106 NATURALISTS’ ASSISTANT. 
table, the length should be increased so that each may have 
at least ten square feet of table room. 
The support of the table as well as the floor of the labora- 
tory should be firm, so that all unnecessary vibration, which 
would prove very annoying in microscopic work, may be 
avoided. In the laboratory of Prof. Alex. Agassiz, at New- 
port, each table has a support of its own wholly unconnected 
with the floor of the room. 
Concerning the chairs to be used in the laboratory but 
little can be said. It is best, however, to use either wood or 
leather-bottomed chairs. Of course no varnish should be 
used upon them. 
Larger tables than those mentioned above should be pro- 
vided for the dissection of the larger forms, and these should 
have either slate or metal tops to prevent the fluids, etc., from 
sinking into the wood and causing disagreeable odors by their 
decay. } 
The order should be enforced that every student should 
put his table in good order at the close of the day, should dis- 
pose of all refuse and clean all instruments before leaving 
the laboratory. 
If possible, the laboratory should be provided with water 
and gas, and there should be kept in close connection a well 
selected library of morphological works to which the students 
should have unrestricted access, but should not be allowed 
to remove from the building. A list of indispensable morpho- 
logical works is given at the end of the next chapter. Good 
bibliographies of anatomical and embryological works and 
