UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 BIOLOGY 
 
 LIBRARY Class 
 
 G 
 
Plate V. 
 
 < \ lit //.// r /b/r/M 
 
LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 THE BIBLE AND PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 83O Arch Street. 
 
 |q\ 
 
GREAT WONDERS 
 
 IN 
 
 LITTLE THINGS 
 
 BY REV. SIDNEY DYER, A.M. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 THE BIBLE AND PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 530 ARCH STREET. 
 
UBRARV 
 
 G 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by 
 
 THE BIBLE AND PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 WESTCOTT & THOMSON, 
 Stereotypers, Philada. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 As the object in preparing this work was not 
 to teach science, but to amuse and instruct chil- 
 dren, the hard names and scientific classifications 
 have been, as far as possible, omitted in the text. 
 At the same time, care has been taken that the 
 statements should be reliable descriptions of the 
 different objects. The author has presented classes 
 rather than individual species; but for the bene- 
 fit of those who may desire to become acquainted 
 with the terminology a list has been prepared to 
 accompany each plate. 
 
 While aiming to bring minute objects as vividly 
 as possible before the minds of the young, the 
 author is aware that no description will give his 
 youthful readers any just conception of micro- 
 scopic revelations; hence he has provided care- 
 fully-prepared original and selected drawings of 
 the forms of life described, and grouped them in 
 
 2271^8 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 classes, so as to give a vivid impression of the 
 objects treated in the text, in most cases colored 
 as near to life as possible. 
 
 In addition to his own long and careful studies, 
 the writer acknowledges his large indebtedness to 
 Ehrenberg, Gosse, Drs. Hogg and Griffith and 
 Pritchard, from whom he has borrowed freely 
 both statement and illustration. 
 
 This work is an attempt to fill a wholly unoc- 
 cupied niche in juvenile literature, and it has 
 been the special aim to impress the young reader 
 with the beautiful and profound moral lessons 
 which Natural History, properly understood, al- 
 ways teaches, and for which microscopic studies 
 furnish peculiarly impressive occasions. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 I. THE Two MENAGERIES 9 
 
 II. THE EXPEDITION 21 
 
 III. THE WONDERFUL OPTICS 33 
 
 IV. MONADS AND PARAMECIUM 51 
 
 V. KOTIFERS 67 
 
 VI. VORTICELLA 85 
 
 VII. EUGLENA, AST ASIA, AND VlBRIONES 105 
 
 VIII. POLYPS AND POLYZOA 117 
 
 IX. MINUTE WONDERS OF THE SEA 131 
 
 X. CORAL POLYPS AND THEIR DWELLINGS 151 
 
 XL ANNELIDA 169 
 
 XII. CONFERVOID ALG^E 187 
 
 XIII. PALMELLA, DESMIDS, AND VOLVOCINE 207 
 
 XIV. LIVING DIATOMS , 227 
 
 ' XV. FOSSIL INFUSORIA 243 
 
 XVI. PRACTICAL USES OF THE MICROSCOPE 263 
 
 XVII. PRACTICAL USES OF THE MICROSCOPE. CON- 
 TINUED 281 
 
 XVIIL THE FINAL EXHIBITION 301 
 
 XIX. THE SURPRISE 319 
 
 1* 5 
 
hwr 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE TWO MENAGERIES. 
 
 ""VTOW, isn't that too bad!" said Alf Green as 
 -^-^ the children came pouring out of the old 
 brown school-house at Woodlawn, from which they 
 had just been dismissed. "The great menagerie 
 will be in town to-morrow with elephants, the hip- 
 popotamus, lions, tigers, monkeys, and all sorts of 
 curious animals, and Mr. Willard will not grant us 
 even a half holiday that we may go and see them. 
 It is real mean in him, and I don't think we ought 
 to stand it. I'm sure there can be no great harm 
 in going to see a show of wild beasts. We don't 
 often get the chance, and it is right down cruel to 
 deprive us of such a rare opportunity to study nat- 
 ural history." 
 
 " But you forget," said George Snow, a sober and 
 thoughtful lad who always respected the opinions 
 and wishes of his teacher^ "to state the reasons which 
 
 9 
 
10 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Mr. Willard gave to justify his refusal. You know 
 he very clearly stated that he had no objections to 
 the exhibition of natural curiosities, but could not 
 approve of the circus connected with it, where men 
 and women often appear very improperly dressed, 
 who use vulgar and profane language, and whose 
 evil influences will far more than counterbal- 
 ance all the information that may be obtained. 
 Besides this, you recollect, he promised that we 
 should have a menagerie at the school which would 
 contain more and rarer animals than would be found 
 in the traveling show. Just remember, too, we're to 
 have a jolly time in catching them all ourselves !" 
 
