G66 



MICROSCOPE. 



voracious aquatic fly, the dyticus. Our illustra- 

 tion is confined to the strong claws or talons with 

 whic.i it is armed, hut a more important and inte- 

 resting feature is the web that surrounds the foot ; 

 this, however, from its complicate structure, 

 could not have been effectively shown on a small 

 scale. 



Figs. 26, 31, 34, 35, 36. Feathers of the Hum- 

 ming Bird, and details These figures embrace 

 many interesting particulars connected with the 

 minute feathers of the humming bird. The com- 

 plete feathers (Figs. 31, 35.) are about one-tenth 

 of an inch in length. We commence with Fig. 

 35, which exhibits a singular feature in these 

 objects a number of long slender pods (such we 

 term them) of a bright orange colour. Fig. 34 

 shows one of these pods enlarged, and Fig. 36 

 one of the fine lateral fibres very highly magnified. 

 In process of time these pods burst open, and 

 assume the character indicated in Fig. 26 ; and 

 ultimately the whole feather takes the character 

 shown in Fig. 31. 



Fig. 27. Transverse Section of a Hedge-hog's 



quill Remark on this object is unnecessary. 



Power, 100 on the surface. 



Fig. 28. Farina of Flowers. Few persons can 

 have failed to notice the fine powder on the tops 

 of flowers ; this is the farina, or pollen, necessary 

 to the propagation of plants. Without the aid of 

 the microscope, however, we could never have 

 discovered the various beauty of the impalpable 

 atoms composing this flour-like substance. Fig. 

 28, is the farina of the marsh-mallow, which con- 

 sists of small globes, thickly studded with prickles. 



Fig. 29. Seed of the Calampelus Scaba This 



object is shown under a very low power, the intent 

 being merely to define more clearly the singular 

 fringe round it, an appendage provided to facilitate 

 its transit over the earth. 



Fig. 30. Seed of the French Marigold. This 

 remarkable seed is particularly worthy of observa- 

 tion ; it is here shown under the low power of 100 

 on the surface, our space not admitting a larger 

 figure of it ; but when examined in detail with 

 deeper magnifiers, a wonderful structure is exhi- 

 bited, which is only indicated in our view. The 

 true character of the spinated fibres, forming what 

 we may term the wings of the seed, may be seen 

 in Fig. 9. It will be evident, at a glance, that 

 this vegetable embryo is wafted from the parent 

 stem by the gentlest gale; and when deposited in 

 a favourable spot, the barbed fibres facilitate its 

 entrance into the soil on which it has fallen. 



Fig. 32. The Tongue or Trunk of a Fly Here 



is one of the most interesting and beautiful objects 

 that can be submitted to the microscope ; and an 

 instrument of very limited power is able to deve- 

 lope its principal features. Our anatomical know- 

 ledge does not enable us to describe all the parts 

 and define their uses ; we shall therefore content 

 ourselves with quoting Baker's remarks. " The 

 trunk of a fly consists of two parts, folding over 

 one another, and sheathed in the mouth. The 

 extremity thereof is sharp like a knife, for the se- 

 paration of anything. The two parts can also be 

 formed, occasionally, into a pair of lips for taking 

 up proper quantities of food, and by the fly's suck- 

 ing in the air, they become a kind of pump, to 

 draw up the juices of fruits or other liquors." 

 This object is shown under the amplifying power 

 of a Coddington lens of one-tenth inch focus. 



Fig. 33. Polypody and Seed of the Oak There 



is a species of fern, called polypodium, which grows 

 parasitically on the bark of the oak. The seed of 

 this minute plant is contained in a kind of bag, or 

 pod, and the number of seeds in each pod corres- 

 ponds to the divisions on its circumference. These 

 objects are shown in our figure, as detailed by a 

 superficial magnifying power of 40,000. 



Plate 91, fig. 37. Leaf of Bog Moss This is a 



very delicate structure, about the tenth of an inch in 

 length, and forms a very pleasing transparent object. 

 A superficial power of 100 (the one we have used) 

 is sufficient to define it perfectly. 



Fig. 38. Species of Sea-weed This object fs 

 viewed under the same amplifier as Fig. 37. 



Fig. 39. Tranverse Section of the Aloe. Under 

 the same power, of 100 on the surface, is here 

 shown the beautiful structure of the aloe wood. 

 Our space would not allow the introduction of the 

 entire figure. 



Fig. 40. Fibres of the Palm. The singular forma- 

 tion and extreme delicacy of the fibres of the 

 palm, as developed by a superficial power of 

 90,000. 



Fig. 41. Fossil Insect (?) This object has 

 peculiar interest for the geologist, to whom we 

 freely resign the task of determining its history. 

 It has been discovered in a siliceous formation, at 

 Uckfield in Sussex. A very thin section of the 

 flint, scarcely half an inch square, forwarded to 

 us by Mr Gary of the Strand, contains no fewer 

 than ten of these insects, which, it will be seen, 

 bear a very strong resemblance to the mite. Our 

 figure shows the object, on rather an enlarged 

 scale, as developed by a superficial power of 

 90,000. 



Fig. 42. Seed-vessel of Moss This curious re- 

 ceptacle for the seed of moss is shown under the 

 superficial power of 100. 



Fig. 43. The Trunk of a Bee That "the bee 



sucks honey from every flower," is a fact familiar 

 to the youngest amongst us ; but the nature of the 

 apparatus with which it is provided for this pur- 

 pose, is not so generally known. The trunk or 

 proboscis of the bee is here shown , under a square 

 power of 100, which is fully sufficient. The re- 

 semblance to the trunk of an elephant will be at 

 once detected, not so much in the termination, as 

 in the parallel rings that extend along its whole 

 length, these latter enable the insect to curve, 

 contract, or stretch out its trunk at pleasure. This 

 object is well worthy of observation, and it is one 

 of those which come within the reach of every in- 

 strument. 



Figs. 44, 45. Crystals of Common Salt. The 

 primitive form of these crystals is a cube, but they 

 frequently combine and produce an eight-sided 

 figure, which is nothing more than an aggregation 

 of cubes rising in layers above each other. Some- 

 times these compound crystals present only plane 

 faces, as in Fig. 44 ; at others the process of accu- 

 mulation is distinctly marked by parallel lines, as 

 in Fig. 45. It is most beautiful to witness the 

 actual formation of these crystals under the mi- 

 croscope, which is easily done by dissolving a few 

 grains of salt in a drop of water, and wetting a 

 slip of glass with the solution ; then placing the 

 glass under the object lens, and adapting the focus, 

 you observe, as the moisture evaporates, the 

 formation and gradual increase of the crystals. As 

 there is a decisive difference in the crystals of the 

 various salts, a vast fund of entertainment and in- 

 struction may be drawn from an observation of the 



