132 PRACTICAL MICROSCOPY. 



find out what they are, genus and species, often no easy 

 task for the beginner. 



One way of getting over the difficulty is by consulting 

 the books mentioned under each heading nearly always to 

 be had at the free libraries often a long, laborious, and 

 unsatisfactory task ; while the other is by sending the 

 specimens in a tube to a friend or naturalist of repute. In 

 the event of one not being known, the author has much 

 pleasure in suggesting the name of Mr. Thomas Bolton, 

 who for several years has established a naturalist's studio 

 in Birmingham.* A word to such inquirers never forget 

 to enclose a stamp for reply : many forget this, and thus 

 the willingness of the naturalist to furnish information 

 gratis becomes a serious tax upon his pocket. 



We may now pass on to the enumeration of many 

 objects of interest ; but let it not be for a moment 

 supposed that it is possible to give a complete list of 

 objects suitable for microscopic study. The main wish 

 of the author is, to put before the reader something he 

 may collect easily, in the hope that he will become 

 interested in the study of the details of some one of 

 them. 



ALG^E. The members of this class of Thallophytes may 

 be found almost anywhere, in ditches, streams, ponds, and 

 even in the small pools of water lying in the hoof-prints of 

 animals upon clayey or boggy soils. One of the most 

 interesting of the Algae is the Volvox globator (Fig. 119), 

 which, however, is very uncertain in its habitat. Wherever 

 found it is usually plentiful. All the fresh-water Algse may 

 be collected by the use of the appliances already mentioned. 

 Many Oscillatorise grow upon the surface of the mud at the 

 bottom of pools, and so require the scoop shown in Fig. 1 14. 

 The whole collection, including mud, should be wrapped up 

 in the muslin, and carried home in that state for examina- 



* 57, Newhall Street, Birmingham. 