 " Now isn't that a likely story," responded Tim 
 Allen. " I wonder where he will find his great curi- 
 osities in these parts? for I know every nook and 
 corner around Woodlawn, and I haven't seen any- 
 thing outside of our barnyard larger than a chip- 
 monk or a musk-rat, and it is rather too short notice 
 to fit out an expedition to Asia or Africa and hope to 
 get back with our collection by to-morrow afternoon. 
 He is only trying to pull the wool over our eyes, 
 and I for one am not going to stand it. I guess my 
 father will give me permission to go, if Mr. Willard 
 won't." 
 
 "It does seem a strange promise," replied George 
 Siiow, "but, Mr. Willard ha never deceived us, and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 11 
 
 I confess I am more interested to learn how he will 
 redeem his pledge than I am to attend the men- 
 agerie. I am quite sure he will have something par- 
 ticularly interesting to show us, and I shall not ask 
 my father for an excuse that I may be absent with- 
 out censure." 
 
 "That's just the way I feel," said Willie Hunt. 
 " We all know that we have a glorious good teacher, 
 who tries. to do all he can to instruct and make us 
 happy ; and, for one, I'm not going to do anything 
 that he disapproves of or manifest a want of respect. 
 I'm sure we ought to return his kindness by at least 
 respecting his wishes." 
 
 This, after a further interchange of opinion, 
 seemed the general sentiment of the scholars as they 
 separated for their homes. And as they scattered, 
 there was such an increasing curiosity to find out 
 Mr. Willard's secret as ensured a prompt and full 
 attendance on the following day, without any very 
 strong regrets at being deprived of the sightseeing 
 at the menagerie and circus. 
 
 In every home that night there was much chatting 
 and guessing as to what Mr. Willard could mean, 
 nor could the maturer information of the parents 
 ttirow much light on the subject, except, perhaps, in 
 the case of good old Dr. Newton. In reply to the 
 questions and chatter of his inquisitive little daugh- 
 
12 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ter Nettie, he quietly remarked that there were 
 some things in this great world of wonders that could 
 not be seen with common eyes, and it was more than 
 likely that Mr. Willard possessed an uncommon 
 pair, so wonderfully constructed that they could see 
 strange things where there seemed to be nothing, and 
 what was stranger still, he could lend them to others 
 without impairing their wonderful powers. 
 
 Little Nettie's own eyes grew large with wonder 
 as she exclaimed : 
 
 " Why, papa, I know that people sometimes wear 
 artificial eyes, for I've seen old Mr. Brooks take one 
 of his out and put it back again, but I didn't know 
 that any one could see with such eyes." 
 
 "Neither can they, my pet," replied the doctor. 
 " But all eyes are not made alike, and perhaps your 
 bright little peepers, which certainly are sharp 
 enough for some purposes, and sometimes see a little 
 too much, may find out many curious things by 
 taking a look through Mr. Willard's wonderful op- 
 tics. It is more than likely, when you have done 
 so, that you will lose your relish for certain sweet 
 things of which you are very fond." 
 
 Nettie was puzzled more than ever, but with all 
 her teasing and fond kisses she could get no more 
 satisfactory explanation of Mr. Willard's purpose, 
 and had to wait until the next day should solve the 
 
GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 13 
 
 mystery. It is but truth to say that it was a severe 
 tax upon her curiosity and patience. 
 
 In this she was not alone, for many a young head, 
 amid the slumbers of that intervening night, was 
 filled with dreams wherein lions, tigers, monkeys, 
 and other wild and strange beasts played a conspicu- 
 ous part, with some nondescript creatures which are 
 not found in Buffon or Goldsmith, and certainly did 
 not meet* their counterparts in the exhibition seen 
 on the following day. 
 
 . When morning at last put to flight these crea- 
 tures of the imagination, there was an unusual 
 promptness in the youthful toilets in Wood lawn, 
 and healthy appetites were quickly satisfied without 
 much epicurean regard to the quality of the viands 
 set before them. 
 
 The old school-house bell no sooner rung out the, 
 for once, tardy hour of nine o'clock than there was 
 a mutual rush to get the first sight of the collection 
 of wonders which they supposed Mr. Willard would 
 have to begin with. When all were at last seated 
 in their usual places, it was not difficult to read 
 those youthful countenances, where curiosity and 
 disappointment were so strongly blended. Nothing 
 out of the accustomed order met their gaze, save that 
 on the desk of their teacher they noticed a number 
 of small, open-mouthed glass jars, a few paper boxes 
 2 
 
14 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 such as druggists use for putting up pills, and a 
 small box in which these things seemed to fit. 
 
 As they sat looking at each other some could not 
 restrain a quizzical expression, which plainly indi- 
 cated their conviction that a practical joke had been 
 played upon them. Others as plainly showed, by a 
 nervous restlessness, their entire want of appreciation 
 of such treatment on the part of their teacher. It 
 seemed to be adding insult to a supposed wrong. 
 Some were vexed and disappointed, and took no 
 pains to conceal their feelings. 
 
