394 EVENINGS AT THE MICROSCOPE. 



slender pointed tail at one extremity, and at the other into 

 a very long and equally slender neck, which is terminated 

 by a slight dilatation. The whole is perfectly transparent, 

 but the body is filled with numerous minute globular 

 vessels, or temporary stomachs. The grace of its motion, 

 as it glides along with a free and moderately swift pro- 

 gression through the clear water, or winds through the 

 intricate passages of the green conferva, throwing its long 

 jieck into elegant curves, is very remarkable. There are, 

 I see, two of them, which, however, take no notice of each 

 other, even when passing close to each other ; the neck of 



SWAN-NECK AND ITS DIVISIONS. 



one is much longer than that of the other. Now and 

 then, when gliding along, the neck is suddenly contracted, 

 but not wholly, as if something had alarmed or displeased 

 the animal ; the body also can be swollen or lengthened 

 at pleasure ; it can move in either direction, but the neck 

 usually goes foremost, extended in the direction of the 

 motion, and seems to be used to explore the way. 



I had once an opportunity of seeing the process of 

 increase by spontaneous self- division in this creature. It 

 was an unusually large specimen, found in an old infusion 

 of sage leaves. When I discovered it, it was darting 

 about its long neck in the most beautiful contortions. As 

 it was partly hidden by the vegetable fibre present, I 



