OF THE MICROSCOPE. 181 



Fig. 55, which is made to fit on the end of the walking stick. It 

 consists of a ferrule having a semi-cylindrical piece soldered at 

 right angles to it. The ferrule fits the cane, 

 and the bottle is fastened to the cross piece 

 by means of a rubber ring the method of 

 arranging the latter being easily understood 

 from the engraving. A dozen or more bottles 

 of proper size may be taken along, and they 

 Fig. 55. are so easily attached to the holder that there 



is no necessity for transferring a "dip" to 

 another bottle. The contents are most easily carried in the 

 bottle in which they were first obtained. 



When the water is too deep for a walking cane, a fishing rod 

 or any long pole may be used, and where these prove too short, 

 as in harbors, etc. , a bottle may be lowered and raised properly 

 by means of strings. For this purpose the bottle must be 

 heavily loaded with lead round the neck, and two strings must 

 be attached to it, one fastened to the neck and the other to the 

 bottom. It is by the latter that the bottle must be lowered, 

 but it must be raised by the other. If properly managed it 

 will descend mouth downwards, but the tension of the string 

 attached to the neck will invert it, and when raised by this string 

 it will bring up its contents very perfectly. 



For scraping the surface of the mud at the bottom of shallow 

 pools, we use the spoon shown in Fig. 56. It is simply a ring of 

 tin five inches in diameter and one 

 inch deep. The lower edge is 

 " wired " as the tinsmiths call it, and 

 there is a ferrule soldered to the side 

 so that it may be fixed to the same 

 cane that is used for the net. Over the Fig. 56. 



bottom is stretched a piece of some 



thin fabric, such as thin muslin, gauze or tarletan, which is held in 

 place by a rubber band that slips over the wire ring on the lower 

 edge It is best to make one side of the ring somewhat flat, so 

 as to adapt it better to the flat surface of the mud. When the 

 pieces of cloth get soiled, they are easily replaced, and, indeed, 

 in some cases it is not a bad plan to carry the mud home in the 

 Wet cloths, a dozen or more of which, with their contents, may 