 From a survey of those youthful faces one could 
 not have failed in the conclusion that a large por- 
 tion of the scholars had secretly resolved to play 
 truant in the afternoon, in order to attend the con- 
 traband exhibition. 
 
 All this was plainly observed by the devoted 
 teacher, whose countenance wore a calm but some- 
 what quizzical expression, indicating a quiet enjoy- 
 ment of the groundless perplexity of his beloved 
 pupils, yet evincing a consciousness of ability to re- 
 move all their unfavorable suspicions by affording 
 them instruction and amusement which would more 
 than compensate for the self-denial which he had 
 called upon them to practice. 
 
 The school was opened in the usual manner, Mr. 
 Willard reading before prayer the one hundred and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 15 
 
 fourth Psalm. The children noticed that he read 
 with unusual emphasis, especially when repeating 
 the twenty-fourth and fifth verses : 
 
 " O Lord, how wonderful are thy works; in wis- 
 dom hast thou made them all ; the earth is full of 
 thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein 
 are things creeping innumerable, both small and 
 great beasts/' 
 
 After this interesting exercise was concluded, the 
 teacher said : 
 
 "My dear pupils, I am much gratified at the con- 
 fidence you have shown by your full and prompt at- 
 tendance this morning, and I hope I shall so succeed 
 in my efforts to instruct and please you that you 
 will have no occasion to regret your cheerful acqui- 
 escence in my plans for spending the day, nor feel that 
 you have lost any valuable instruction or real enjoy- 
 ment by not witnessing the public exhibition which is 
 to visit our town to-day. If, however, I shall unfor- 
 tunately not meet your expectations, you must at- 
 tribute it to a want of ability, and not to a want of 
 proper regard for your highest good. 
 
 " As we shall have none of the usual recitations 
 to-day, you may put your books carefully away. I 
 suggest, however, that you provide yourselves with 
 pencils and paper, that you may carefully make a 
 note of what you may see or hear, closing up your 
 
16 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 record by expressing your estimate of the manner in, 
 which you have spent your time, and the profit de- 
 rived from the subjects which I may present. Let 
 this record be made up as a true sketch of your feel- 
 ings ; and to all those who finally decide that they 
 could have enjoyed themselves more rationally and 
 pleasantly by attending the menagerie than by wit- 
 nessing what I shall have to show, I promise a half 
 holiday and twenty-five cents, the price charged for 
 entering the show, to spend as they please. 
 
 " Now, permit me to say that objects become in- 
 teresting to us both from their variety and the won- 
 derful mechanism displayed in their organization. 
 There is no more skill exhibited in the construction 
 of an elephant or a lion than there is in that of the 
 ox or the horse, and the only reason why they excite 
 more curiosity than these familiar and useful crea- 
 tures is because they are so seldom seen in our coun- 
 try, being natives of Asia and Africa, whence they 
 are imported with great expense for the purpose of 
 exhibition. In some parts of the world our common 
 animals are as great a curiosity as are these noble 
 beasts to us, and it is certainly a gratifying fact to 
 know that ours are far the most useful. 
 
 " Most of you, if not all, have seen specimens of 
 all the strange animals included in the collection 
 which is to visit our town, and would, therefore, learn 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 17 
 
 little that is strange or new. But there may be in 
 this vast world of ours, so full of the riches of divine 
 skill, creatures quite as wonderful in their construc- 
 tion and habits, and, indeed, much more so, which 
 you have never seen, and of whose existence you 
 have, perhaps, no knowledge. 
 
 " Because they are so much smaller will in nowise 
 lessen our wonder, but rather increase it, as they 
 exhibit th Creator's power and wisdom in a more 
 marvelous degree. Man can imitate all large crea- 
 tures by carved images or painted likenesses ; he can 
 construct models of all their organs, and place them 
 in the body properly located in short, do all but 
 give the animal the breath of life. But when we 
 find creatures so minute that our unaided natural 
 senses utterly fail to discover even the fact of their 
 existence, and when discovered by the aid of the 
 most wonderfully constructed instruments we find it 
 quite impossible for us to handle and dissect them, 
 we can only say with the inspired and astonished 
 Psalmist, ' Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.' 
 With these marvelous forms of life we can do noth- 
 ing : it is only with a magnified image that we 
 learn something of the invisible reality. 
 
 " It is to such a world of nature that I seek to 
 introduce you to-day, and if I mistake not, you will 
 be wiser when night shall come, and I trust better 
 2* B 
 
18 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 also, for unless this shall be the result, your know- 
 ledge will profit you little. The mere knowing is 
 but a personal gratification : it is what that know- 
 ledge leads us to. do that is the great end of all just 
 attainments : 
 
 " 'Tis not what you know, but the good you may do, 
 That rounds out your manhood, full, earnest, and true." 
 
