The Microscope. 287 



The Hair-like Animalcule. This wonderful little insect, 

 from its resemblance to a fine hair, is called the hair-like insect. 

 All its motions are extremely slow, and require much patience and 

 attentiorl in the observer : it has neither feet nor fins, but appears 

 perfectly smooth and transparent. These creatures are so small 

 that minions might be contained in a square inch ; they are found 

 in the sediment or mud in ditches, and sometimes in vegetable in- 

 fusions ; a quantity of this should be procured, and put into a 

 glass vessel ; myriads may be seen to crawl up the sides of the 

 glass. 



The Cat Animal. In the same water or sediment may be 

 found the oat animalcule, so called from its resemblance to a 

 grain of oats ; it is inclosed in a shell, which it opens and shuts, 

 but can change its place only by sudden jerks or leaps. This 

 little creature is so extremely small, that it requires the greatest 

 magnifier to examine it. 



Cheese Mites. Mites are those minute creatures found in 

 cheese. To the eye they appear like moving particles of dust, 

 but the microscope discovers them to be animals, perfect in all 

 their parts, having as regular a figure, and performing all the func- 

 tions of life as well as those animals which are many millions times 

 their size. The head is formed like a pig's, they have two small 

 eyes, and are extremely quick-sighted. Each leg has six joints, 

 with claws. The body is covered with long hair. These crea- 

 tures, male and female, are produced from the eggs, and come 

 forth perfect insects ; though extremely minute, you may some- 

 times see them break the shell and force their way out. The egg 

 itself is a curious object for the microscope. The mites may be 

 kept alive for months, between two glasses, or in the object box. 

 The best method of preserving them for the microscope is to put 

 some bits of old cheese into a small phial and pierce some holes 

 in the cork for air : by gently heating the bottle, they will crawl 

 up the sides, and through the holes of the cork, and can be brushed 

 off with a camel-hair brush, free from dirt, on the glass. 

 Mites may also be found in stale flour, or in the dust of the dried 

 fig. Mr. T. Carpenter, among many other curious anatomical 

 dissections, has succeeded in dissecting the jaws of one of these 

 insects, and has displayed them most beautifully between two 

 pieces of glass : they are, as may be supposed, extremely dehcate, 

 but can be seen very distinctly. 



