122 The Microscope. 



difficult to follow, again becomes a vase. Meanwhile, 

 another and another of the group draws back, dis- 

 appears, and again advances, till the observer is half 

 perplexed by the multitude of corkscrew stems and 

 moving bells. But this is not all ; for all the little 

 chance particles in the water are in lively whirlpool 

 movement around every stationary vase. We connect 

 this in our minds (and rightly) with the little tuft-like 

 structures visible at the edges of each ; these seem to 

 stir with a motion that can best be described by the 

 phrase " twiddling." 



Such is the appearance of these structures at 

 first sight, and when special arrangements are not 

 made for illumination. But when this latter point 

 is duly attended to, we can observe that the bells 

 are surrounded by a complete wreath or border of 

 transparent moving filaments, called " cilia ;" and 

 we shall meet these curious organs again and again 

 while observing the animalcules. They serve for 

 attracting their food from the surrounding water; 

 and in many animalcules they act as a means for 

 propelling themselves where they will if such an 

 expression can be used with reference to the infu- 

 soria, whose movements seem scarcely dictated by 

 a conscious will. And that these " ciliary movements" 

 are not indicative of consciousness seems possible, 

 since, as Dr. Carpenter observes, "we know that 

 ciliary action takes place to a large extent in our own 

 bodies without the least dependence upon our con- 

 sciousness, and that it is also observable in the struc- 

 tures developed by the spores of some plants/' 