 "The works of God are sought out by all those 
 who have pleasure therein. But unless each acqui- 
 sition leads to a greater reverence and love for him 
 whose wisdom and goodness created all these things, 
 our knowledge but puffeth up, and is vain. For a 
 man that is in honor, and understandeth not, is like 
 the beasts that perish I" 
 
ambition. 
 
 19 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 A FTER a brief intermission, Mr. Willard again 
 -^*- called the attention of the children, and re- 
 sumed his discourse. 
 
 " It may be an act," said he, " requiring more 
 personal courage to capture the huge hippopotamus 
 in his reedy lair, or beard the kingly lion in his 
 native jungle, than we shall be called upon to exer- 
 cise in making our collection to-day ; but I feel 
 quite sure that we can realize as much true pleasure 
 in the pursuit of our treasures as do the Eastern 
 Nimrods, and we shall have no distracting fears of 
 the fatal results often attending their more daring 
 expeditions after the fierce denizens of the Asiatic 
 jungles. Nor shall we have to hunt so far and so 
 long for our prey as to become overwearied, and 
 thus lessen the pleasures of our excursion. In 
 another respect we have a great advantage over 
 hunters after larger game. Their outfit often costs 
 a small fortune, for which they get little or no re- 
 turn, as they frequently come back more empty- 
 
 21 
 
22 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Jars for Specimens. 
 
 handed than they went. A few dollars is all the ex- 
 pense we shall incur in providing our full equip- 
 ment. 
 
 " Our cages are not large nor very strong, as you 
 
 at once perceive. 
 
 " Small and frail as 
 they are, they will 
 prove ample for all 
 the purposes of our ex- 
 pedition, being abun- 
 dantly capacious and 
 secure for all the cap- 
 tures we shall make. 
 Small as they are, 
 however, I shall be greatly disappointed if you do 
 not return with a vastly larger collection of wonder- 
 ful curiosities than can be found under the great 
 canvas tent which I saw them pitching out yonder 
 on the common as I came to the school-house this 
 morning. 
 
 " In our hunting expedition the girls can share 
 without the least fear of harm, or of doing anything 
 unbecoming the proprieties of their sex. Indeed, I 
 shall be much surprised if they do not return with 
 quite as large an assortment of curiosities as the 
 boys will obtain. To them I shall assign these little 
 boxes as receptacles of what they may secure. To 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 23 
 
 you, boys, I will distribute these little bottles in the 
 case now before me, and permit me to express the 
 ardent hope that you will never use a bottle to any 
 worse purpose. Many have found the bottle to con- 
 tain something far more dangerous than the wild 
 beast of the forest something which at last ' biteth 
 like a serpent and stingeth like an adder.' Most 
 fatally does it fasten its poisonous fangs in the 
 bosoms of those who thus dare to toy with it. 
 
 " Our searching will have to be made in various 
 directions, in order to secure a sufficient variety of 
 animals to make our exhibition interesting, and you 
 can divide yourselves into parties according to your 
 preferences, each different company taking one or 
 more of these bottles and boxes. Small as they are, 
 you will doubtless bring back in them a far greater 
 number of wonderful creatures than you now have 
 any conception of, yet your cages will not be over- 
 crowded nor will you be burdened in bringing back 
 your acquisitions. 
 
 " By a count which I have made, the show on the 
 common will contain less than one hundred animals, 
 including the beautiful horses, which form a large 
 part of the attraction. My calculations will be very 
 much at fault if you do not bring back in each one 
 of these receptacles hundreds and thousands of most 
 curious and wonderful creatures, although some of 
 
24 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 you will return with apparently only a few drops of 
 clear water. 
 
 " One thing further before I distribute these requi- 
 sites of our expedition. 
 
 " If there is a boy or girl present who really does 
 not wish heartily to join in our day's enjoyment, let 
 such a one please hold up the hand, and leave of 
 absence will be granted, as we want no unwilling 
 members in our company." Mr. Willard paused for a 
 few moments, but there were none who seemed disposed 
 to avail themselves of this once-coveted privilege. 
 
 "I am very much gratified/' said Mr. Willard, 
 " to find that none wish to withdraw from our 
 circle." 
 
 Taking up one of the bottles, he continued : 
 
 " I noticed last week, as I passed by Deacon Nor- 
 ton's pasture, that there was a small pond of water 
 which has remained there under the influences of the 
 warm sunshine ever since the last refreshing thunder 
 shower. It has rested there on the rich sward, ap- 
 pearing bright and clear as when it first fell fresh 
 and sparkling from the clouds. I especially want a 
 bottle of that, and will assign to Alfred Green, and 
 three or four others who may choose to accompany 
 him, the duty of obtaining it. Do not let the com- 
 mission be regarded as a small matter, for it is more 
 than probable that you will bring to our collection 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 25 
 
 more trophies than any other party which may be 
 sent out. 
 
