28 THE MICROSCOPE. Feb. 



THE MICROSCOPE. 



New Series, 1893. 



For Naturalists, Physicians, and Drug-^ists, and Desii^ned to Popularize 



Microscopy. 



Published monthly. Price $1.00 per ayinum. Subscriptions should end 

 xvith the year. The old series, cotisisting of 12 volutnes (i88i-i8g2), ended 

 xvith December, i8gi. Sets of the old series catmot be furnished. All 

 correspondence, exchanges, and books for notice should be addressed to the 

 Microscopical Publishing Co., Washington, D. C, U. S. A. 



CHARLES W. SMILEY, A. M., EDITOR. 



EDITORIAL 



A Geological Survey could be made of practical beneHt in 

 busincfes operations 1)\' giving advice upon the location of mines, 

 the sinking of wells, and selections of sites for cemeteries, forts 

 and heavy buildings, the obtaining of material for building 

 roads, the nature of soil and subsoils with reference to drainage, 

 etc. ; but we are sorry to think that government surveys usualh^ 

 pay little attention to such things, but busy themselves with 

 hunting fossils, in studying names and synonyms, in trying to 

 ascertain the order of deposits in geological time and to find out 

 liow old the earth is; not to mention the junketing trips, the 

 nepotism and favoritism, the expense, extravagance and con- 

 cealed or obscure methods of inducing legislators to make ap- 

 propriations and to suppress investigations. Would it not be 

 better to depend upon the popular appreciation of practical re- 

 sults ? Experience of capable men has shown that it would not 

 be practicable to do so, and hence the prevailing methods. 



Snails Live Indefinitely. — Only the other day a specimen 

 from an island off the coast of lower California, inclosed in a 

 drawer with part of the molluscan collection, was found to be 

 alive. It had had no food or water for more than six years. 

 When placed in a box with moist earth it protruded its foot 

 and began to move about, and seemed to be as well as ever. 

 Some time ago a few snails of a different species, gathered in 



