THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
23 
Dangerous Toys. 
POISONOUS confectionery and toilet 
articles have received a good deal of 
attention in this country, but thus far we 
know of no efforts to prevent the sale of 
poisonous toys. 
A plentiful and cheap supply of toys 
will, it is generally considered, contribute 
to the happiness of children and the tran- 
quility of their parents, but the recent 
action of the authorities in Paris suggests 
that this result may not always be in- 
sured. A toy producing the symptoms of 
lead poisoning is not so conducive to the 
diversion of children and the peace of 
their parents, as the Parisian itinerant 
vendor of these wares would have us be- 
lieve. A number of boxes, filled with 
toys, painted in brilliant colors, elastic 
balls colored and varnished, soldiers in 
every variety of uniform, have been seized 
by the French police. It has been proved 
that the color would easily come off, par- 
ticularly if the children put the toys to 
their mouths— a habit which seems in- 
herent in every child's nature. "These 
playthings," says the Lancet, "painted 
with poisonous colors, had been imported 
from Eurth, in Bavaria, and a committee 
of the manufacturers of that town has re- 
cently held a meeting on tiiis subject. A 
circular was at once issued to all the toy 
manufacturers, urging them to use non- 
poisonous paints, and reminding them 
that according to the German law, they 
had exposed themselves to penalties — 
fines and imprisonment." The Gesnnd- 
heit, of Frankfort, remarks that but for 
the repressive measures adopted in Paris, 
the German authorities would still neglect 
to enforce the German law. This apathy, 
according to the German papers, is all the 
more reprehensible, as the Furth manu- 
facturers send their toys all over Ger- 
many, and may, therefore, poison the 
children of the Fatherland as well as the 
little Parisians— a consideration which, in 
the Teutonic mind, must greatly increase 
the gravity of the question. To us the 
matter is not less serious. It is well 
known that the majority — in fact, nearly 
all — of the cheap toys sold in the United 
States, are imported from Germany, and 
we regret that it is to the Parisians rather 
than to the United States authorities that 
we must attribute the honor of seizing 
these dangerous playthings. We trust 
that no time will be lost in following this 
excellent example, and that a more strict 
watch will be kept to prevent the impor- 
tation from abroad of poison for the nur- 
sery. 
How a Hair Looks Under the Micro- 
scope. 
EVEEYBODY has heard of hairs as seen 
under the microscope, and this and 
" the animalcules in water," are generally 
the first objects that most people desire- 
to see when the opportunity of looking 
through a microscope first presents itself. 
The popular ideas as to how a hair looks, 
are very vague, and in many points erron-^ 
eous, particularly those in regard to all 
hairs being tubes. This error has been 
repeated time and again in popular books,, 
and yet, as we shall see, it has not a parti- 
cle of foundation, so far as liuman hairs 
are concerned. 
Nothing puzzles a beginner so much as 
the getting of a hair fixed under the mi- 
croscope so that it can be well seen, and if 
you wish to test the skill of an amateur 
I microscopist ask him to show you a hair. 
If he is very inexperienced he will lay it 
on the stage, and will find it impossible 
'to arrange it under the objective. Or, 
I perchance, he will lay it on a glass slide ; 
it is then more easily adjusted, but the 
, probability is that as soon as an attempt 
is made to look at it, the breath of the ob- 
! server will blow it away. After this diffi- 
! culty has been found two or three times, 
'the young microscopist will probably 
cover the hair with a piece of thin glass, 
i It is now easily managed, and can be very 
! readily brought under the object-glass of 
the microscope, but the view is misty and 
very unsatisfactory. Unless he has a 
teacher, or has learned from books how 
to do it, this is as far as the beginner is 
likely to get. We will, therefore, tell our 
young readers how to manage a hair so 
that it can be seen clearly and well, and 
without any bother or trouble. 
If you wish to get very good results, 
place the hair in a small pl:ial of ether or 
