XXVII. 



H Confusing Case* 



A FRIEND, grubbing about amid the awakening life of 

 the pools which summer is fast ripening into maturity, 

 brought me, in a phial of water, the other day, a col- 

 lection of curiosities which he demanded I should name 

 and describe for his edification and instruction. It is 

 often a hard task, that of satisfying people who are 

 " wanting to know." They expect science to be equal 

 to all things in the way of replies to questions which 

 are still the inexplicable problems of philosophers 

 among us ; and they are proportionately disappointed 

 when the answers desired are not forthcoming. 



My friend's phial of dirty water, however, contained 

 & good many objects familiar enough even to the tyro 

 in microscopic science. The life of his bottle had been 

 awoke from its winter sleep by one or two of those 

 warm days of spring weather wherein we rejoiced a 

 short time gone by. There were one or two Amcebas 

 masses of protoplasm, slowly elbowing their way 

 from form to form across the field of the microscope ; 

 and a " sun-animalcule" was likewise busy enough in 

 the way of food-getting. 



A mother Cyclops or two, and a Daphma, both 

 water-fleas of well-known nature, appeared to be lively 

 enough, if movements in these animals are to be taken 



