156 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
particles, resembling radiating spikes, visible only with the 
aid of the microscope. Although a beautiful microscopic 
object, it is in that case valueless as an article of commerce. 
“ Some of the building materials employed by man are com- 
posed of the calcareous shells which formerly sheltered micro- 
scopical forms of a similar character; and the pyramids of 
Egypt are constructed of a stone that consists almost entirely 
of the shells of one well-known fossil species. 
“ Again, you have probably heard that the inhabitants of 
some of the poorer districts in Norway mix earth with then’ 
bread. This they call f bergmehl/ or mountain flour ; and 
Ehrenberg found, on examining it under the microscope, that 
it is composed almost solely of the exquisitely carved fossil 
cases or coverings of a number of veiy lowly forms, so lowly 
indeed, that it is undecided whether they belonged to the 
animal or vegetable kingdom. It is, however, usually sup- 
posed that they still retain sufficient organic matter to impart 
to them a slightly nutritive property ; and they are so beauti- 
fully framed, notwithstanding their excessive littleness, that no 
collector regards his cabinet complete without specimens of the 
various types. 
“ And one more example you will find in a very fine polish- 
ing powder, which is employed on account of its hardness to 
burnish metals and stones, and in the flinty stone called 
‘ tripoli/ from which it is obtained. This, too, consists 
entirely of fossil silicious shells. 
“ Many are the objects to which I could draw your attention, 
whereof you do not know the true nature, but which are con- 
stituted of these animated atoms, either recent or fossil ; and 
naturalists have but just commenced the study of this branch 
of science, new substances being continually discovered in 
which these humblest of animated types are revealed with the 
aid of the microscope; indeed, it has been shown, beyond a 
doubt, that whole mountain ranges on land, and beds of sand 
in the ocean, are composed entirely of then invisible habita- 
tions.” 
It was late in the evening when I had concluded this brief 
discourse upon the lowest forms of animal existence ; and, left 
alone in my study, I sat down, as is my wont, after inspecting 
the beautiful scenes of the microscopical world, to reflect upon 
the lessons which they convey to the thinking mind. 
My thoughts wandered back to the time when all these 
strange phenomena, these evidences of the Creator’s presence 
in every atom, were still concealed from the vulgar eye, and 
were known more imperfectly even than at present, and 
only to the privileged few. And then they sought to pene- 
