Limnology 



15 



knowledge of many of them was possible so long as the 

 most important things involved in them — often even 

 the causative organisms — cotdd not be seen. Progress 

 awaited the discovery of the microscope. 



The microscope opened a new world of life to human 

 eyes — "the world of the infinitely small things." It 

 revealed new marvels of beauty everywhere. It dis- 



FiG. I. Waterbloom (Euglena) on the surface film of the Renwick 

 lagoon at Ithaca. The clear streak is the wake of a boat just passed. 



covered myriads of living things where none had been 

 suspected to exist, and it brought the elements of 

 organic structure and the beginning processes of 

 organic development first within the range of our 

 vision. And this is not all. Much that might have 

 been seen with the unaided eye was overlooked until 

 the use of the microscope taught the need of closer 

 looking. It would be hard to overestimate the stimu- 

 lating effect of the invention of this precious instnmient 

 on all biological sciences. 



