MICROSCOPES, 247 



sects may be found ; some of the weed should be procured, 

 and put into a white earthen vessel ; it will yield a never- 

 failing supply of living and most entertaining objects for the 

 microscope, and may be kept the whole of the winter months, 

 as the leaves have the valuable property of keeping the wa- 

 ter fresh. Every proprietor of a microscope, who would 

 wish to secure a supply of a great variety of interesting 

 living objects in constant readiness, should adopt this method 

 of obtaining them. The decayed leaves will be found best 

 for the purpose ; two or three of these being taken out, with 

 a small portion of water, on a piece of glass, gently press 

 them, and the wheel animal, as well as many others, will 

 come out from the cells in which they have taken up their 

 abode. The bell-shaped polype, the proteus, and other 

 smaller kinds of animalcula, may thus be had in great 

 numbers. 



Those that are visible to the eye may be easily procured 

 by the aid of a small landing-net, made with stout wire and 

 book- muslin ; bend one end of the wire into a circle, and 

 secure it by twisting ; the other end will serve for a handle, 

 by which it can be attached to a stick ; when used, suffer 

 the water to drain away, then reverse the instrument, touch- 

 ing the water (into which the insects are to be transferred) 

 with the muslin, by which means they can be so transferred 

 without injury by handling ; a small instrument, about 

 1^ inch diameter, will be found very serviceable, upon the 

 same plan, in fishing out the insects ; when about to be ex- 

 hibited, put some clear water in a watch-glass, and reverse 

 the net with the insects into it ; any one of them singly may 

 be taken out by means of the small spoon or brush, for ex- 

 amination. 



Beetles, Moths, &c. Numbers of these may be found by 

 attentively examining the hedges in lanes ; almost upon 

 every leaf you may discover some minute living creature. 

 On the grass a great variety of the beetle tribe may be 

 procured, under stones, in the old trunks of trees, in the 

 bark among the heaths and mosses, and in sand-pits ; and a 

 great variety of wings and other parts of insects may be 

 found on the webs of the field spiders, most beautifully dis- 

 sected for the microscope, in a way that could not be done 

 by any other means. Mosses and vegetation on old walls, 

 contain many rare and curious microscopic insects ; a quan- 