 " Willie Hunt and party may search the old ditch 
 running through Squire Walton's bog meadow, 
 making their captures where the rushes and spatter- 
 docks grow so thickly from its muddy bottom. It 
 is a region full of life, and I have little doubt that 
 many very curious specimens will be added to our 
 collection.' 
 
 " George Snow, you may fill your glass cage in 
 the adjoining field, where there's a stagnant pond 
 filled with water-lilies and long fronds of hornwort 
 and Vallisneria, with some portions of its surface 
 wearing a greenish covering. I will answer for the 
 full complement of rare creatures which you will 
 capture by the operation. 
 
 " Timothy Allen may visit the marl pits over the 
 hills, where will be found deposits of two varieties 
 of marl, distinct both in color and composition one 
 being a mass formed almost entirely of shells, many 
 of which are of good size and of perfect shape, while 
 the other is of a dark green shade, appearing as a 
 sandy, friable substance, but being in reality the 
 skeletons of an extinct race of tiny creatures, mil- 
 lions of which are found in every square inch of the 
 deposit. It is owing to this fact that it has become 
 a source of great wealth to the neighboring farmers, 
 
 3 
 
26 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 bringing rich fertility to fields which would other- 
 wise not pay for their culture. 
 
 " Another party of boys may secure some water 
 from the clear spring brook behind the old stone 
 meeting-house, taking it up where the thick water- 
 cresses grow, and though we may not find so many 
 animals in the water which they will obtain, we shall 
 obtain some very beautiful ones, with a multitude of 
 objects of rare form and color." 
 
 The boxes were then distributed to the girls, who 
 were sent to catch vagrant butterflies and millers 
 with as many varieties of colors as possible, to bring 
 thimbles full of Tripoli dust and rotten stone, chips 
 of limestone or marble, grains of stale sugar, the 
 dust of old figs, damaged flour, stale vinegar, and 
 many other things which might add interest to the 
 future examinations, until each scholar had some 
 important commission to fulfill in the grand prepara- 
 tions for the coming entertainment. 
 
 This arrangement completed, the school was dis- 
 missed until two o'clock in the afternoon, when each 
 party was to report the measure of success, and the 
 grand results of the entire campaign were to be pro- 
 duced. 
 
 In the excited group which once more came pour- 
 ing out of the old school-house door there was not 
 one who entertained any lingering regrets about miss- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 27 
 
 ing a visit to the exhibition on the common. They 
 began to have an inkling of the nature of the treat 
 which their teacher was preparing for them a field 
 of interest entirely new, and one which they felt it 
 would be a rare opportunity to investigate. 
 
 When they scattered to fulfill their various com- 
 missions, there went forth a happy company of youth- 
 ful searchers after the wonderful. So eager and 
 earnest were they that the distant sound of the circus 
 band approaching for the grand entree into the bor- 
 ough did not long delay many of their active feet, 
 but away to the meadows and hills they rushed, 
 happy in half a day's freedom, free to ramble among 
 the beauties of nature, breathing the free air with 
 elastic lungs that sent the fresh blush of the summer 
 roses to their cheeks. Moreover, each one was in- 
 spired by a high mission that invested long familiar 
 and neglected objects with an interest of inconceiv- 
 able importance. The muddy ditch, hitherto so un- 
 sightly and so carefully avoided, the puddle of stag- 
 nant water, the green scum that had only suggested 
 fever and ague, the imbedded lump of marl or chip 
 of marble, now contained marvelous wonders and 
 untold volumes of wisdom which they were soon to 
 possess. Such chasing of feminine feet after butter- 
 flies and trapping of moths and millers, such rum- 
 maging into Biddy's scouring-box and pantry for 
 
28 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 rotten stone and brown sugar, and such splashing 
 into muddy ditches and slimy ponds were never be- 
 fore seen in Wood lawn. 
 
 The farm laborers in the neighborhood thought 
 that the boys had broken out in a general rebellion 
 against the authority of the master, and were pre- 
 paring themselves with munitions to carry on the 
 war, while the perplexed Biddies declared that the 
 "girls had gone crazy entirely." 
 
 It was indeed wonderful how the juvenile popu- 
 lation of Woodlawn had become excited by the wise 
 manipulation of a skillful teacher. Instead of di- 
 rectly opposing authority, or the logic of moral rela- 
 tions, to draw his young charge from a hurtful indul- 
 gence, which would likely have provoked stubborn 
 resolves of stealthy gratification, he had diverted 
 their minds by presenting something that would feed 
 the natural cravings for novelty. By superior at- 
 tractions he was drawing them into wisdom's ways. 
 The steps thus far taken showed how large a promise 
 there was of a complete success. He is wiser who 
 prevents the doing of an evil deed than he who wins 
 to repentance after the offence has been committed. 
 
