148 THE MICROSCOPE. Oct. 



made a note of their size, shape and general character- 

 istics, let us proceed further with the same slip, which 

 we find by this time quite dry except in its center, and 

 like the fish lying in the pond after the water has evap- 

 orated, we still have our beauties but they are dead. 



Take a small drop of gentian and place in center of 

 slip. You will readily note on examination that the rods 

 will appear much plainer than before, but are thicker 

 and shorter. The coloring matter has formed a layer 

 upon them, and hence the apparent enlargement. The 

 micrococci, staphlococci, streptococci, diplococci and 

 sometimes sarcinae, should not be overlooked. The 

 Brownian movement should not be mistaken for the or- 

 ganisms surviving under the treatment of our straining 

 process. Now, prepare another slip in similiar way and 

 stain with alkaline methyl blue, and you may be able to 

 discern in Bome single cacille a deeper color at the ends, 

 or, possibly, a much lighter stripe in its middle than 

 either body or ends. 



Now, let us examine in the same manner a drop from 

 a lower strata and see what we will be rewarded with, 

 and for convenience, and a more prolonged study, with a 

 camel's hair pencil and melted paraffine we will make a 

 little ring on one slip just the size of our cover-glass. 

 Put the drop of urine in the shallow cell thus prepared, 

 drop on cover-glass and seal with paraffine, and if we 

 are patient enough we can see in this hermetically 

 sealed cell the cell division taking place in this flower- 

 less plant called bacteria, and, under proper conditions, 

 the growth would be quite noticeable within 24 hours. 

 Of course the younger plant looks smaller than its 

 mother plant, hence when the parent cell is ready to 

 divide, it is no surprise to us to notice the difference in 

 size. By using aniline stains of different strengths a 

 great deal of information may be gleaned, and by mak- 



