70 MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. 



jects of great interest, such as the seeds and seed-vessels 

 of numerous minute wild plants, the names of which are 

 unknown. In his own cabinet, these objects are distin- 

 guished on the labels as " Seed No. 1," " Seed No. 2," 

 and so on ; but this numeric arrangement, it is clear, 

 is not admissible in print. 



The elementary organs of plants require the assistance 

 of the microscope to render them apparent ; and a good 

 work on Microscopic Botany would be highly valuable at 

 the present day. The system of classification adopted 

 by most modern botanists is presumed to be founded on 

 natural arrangement and organic structure : hence it is 

 important in this study to be acquainted with the manage- 

 ment of the microscope, as well as with the actual form 

 of the bodies under examination. Without a thorough 

 acquaintance with the varied appearances of known objects 

 presented under the microscope, very little reliance can 

 be placed on an observer's investigations with that instru- 

 ment; indeed, on this account, until recently, microscopic 

 discoveries were rarely to be depended upon. Those who 

 wish really to understand what they are viewing in a 

 microscope will do well repeatedly to read the * Memoir 

 concerning the Verification of Microscopic Phenomena' 

 in the supplement to the Microscopic Illustrations. In 

 no case has the want of this knowledge been more 

 seriously felt than in respect to the errors it has occa- 

 sioned as to the form of the elementary tissues of plants. 

 In the works of the best botanists are sometimes intro- 

 duced erroneous hypotheses regarding the functions of 



