natukal science news. 



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structural developments of various 

 animals are to be seen. By the 

 use of specimens and models some 

 of the internal secrets concerning 

 the development of embryo, skele- 

 ton modifications, etc., are to be 

 seen at a glance. For instance, 

 under modification of the skeleton 

 for locomotion is shown the kan- 

 garoo, the ape, the sloth and the 

 dude (mentioned in the order of 

 their value). 



Among the marine invertebrates 

 are to be seen many pretty objects, 

 both dried and in alcohol. 



The department of mollusks ex- 

 hibits a case of showy shells, and 

 must not be overlooked. 



A very fine exhibit of insects is 

 made, the popular portion being 

 eight frames of beautiful Lepidop- 

 tera and Cbleoptera (butterflies, 

 moths and beetles), gathered from 

 the four quarters of the globe. 



Passing on, we come to the fos- 

 sils; next the geological exhibits; 

 then the minerals, and on to the 

 ethnological. Here we see many 

 things of interest pertaining to the 

 life of the sons of the great Ameri- 

 can forests and plains. 



That the Smithsonian and Na- 

 tional Museum exhibits at Atlanta 

 will instruct the people drawn to 

 it by its attractiveness cannot for a 

 moment be doubted; the education- 

 al values of great museums cannot 

 be computed, and the unstinted 

 evidences of hearty appreciation of 

 the Government display by the 

 President of the United States and 

 the members of his cabinet during 

 the recent visit to the Atlanta Ex- 

 position was fully merited. — B. A. 

 Bean in Forest and Stream. 



How to Interest People in the 

 Microscope. 



It may be that some of the read- 

 ers of The Observer have become 

 discouraged in attempts to interest 

 their friends in what is wonderfully 

 beautiful to themselves, and I pre- 

 sume not a few have felt a wave of 

 disgust pass through their souls as 

 the friend, earnestly trying to seem 

 appreciative, and feeling a neces- 

 sity to liken the vision to some 

 known object, has remarked its 

 close similarity to a meeting-house, 

 a bit of lace, a strainer, a pine 

 tree, or a dog's tail. It is a fact 

 to be borne in mind, amid these 

 and kindred trials, that the eye 

 must be trained before it sees cor- 

 rectly, and this is particularly true 

 in the present case. The skillful 

 microscopist is in danger of forget- 

 ting his own difficulties with his 

 eyelashes the first time he looked 



through the tube upon the brilliant 

 background and saw something 

 glistening in the light. We do 

 not ordinarily hold what we are 

 looking at against the light, and 

 this is one reason why a new ob- 

 server is so dazed when he looks 

 into the microscope. With all due 

 regard to the good judgment and 

 common sense of the one who fails 

 to interest his friends in the micro- 

 scope, let me say the failure is gen- 

 erally due to either a wrong choice 

 of objects, or of the time selected 

 to display them. Of course a no- 

 vice with five minutes to catch a 

 train, will not give much intelli- 

 gent notice to a slide division of 

 nucleus in the hair of Tradescan- 

 tia, but he might take one glance 

 at a flower seed, and remember 

 while on the train how prettily 

 Nature has wrapped up the embryo 



Poppy- 

 Then there is another thought 

 concerning the introduction or pre- 

 face to the display. We all know 

 that one who has heard anything 

 highly praised in advance, rarely 

 deems it worthy of so great praise 

 when he sees it. It makes little 

 difference whether it be a land- 

 scape, a work of art, or a micro- 

 scopical slide. The one exploring 

 should have the right of making 

 his own discoveries of beauty, and 

 rejoicing in them in his own way, 

 however unconventional. If he 

 likens the object to some incon- 

 gruous thing — his case is not hope- 

 less. Every one of us may be 

 placed in a position where we can- 

 not speak the proper language used 

 by those at home in it. Therefore 

 explain all that is needed, and then 

 wait, and cordially welcome the 

 expression of wonder or pleasure, 

 and your reward shall be that you 

 have won the interest of your 

 friend. 



There must be judgment exer- 

 cised in the selection of objects. 

 This will involve considerations of 

 the age, information, and tastes of 

 the one you wish to please, as well 

 as the length of time advisable to 

 be taken. Often a single object 

 well shown is better than more — 

 because it leaves a perfectly clear 

 picture in the mind that is instruct- 

 ive to recall. Keep closely to the 

 simple things that are easily under- 

 stood and have no complicated 

 structure. 



There should be nothing to shock 

 or disturb the observer, so you 

 must be considerate of his natural 

 prejudices, and however much you 

 may enjoy the dissection of worms 

 or the comparison of cheese mites 

 with sugar mites, or abnormal tis- 



sue with normal — be sure the aver- 

 age spectator will shrink from the 

 sight and feel uneasy over the next 

 meal. (I would like to say all I 

 think of the evil done by blunder- 

 ing people in this line.) 



Confine yourself to low powers 

 until your friend has mastered the 

 matters of focus and moving the 

 object on the stage — and then use 

 high powers sparingly. Remem- 

 ber that the greater magnification 

 is obtained at the sacrifice of a 

 larger field, and that it is always 

 best to show as much general re- 

 lation between the parts of the ob- 

 ject as is possible. 



Children are fond of looking at 

 small insects, wings, feathers, seeds, 

 moss, sand, etc., and it is quite 

 safe to expect that older people 

 will enjoy them as well. With 

 adults, however, the difference will 

 be noticed, more attention can be 

 given to the details, and particu- 

 larly to the adaption of parts to 

 the use for which they are made. 

 Also the maturer mind will take 

 pleasure in observing the similari- 

 ties or differences between two or 

 more closely allied objects. 



Generally speaking, a lady will 

 be interested in botanical subjects 

 — pollen, sections of leaves or 

 stems, with their various forms of 

 cells and their contents, but it is 

 the man who will give the sections 

 of wood the closest attention. If 

 your friend is aged, be considerate 

 of the eyes that have passed their 

 prime, but never allow him to feel 

 that he cannot enjoy the pleasure 

 the others are receiving. 



Put on the stage an object that 

 has both thickness and color, as 

 crystals of bichromate of potassum, 

 or sand — or a flea — something that 

 will not be difficult to get a focus 

 that will show satisfactorily even 

 if it be not the best. Encourage 

 him to remove his glasses and take 

 time to adjust the focus to suit his 

 eye, and the sincere delight which 

 he will show when he finds that he 

 can see as well as the others, will 

 make you patient when the next 

 one declares that it is no use in 

 his trying to see. 



Do not forget the children of the 

 poor — or the very ignorant. A 

 simple thing which I never knew 

 to fail to draw attention is a fine 

 handkerchief placed over the stage 

 — and having caught their interest 

 it is easy to go on, and one can 

 never know but it may be an in- 

 centive to some waif to struggle 

 up into greater knowledge and 

 light. — Ella M. Drury, Boston, 

 Mass., in The Observer. 



