84 THE MICROSCOPIST. 



proper depth, or in the neighborhood of water-plants, it should 

 be turned quickly, when animalculae, &c., will run into it. 

 Water-fleas and Daphnise should be frightened away by shak- 

 ing the phial before turning. If in the phial, they go quickly 

 to the bottom, and the upper water can be poured off. Exa- 

 mine the water with a pocket lens, and preserve the animal- 

 culse. 



The indications of the presence of infusoria are specks mov- 

 ing about in the water, or an apparent mouldiness around the 

 stalks of the water-plants, &c., which may have been caught 

 in the phial. If these appearances be not discerned by the 

 magnifier, the water may be thrown away, and another place 

 resorted to. A small portion only of vegetable matter should 

 be preserved in the phial, as its decay may soon kill the ani- 

 malcules. 



Small newts and many larvas should be preserved; the for- 

 mer especially, as they eat up the Daphniae, Monoculi, &c., 

 that destroy the Vorticellse. In the branchiae of young newts, 

 too, and in their feet, the circulation of the blood is beautifully 

 seen. 



The phial should sometimes be laid horizontally on the bot- 

 tom of the pond, and scrape the surface of the mud. This 

 should be put in a large jar with water, and in a day or two 

 the animalculae will be on the surface of the mud, from which 

 they can be removed with the fishing-tubes (see page 49), and 

 placed under the microscope. 



If the creatures are too minute to be seen easily with the 

 naked eye, pour a little water from the vessel containing them 

 into a watch glass, and place it on a piece of card-board, ren- 

 dered half black and half white. The white ground will make 

 the dark specimens apparent and vice versa. They can then 

 be seen with the pocket lens, and taken out with the fishing- 

 tubes. 



