CLASSIFICATION. 9 



again, transparent globes of jelly (Fig. 2, n), shoot 

 forth star-like rays in all directions. Some have the 

 form of glass-like shuttles, coloured with bright green 

 contents, creeping more slowly than the hour hand of 

 a watch along the bottom. Some (Fig. 2, s) have the 

 shape of rolling mulberries, that gently make their 

 way through the surrounding water. Others (Fig. 2, t), 

 like swans in form, glide up and down ^vith graceful 

 elegance. The vaginicola * (Fig. 2, s) lives in a crystal 

 vase, from which it stretches itself forth in search of 

 nourishment. The Paramecium^ (Fig. 2, 13), like a 

 meteor, shoots along, prowling in all directions ; some 

 (Fig. 2, 14, 15), clad in shells, and armed with leg-like 

 booklets, creep much after the manner of insects : 

 while others skip from point to point like living scin- 

 tillations. Such are the creatures that we find in 

 swarms in every stagnant ditch, as any one possessed of 

 a very ordinary microscope may soon convince him- 

 self. These wonderful organisms have little resem- 

 blance to each other. It is ditficult, indeed, with the 

 exception of their miraculous minuteness, to fix upon 

 any character that they possess in common. We 

 are not surprised, therefore, that by the earlier 

 observers with the microscope, they were all grouped 

 together under the very extensive designation of 

 Animalcules, a term simply sigiiificative of their small 

 size, or of Infusorial Animalcules, in allusion to tlie 

 cu'cumstance that they are generally met with in 

 infusions of animal or of vegetable substances, and 

 are easily attainable by exposing such infusions to 

 the atmosphere. 



Modern improvements in the microscope, and a 

 close attention to the habits and organization of the 

 creatures under consideration, liave, however, revealed 

 to us the startling fact that in the drop of water 

 under contemplation, we have examples of no few^er 

 than three distinct classes of organisms : one belong- 

 ing to the vegetable, and two to the animal series of 

 creation. By using a very simple test, namely, the 



* Vagina, a slieaihy colo, I inhabit. + Trapaid.r]KV5, paramekes, dbloraj. 



B 3 



