THE WATER CABINET. 105 
collection, I should recommend cylindrical glasses of flint 
glass of the form represented in the engraving. Chancing 
to unearth a number of such glasses, at the warehouse 
of the Messrs. Phillips, of Bishopsgate Street, I have 
since abolished the olla podrida of acid bottles and phials, 
with which I had previously been content, and now use 
no other kinds, and I think their strength and clearness 
of colour must commend them to the student, as the best 
that can be had for the purpose. The cost of them is a 
shilling a pound, though common show-glasses may be 
had at ninepence a pound. If there is much dust in the 
room where the cabinet stands, a strip of green gauze 
might be stretched on light cane frames over each row of 
glasses. 
The jars are intended for the reception of separate or 
grouped species, and the bell glass may be an ordinary 
aquarium or a receptacle for the omnium gatherum of 
general collecting. My jars are now (July, 1856,) stocked 
with minute aquatic plants, beetles of several species, 
diving spiders, water worms, and mites, larva of beetles 
and flies, tadpoles in progress of transformation, mollusks 
of choice kinds, and spawn of all kinds, removed from the 
tanks. The bell glass contains a miscellaneous assemblage 
of duplicates of all kinds, such as water weeds for renewal 
of tanks, tadpoles, leeches, whirlwigs, mollusks, crustacea, 
and infusoria for the microscope. Species that do not 
agree, may be introduced to the bell glass for the sake of 
teaching us the nature and incidents of the strife main- 
tained in the great world out of doors; the battle may 
there have its way, and we may study destruction with as 
