THE MICROSCOPE. 291 
of objects as long as he possesses his instrument and a suffi- 
ciency of light. 
“Many persons who are gifted with a thorough appreciation 
of Nature in all her vivid forms are debarred by the peculiarity 
of their position from following out the impulses of their being, 
and are equally unable to range the sea-shore in search of marine 
creatures, or to traverse the fields and woods in the course of 
their investigations into the manifold forms of life and beauty 
which teem in every nook and corner of the country. Some are 
confined to their chambers by bodily ailments, some are forced 
to reside within the very heart of some great city, without op- 
portunities of breathing the fresh country air more than a few 
times in the course of a year; and yet there is not one who may 
not find an endless series of common objects for his microscope 
within the limits of the tiniest city chamber. So richly does 
Nature teem with beauty and living marvels, that even within 
the closest dungeon-walls a never-failing treasury of science may 
be found by any one who knows how and where to seek for it.” 
But in addition to the things of the land, the water supplies 
an endless variety, and even the winter need not chill the mi- 
croscopist’s ardor. He may make himself a microscopical aqua- 
rium. Even the slight labor of preparing and stocking it will 
be pleasurable, and it may easily be kept in good condition. The 
Infusoria and other animalcules, or “ little animals,” will prove 
agreeable companions for the long winter evenings. 
But where may these Infusoria and other animalcules be 
found, how may they be captured and how shall they be studied ? 
Does their capture demand extensive and expensive apparatus, 
and can they be examined only by complicated microscopes and 
first class objectives? No, is the answer to all these questions. 
They demand only a little persistent effort, a little patient appli- 
cation, an exceedingly small amount of the simplest appliances, 
and a good but not necessarily costly microscopical outfit. 
To gather them nothing is needed but a wide mouthed bottle, 
a stick and a small tin dipper with a hollow handle. When the 
stick is thrust into the handle the collecting implement is com- 
plete. Many contrivances for this purpose are offered by the 
dealers in microscopical supplies. The majority of them con- 
sist of a large bottle into which is fitted two funnels, one being 
inverted in the jar and having a sieve or strainer over its mouth 
