BLOOD. 33 



must inako liiiu as comfortable as ciixnimstances will 

 admit. 



Willi, tlicii, wc talcc this strip of linen, damp it, 

 and pivH'ood to ^vrap up our miconscioiis subject. 

 When Nvo have passed two or three folds romid him, we 

 pass a tape round the whole, witli just sufficient tight- 

 ness to lcoe]i him from strugglinj;-. One hind-leg must 

 project fri)ui the linen, and we now pass a needle of 

 tliread twice or thrice through the drapery and round 

 the small of this free leg, so as to prevent him from re- 

 trai'ing it. 



Here then ho lies, swathed like a mummy, with one 

 little cold I'oot protruded. Lay him carefully on the 

 brass plate, so that the webbed toes shall stretch across 

 tho glass. Now, then, we pass aiKithcr tape through 

 tho nvargiual holes, and over the body, to bind it to tho 

 brass ; of course taking care not to cut the animal, but 

 only using just as much force as is needful to prevent 

 hia wrigglings. Now a bit of thread round each toe, 

 with which wo tie it to as many of tho holes, so as 

 to expand the web across tlie glass. A drop of cold 

 water now upon tho swathes to keep him cool, and 

 a touch of the same Avith a feather upon the toes 

 to pre\-ei\t them from drying (Avliich must be re- 

 peated at intcr\als during the examination), — and he is 

 ready. 



"What a striking spectacle is now presented to us, 

 as with a poAver of 3000 diameters Ave gaze on the Avcb 

 of tho foot 1 There is an area of clear colourless tissue 

 filling the field, marked all OA^er Avith delicate angular 

 lines, something like scales ; this is tho tessellated epi- 

 thelium of the surface. Our attention is caught by a 

 number of black spots, often taking fantastic forms, but 

 2* 