 The children not only went forth excited, but with 
 their senses quickened. Especially was it true of 
 their manner of observation. They had " sharp 
 eyes" that forenoon, each one resolving to find out, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 29 
 
 if possible, what they were to carry back in their 
 receptacles before they submitted their acquisitions 
 to the teacher's inspection. Not a few of them did 
 discover some wonderfully curious things, which they 
 were quite positive were just what they were sent 
 after, and were not a little elated at the supposed 
 success. They found out many curious objects by 
 such careful searching under leaves of water lilies 
 and cresses, old mossy stones and logs, and slimy 
 deposits, of which they resolved to make special re- 
 port when called upon in the afternoon. Astonished 
 by these unusual forms of life, they wondered how 
 they could have remained so long undiscovered when 
 they were so easily found. They were thus learn- 
 ing the lesson that there are many who, having 
 eyes, yet see not, because they do not use them 
 aright. Looking is not always seeing. There may 
 be thousands of beautiful things all around us, 
 yet we may remain quite unconscious of them, be- 
 cause we fail to exercise perception enough to recog- 
 nize even their existence, much less appreciate their 
 attractions. God has made the beautiful things of 
 earth, and scattered his wondrous works all around 
 us, that we may learn how 
 
 " All matter quick, and bursting into birth ; 
 Above, how high progressive life may go ! 
 Around, how wide ! how deep extend below ! 
 3* 
 
30 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Beast, bird, fish, insect, what no eye can see, 
 No glass can reach, from infinite to thee, 
 From thee to nothing. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 All spread their charms, but charm not all alike : 
 On different senses different objects strike." 
 
anberfnl fUcs. 
 
 31 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE WONDERFUL OPTICS. 
 
 THE hour for commencing the afternoon session 
 found* the several companies assembled with 
 their trophies, bottled, boxed, and encased, living 
 and fossilized. Each youthful enthusiast had some 
 exciting incident of the expedition to relate, or won- 
 derful object to present, which he thought must be 
 the very thing he had been sent to obtain. 
 
 Sidney Marvin, who had led the exploration to 
 Lawrence's creek, back of the meeting-house, had 
 captured several curious little creatures encased in 
 oddly-constructed dwellings, out of which their 
 heads were protruded when not alarmed. He pro- 
 duced one with some degree of triumph, saying : 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Willard, I've got the funniest little 
 creature here you ever saw ! Just see him ! He 
 lives in a log house with a little stone glued to one 
 end of it. I guess this is just what you sent me for." 
 
 "Well, Sidney," replied the teacher, "you have 
 brought us a very curious addition to our collection, 
 C 33 
 
34 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 and one that I am very glad to have, although I did 
 not think of him when I sent you out. 
 
 " It is a specimen of the caddice worm, which is 
 gradually transformed into the well-known case fly, 
 which you so often meet with around meadow brooks, 
 
 Caddice Worm. 
 
 being in form much like the dragon fly y or ' devil's 
 darning-needle,' as you boys are accustomed to call 
 it, though of a much smaller size. 
 
 "They are amusing little fellows, those cads. 
 Sometimes their home is a spherical case of three or 
 four joints, as in the specimen before us, but more 
 generally constructed by laying three sticks across 
 each other in the form of a triangle, and then re- 
 peating the process until a sufficient number are 
 added to complete the structure. This has a rough 
 exterior, and serves as a kind of protection from its 
 enemies, as an abattis does to a fort. Within, how- 
 ever, he is careful to adjust everything with the 
 utmost smoothness, over which he puts a rich coat 
 of plaster. These houses are sometimes constructed 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 35 
 
 with nice regard to beauty, being formed of alternate 
 shades of color, put in fine contrast, from which 
 many a one might receive a profitable lesson on taste. 
 
 " Another mark of the intelligence of this little 
 creature is seen in the manner of securing itself from 
 destruction by the rapid current of the stream where 
 it makes its house. Being constructed of very light 
 material, it would, if not prevented by some device, 
 float in the current, and thus be dashed to pieces, or 
 worn out by constant friction. How is this to be 
 prevented, yet freedom of motion be secured ? The 
 little cad selects a small pebb]e, such as it can easily 
 drag about with slight efforts, yet sufficient to anchor 
 it to the bottom when these efforts cease. A nice 
 matter of adjustment, you would say, requiring 
 scales and measuring line ; but our little friend hits 
 the happy medium without the use of either. The 
 instincts which God bestows on some of the most 
 insignificant of his creatures often baffle our higher 
 gift of reason, both in the use of means and in the 
 achieved results. 
 
