STUDIES IN ANIMAL LIFE. 67 



eral misconception. Day after day experiments 

 were repeated, varied, and controlled, and with re- 

 sults so unvarying that hesitation vanished ; and as 

 some of these experiments are of extreme simplici- 

 ty, you may verify what I say with little trouble. 

 Squeeze a drop from the moss, taking care that 

 there is scarcely any dirt in it ; and, having ascer- 

 tained that it contains Eotifers or Tardigrades,* 

 alive and moving, place the glass slide under a bell- 

 glass, to shield it from currents of air, and there al- 

 low the water to evaporate slowly, but completely, 

 by means of chloride of calcium or sulphuric acid 

 placed under the bell-glass; or, what is still sim- 

 pler, place a slide with the live animals on the man- 

 telpiece when a fire is burning in the grate. If on 

 the day following you examine this perfectly dry 

 glass, you will see the contracted bodies of the Eo- 

 tifers, presenting the aspect of yellowish oval bodies; 

 but attempt to resuscitate them by the addition of 

 a little fresh water, and you will find that they do 

 not revive, as they revived when dried in the moss ; 

 they sometimes swell a little, and elongate them- 

 selves, and you imagine this is a commencement of 

 resuscitation; but continue watching for two or 

 -three days, and you will find it goes no further. 



* The Tardigrade, or microscopic Sloth, belongs to the order of 

 Arachnida, and is occasionally found in moss, stagnant ponds, etc. 

 I have only met with four specimens in all my investigations, and 

 they were all found in moss. SPALLANZANI described and figured 

 it (very badly), and M. DOYEEE has given a fuller description in 

 the Annaks des Sciences, 2d series, vols. xiv., xvii., and xviii. 



