90 THE MICROSCOPE. 



CHAPTER VII. 



APPLICATIONS OF THE MICROSCOPE. 



1. THE Microscope has been of inestimable 

 value to the Palaeontologist. Who has not been 

 astonished to find that Cuvier, lighting upon a 

 few fossil bones, never before seen by man, lying 

 scattered at Montmartre, could tell to what 

 species of animals each of these bones had be- 

 longed, and could reconstruct the animals of which 

 these had formed a part, perhaps at the distance 

 of millions of ages, and all this with the most 

 perfect success, as was afterwards demonstrated 

 when these fossil animals were found entire ? 

 Not less striking have been the skill and the 

 success of Professor Owen, as with a glance of 

 the Microscope at fragments of fossil nail, or 

 tooth, or joint, he has unerringly assigned each 

 fragmentary part to the class of animals to 

 which it belonged. Nothing but this instru- 



