148 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [June, 



But in the greater number of these animals the short hairs are so 

 few and often fine as to be, comparatively speaking, lost sight of 

 among what to oiu" eyes constitutes the coat. The remarkable 

 feature, then, in the fur seals is its abundance and density. The 

 operation which the skin undergoes to bring out, so to say, the 

 fur may be briefly described as follows : The skin, after being 

 washed rid of grease, etc., is laid flat on the stretch, flesh side up. 

 A flat knife is then passed across the flesh substance, thinning it 

 to a very considerable extent. In doing this the blade severs the 

 roots of the long strong hairs which penetrate the skin deeper than 

 does the soft delicate under-fur. The rough hairs are then got 

 rid of. while the fur retains it hold. A variety of subsidiary man- 

 ipulations, in which the pelt is softened and preserved, are next 

 gone through. These we need not enter into, but only further 

 state that the fur undergoes a process of dyeing which produces 

 that deep uniform tint so well known and admired. We may, 

 however, mention that it is the dyeing process which causes the 

 fur to lose its natural curly character and to present its limp ap- 

 pearance. — Fro?)i CasselVs '•^ Natural History" for Jiine. 



DIATOMS. 



What are Diatoms ? — The plants in question are so small 

 as to be seen only witli the aid of the microscope ; those of ordi- 

 nary size, when magnified about three hundred and fifty diame- 

 ters, appear about a quarter of an inch long. Others are much 

 larger. They are curious little plants with a silica shell, which, 

 in certain places, is provided with little apertures through which 

 living parts of the plant protrude. In this way they are enabled 

 to move about freely in the water by which they are generally 

 surrounded, for, though they are not all strictly water plants, they 

 all need considerable water to enable them to thrive, and so are 

 always found in wet places. 



Owing to their freedom of motion they were at one time sup- 

 posed to be animals. Now it is known that they are plants, as 

 they can perform all the functions of plants, and no animal, with 

 all his superiority, high nature, etc., is able to do this. They are 

 found everywhere in all inhabited countries, and in fact all over 

 the seas, so it may be readily granted that a plant so common and 

 wide-spread as this should be quite familiar to every one. 



Again, not only are the living plants so wide-spread and com- 

 mon, but the shells of the dead ones remain intact for many years ; 

 and in certain localities these tiny shells are so numerous as to 

 form a large portion of tlie soil. Some of the best known of these 

 localities are the sites of Richmond, Va., and Berlin, in Germany. 

 —Emily L. Gregory, /;/ The Popular Science MontJily for 

 June. 



