in 

 their Geological, Physiological, and Physiographical aspect, which 

 will not, in my opinion, fail to prove both interesting and useful. 



Ibow to prepare foraminifera* 



First Paper. 



THERE are probably few cabinets of microscopical slides 

 which do not contain specimens of the Foraminifera. 

 The simplicity, the complexity^ the great variety of struc- 

 ture, added to the extreme beauty, of these minute shells, have 

 ever caused them to find a place amongst the many " odd 

 things " which the microscopist delights to own. Until quite 

 recently, a very general ignorance prevailed as to what these 

 shells really were. This has been somewhat broken into of late 

 by the impetus which has been given to their study, owing to 

 their connection with the very lowest forms of animal life, and to 

 the yet very important part they play in making up the shell of 

 the globe on which we and they live. 



The object of this paper being to give such information as 

 will assist students to obtain and to prepare these organisms for 

 the microscope, any disquisition as to zuhat they are would be 

 foreign to such a purpose. 



Foraminifera are essentially marine, and may be found on 

 almost every sea-coast, although a few species exist which belong 

 to brackish water. In some places they abound to such an 

 extent as to compose nine-tenths of the shore material, and may 

 there be gathered by the ton. The best time for shore-collecting 

 is at the lowest low-water, when, by means of a spoon, or, better 

 far, the half of a razor-shell, the surface of the sand between the 

 ripple-marks may be gently scraped off and bagged; or, the 

 whitish lines and streaks left by the receding tide on the sand ; 

 or, again, the white lines left on rock surfaces by the high-tide, 

 may be so treated. Shore debris is generally rich in Foraminifera. 

 Sponge-sand \ the sand often found in large sea-shells ; what is 

 known as coral-sand ; the " dust " which shakes off dried sea- 

 weeds which have been dredged from the bottom of the sea — all 

 these are sure to contain a greater or smaller proportion of 



