"A field of view" depends for its interest and variety upon what kind of water we put under the microscope. In the one here represented, I first took a tiny spray of plant with a brickmaker's house attached, and laid it on the hollow glass slide and then used the dipping-tube and brought up some of the sediment from the bottom of the bottle; this proved to contain several singular-looking plants and animals shown here.
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, are diatoms, and figures 7 and 8 are desmids. Naturalists formerly placed both diatoms and desmids in the animal kingdom, but now all agree that the desmids are plants, while some few still maintain that the diatoms are animals. But the weight of evidence is on the plant side of the question.
The desmids are wonderfully beautiful plants; the markings and colors are exquisite. A number of species are found in the sediment of every swamp and pond.
The diatoms often grow in long ribbon-like masses (fig. 3), and then partially separate, remaining joined together at the angles so as to form a zigzag chain as seen at figure 4. They have the power of moving through the water, changing their places like animals.
A great variety of forms are found, both diatoms and desmids, many still undescribed, inviting the young microscopist to study and name them.
Figures 10 and 11 are different forms of a little animal, Trichoda lynceus. It undergoes a great many changes. In some of its stages, it looks so different from the figures here represented that you would never dream of its being the same creature.
VIII.—THE VORTICELLAS.
CARCHESIUM POLYPINUM.