 "I have taken great interest in watching the 
 habits of these little log-cabin builders, having early 
 introduced them into my aquarium, where, above 
 all, their ways can be observed. For some weeks 
 all seemed to make progress in my little colony. 
 One day, however, I found all the cases of my pets 
 
36 GKEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 empty and desolate, nor could they be found. They 
 were not in the tank, nor had they passed into their 
 fly hood, for in this case they would be found flying 
 about the room, from which they had no opportunity 
 to escape, but they were not there. It was a mys- 
 tery that I could not solve. Not wishing to leave 
 my collection without them, I at once procured some 
 more, and put them into the aquarium just before sun- 
 set. Alas! when morning came there were my 
 empty cad-houses. Not a living specimen re- 
 mained, and worse than all, I then noticed for the 
 first time that all of my faithful snails had also dis- 
 appeared from their shells. Here was a calamity 
 that must be looked after. A half a day spent 
 around the ponds and brooks abundantly supplied 
 the places of my lost treasures, but you may be sure 
 I was interested in their subsequent progress, and sat 
 down quietly to watch over their safety, and if dan- 
 ger assailed them to learn from what source it came. 
 I had not to watch long, for hardly was the water 
 quiet from their introduction, and they began to 
 push out their heads to peep about in their new 
 home, when a small eel not more than three inches 
 long, which I had recently introduced into my col- 
 lection, darted out from his concealment and seized 
 one of my poor caddies by the head. Then there 
 was a struggle : poor cad tried to withdraw into his 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 37 
 
 citadel, and the hungry eel to pull him out. At a 
 fair, square tug it was an even match, and after a 
 few hard pulls the eel changed his mode of warfare. 
 Throwing himself into a perpendicular position, he 
 assumed a perfect state of rigidity, and began to 
 whirl round with great velocity, thus putting the 
 screw on the doomed cad, who began to yield more 
 and more to the twist until so far out that he could 
 make no more resistance, when he was devoured, and 
 the eel made for the home of one of my busy snails. 
 I had found out the bold robber of my treasures, and 
 notwithstanding his graceful movements through the 
 water, he was devoted to his native place, the mill- 
 pond, to the great relief of my snails and caddice 
 worms. 
 
 " But, Willie Hunt," said the teacher as he no- 
 ticed this youth carefully nursing something in one 
 of the bottles, " what have you got that is attracting 
 so much of your attention ?" 
 
 "Why, Mr. Willard, I've got one of the funniest 
 little fishes here. Its back is all covered with sharp 
 spines, and it changes its color so beautifully. But 
 that's not the most curious thing. I found it in a 
 nest, just between two stones, fixed almost like a 
 little sparrow's nest, and there were lots of little 
 ones there, too. I never knew that fishes ever made 
 nests before." 
 
 4 
 
38 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "Well done, Willie! You have had your eyes 
 about you, or you would never have found out so 
 much about the little Stickleback, which is the name 
 
 of your fish. It is very 
 common in creeks and 
 ponds, but being so 
 minute, very little is 
 known of its existence 
 
 Stickleback. 
 
 or habits, except as an 
 
 inmate of a good aquarium, where he is ever admired 
 as one of the most beautiful objects. 
 
 "The only objection urged against him is the im- 
 possibility of keeping him in a tank with other fish, 
 making it necessary to provide him a separate apart- 
 ment. Though so small, he is a brave and gallant 
 little fellow, and will attack and destroy fish many 
 times larger than himself. Passing suddenly under 
 them, he drives his sharp spines into their vital parts 
 a thrust from which they try in vain to escape. I 
 have had them often, but from this propensity I 
 have had to banish them from my collection and keep 
 them in a small globe by themselves. 
 
 " It is a curious fact that the stickleback builds a 
 nest. Like the sparrow or wren, he gathers up his 
 bit of weed or fibre of conferva, and takes it to 
 some cleft of a rock or crack in an old log, until the 
 nest is completed. Having done this, he tries to 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 39 
 
 allure his mate into it. It is at this time that he 
 puts on his splendid coat of mail, which changes 
 anon to green, gold, purple, or silver, and often all 
 these brilliant hues combined in one splendid suit of 
 armor. 
 
 " To his mate and progeny he is most devoted and 
 faithful. When the eggs are deposited in the nest 
 which he has made, he takes the exclusive care of 
 them, and continues so to do until they have ma- 
 tured and are able to look out for themselves. 
 
 "I have sometimes tried his bravery at this by 
 poking a little stick near his well-guarded nest, 
 when, with a vindictive spitefulness, he would fly 
 at it and bite with great fury. 
 
 " Well," continued the teacher, " we have had 
 two very interesting objects, neither of which did I 
 think to have in my collection this afternoon, as 
 they are not among the wonders which will properly 
 constitute our exhibition. Perhaps there are some 
 other parties who have been equally as successful in 
 bringing back some interesting object. If so, it will 
 afford me great pleasure to have them produced." 
 
 "Please, sir," responded George Snow, "among 
 the thick spatter-docks, where the water was very 
 still and warm, I found a very curious creature, with 
 its head hanging down in the water, with a broad, 
 feathery-like tail spread out on the surface, and I 
 
40 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 have brought it, thinking perhaps it was what you 
 wanted. Here it is in this jar." 
 
 "I have no doubt, my 
 boy, you have in that jar 
 what I sent you after, but 
 I hardly think you have 
 found that out yet ; never- 
 theless, let us see what you 
 have discovered. 
 
