Bihliographical Notices. 1 39 



series of what we may call working wpocimens. The design of the 

 author has been, as he tells us, to suppl}- a want felt by many who 

 possess a microscope — namely, a book in which they can find accu- 

 rate delineations and explanations of the objects usually contained 

 in their cabinets, or of such as are readily procurable by a beginner 

 in microscopic research. The explanatory text indicates in a few 

 words the main features of the organisms depicted, as well as the 

 points of interest they are intended to exhibit, thus enabling the 

 Btudent who may be desirous of examining any particular tissue or 

 peculiarity of structure to select at once the plant or animal in 

 which it may be most easily and satisfactorily displayed ; the tyro 

 in microscopic research will in this manner find his exploration 

 much facilitated ; and the amateur who prefers to obtain by purchase 

 ready-mounted specimens, such as are now procurable in rich abun- 

 dance, will be enabled not only to choose without any difficulty 

 such slides as are adapted to his purpose, but (and this is by no 

 means an unimportant consideration) to understand and explain to 

 the uninitiated the lessons they are calculated to teach. The work, 

 when complete, as we learn from the prospectus, will contain about 

 200 original figures, which, judging fi-om those in the part before us, 

 are well and faithfully drawn ; the descriptions are concise, and 

 the subjects sufficiently varied to constitute a very complete and 

 comprehensive assortment, available alike for the instruction of the 

 student of nature and for the amusement of intelligent though un- 

 scientific observers, whose curiosity, being thus excited, will doubt- 

 less prompt them to inquire more deeply concernijig the functions 

 and uses of structures so beautiful and so mysterious. 



After having thus expressed our conviction of the great utility of 

 the plan of Mr. Martin's work, and our hope that it may speedily 

 find its way to the counter of every vendor of microscopic objects, 

 we may be permitted to offer one or two suggestions, which will 

 perhaps economize space in future numbers, without at all inter- 

 fering with the instructive character of the descriptions, the value of 

 which is much enhanced by their conciseness and simplicity. It 

 appears to us to be superfluous to refer the specimens to the botanical 

 orders to which they belong, as, for example, to tell us that the yeast- 

 plant belongs to the Coniomycetous order of Fungi, while the maple- 

 blight is referable to the Ascomycetous order : this kind of informa- 

 tion is best obtained from the pages of Hooker, Smith, andLindley; 

 and the employment of such hard words is not inviting to the gene- 

 rality of readers. Another point to which we demur is the oft- 

 repeated directions of the author that such-and-such specimens 

 should be put up in liquid. \N'e had hoped that this most unsatis- 

 factory mode of mounting objects had become obsolete ; at least, 

 after forty years' experience, we have utterly discarded it. The 

 most delicate specimens may be put up in the solution of gum and 

 glycerine as readily and as permanently as in Canada balsam : they 

 show the minutest features with the utmost clearness, and are not, 

 like those mounted in fluid, constant sources of chagrin ajid dis- 

 appointment. 



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