THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
133 
all the specimens for quite a long period were 
taken from nearly the same spot, the number 
of species found was not very great, and was, 
of course, much influenced by the changes of 
the seasons. For some time the objects brought 
under the glass were different forms of confer- 
void algae, with a mixture of monads and Para- 
mecicB, These, to my then inexperienced eye, 
were the most wonderful objects ever beheld. 
On one occasion, however, a little later in the 
season, happening to obtain my specimens from 
a warm, sunny shallow in which a small tuft of 
hay was submerged, a shock of surprise and 
delight was experienced. It was a first view 
of what may be regarded as the most exquis¬ 
itely formed and beautiful of all the Infusoria, 
the AmphileptuSy Stentors, and Vorticellce. Many 
days and long evenings were delightfully spent 
in a never-tiring gaze at these beautiful objects 
—an indulgence that nearly cost the sight of a 
right eye, as for months afterward a black spot 
hung before the overstrained organ. No one 
who gets a true idea of the strange and beau¬ 
tiful forms of the Infusoria, in their intense 
activity, with their constant and magic changes 
of shapes and shades, can wonder that an eye 
12 
