A Windfall for the Microscope. 15 



titan the jelly had done ; he also remarked that they were most 

 abundant near the stern of the vessel, just where snow with a 

 little wind, or small hail with a good deal of wind would have 

 been sure to collect; but this remark refers only to their 

 position ; the total quantity was much smaller than a deposit of 

 snow or hail would have been. 



Having now fully detailed the antecedents of the jelly, I 

 proceed to the second part of my story. I left the jelly 

 for five days in the tumbler — out of sight, and, I believe, to a 

 certain extent, out of mind also ; and the small portion of that 

 with brown particles which I had last examined with the 

 microscope remained still in the " animalcule cage," slightly 

 flattened between its two discs of glass. 



On placing the animalcule cage under the microscope on 

 August 25th I saw with sudden surprise that several singular- 

 looking larvce had made their appearance among the jelly. 

 That they had been produced from the brown particles was 

 evident, as many empty shells were visible, and other similar 

 larva? could be discerned ready to come out of the particles, or 

 eggs, as they may in future be called. 



Fig. 9 shows the larvae, the eggs, and the " empty shells" 

 above alluded to. The eggs display the cellular structure so 

 commonly observed in minute aquatic insects and animalcules. 



These larvaa were remarkable for their transparency, re- 

 minding the spectator of Dickens's observation with reference 

 to Marley's ghost, — " His body was transparent, so that 

 Scrooge, observing him and looking through his waistcoat 

 could see the two buttons on his coat behind \" I at once 

 recognized their forms as familiar to me. A similar insect, 

 with its strange, seal-like head and tiny pairs of feet (seal-like 

 also) has often thrust itself across the field of view — a giant 

 among pigmies — while I have been examining minute animal- 

 cules with one of the higher powers of the microscope. 



The larvse appeared perpetually struggling to free them- 

 selves from the jelly, and always incommoded by the slippery 

 glass above and below them ; except when they indulged in a 

 lively dance in the surrounding drop of water. Their gait in 

 this movement having reminded me of the common " blood- 

 worm," Fig. 11 (larva of Ghironomus plumosus, an insect nearly 

 allied to the gnats), I obtained one of the latter from a water- 

 trough which abounded in its mud hiding-places, and observed 

 that the new larvaj were very similar to it. 



This gave me a hint for the more comfortable establishment 

 of the little Westmeath strangers. I placed them in a wine- 

 glass half full of stagnant water, strained through muslin to 

 guard against the presence of larger, and possibly hostile 

 insects; and to the same miniature aquarium I removed the 