 " Well, well, you have 
 been fortunate in obtain- 
 ing a specimen not eas- 
 ily found when carefully 
 sought after. Your rare 
 captive does not belong 
 to the legitimate objects 
 which will constitute our 
 menagerie, nevertheless it 
 will be no loss of time nor 
 detraction from the inter- 
 ests of the exhibition to 
 pause a few moments 
 
 Grub CTiamdefm Fly. while we examine this 
 
 strange and beautiful 
 
 creature, or, we might more properly say, beginning 
 of a creature, for the object before us is the grub of 
 the graceful chameleon fly. Its form, motion, and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IX LITTLE THINGS. 41 
 
 organs can be observed by the natural eye, though 
 much better seen by using something to aid the 
 sight a process which you will much better under- 
 stand when we have completed our series of exam- 
 inations. 
 
 " I will not now detain you with any lengthy pre- 
 sentation of the process by which this interesting 
 creature passes from its larval to its perfect state, 
 but will merely call your attention to the splendid 
 plume-like crown of feathers by means of which it 
 floats when it comes to the surface of the water, 
 which it always does tail foremost. As soon as it 
 reaches the top the plume spreads out in a beautiful 
 circular fan, somewhat funnel-shaped in the centre, 
 from which all moisture is excluded. This feathery 
 cone has a wonderful faculty, like the feathers of 
 water-fowls, to repel all dampness, and it is through 
 this cone that the insect breathes the fresh air neces- 
 sary for its existence and development. " 
 
 Had Mr. Willard's experiment ended here, most 
 if not all of his gratified pupils would have felt fully 
 satisfied that their half-day's excursion was far more 
 delightful than would have been an equal length of 
 time spent under the great canvas tent, jostling with 
 a heated crowd, and subject to the offensive odor of 
 caged animals. But their enjoyment had only just 
 commenced. 
 
 4* 
 
42 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 During their delightful morning's roaming after 
 objects of curiosity Mr. Willard had not been idle, 
 as was apparent from the arrangements which the 
 school-room exhibited. On a long table in front of 
 the teacher's desk there stood six beautiful brass in- 
 struments, in shape like the following. 
 
 Microscope. 
 
 Beside these lay a number of glass slides, some 
 of them having small cup-like cavities in the centre, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 43 
 
 with two or three pairs of forceps and some other 
 small instruments. 
 
 The various boxes and bottles, as they were re- 
 ceived, were arranged on the table near the instru- 
 ments, until there was a large collection grouped 
 around the teacher, indicating that there would be 
 no lack of objects for the afternoon's exhibition. 
 The teacher was gratified at the lively interest mani- 
 fested by his pupils, and felt that all the pleasure 
 would not be found palpita'ting through their buoy- 
 ant hearts. He was happy in striving to make 
 others so, and felt as never before the importance of 
 the teacher's office. He was not simply to impart to 
 them what he knew that was comparatively an 
 easy task but also to divert their minds from that 
 which would be injurious. 
 
 When all the scholars had made their reports, and 
 he had finished noticing the special objects to which 
 some of them called his attention, he said : 
 
 " Children, I am exceedingly gratified at the man- 
 ner in which you have entered into and carried out 
 my suggestions for spending the remainder of this 
 day, not only because it shows such a willingness to 
 gratify me, but as it will, no doubt, furnish me with 
 ample means for giving you pleasure and instruction." 
 
 Calling their attention to the instruments on the 
 table, he proceeded to explain their uses. 
 
44 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "I shall not attempt/' said he, "to give you a 
 detailed description of these in- 
 struments, called Microscopes, as 
 it would consume more time 
 than we have to spare to make 
 a you understand fully their con- 
 struction and uses. Besides, 
 when you begin the study of 
 Natural Philosophy, in the de- 
 partment of Optics, you will 
 have a full explanation of their 
 wonderful powers. Suffice it now 
 to say that the microscope is 
 constructed with glass lenses of 
 different focal powers, so com- 
 bined as to make an object ap- 
 pear many times larger than it 
 really is. This diagram which 
 I have drawn will give you a 
 general idea of its construction. 
 "This is called a compound 
 microscope. At the small end 
 o, the object is placed, which is 
 there magnified by one or more 
 L'ntesof Microscope. small lenses, and reflected on 
 the large lens at// which converges the ray of light 
 in such a manner that a picture of the object is seen 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 45 
 
 at b b, called the diaphragm, placed there to prevent 
 the image from being seen at a a. This image is 
 further magnified by the eye-piece at e e, as if it were 
 an original object. 
 
 " Let us now illustrate the effect of this careful 
 combination : 
 
 " Alfred Green is five feet high. Imagine this 
 number multiplied by four hundred, and we should 
 have a giant stretched out to the altitude of two 
 
 thousand feet, rather taller than the one advertised 
 
 * 
 
 to appear at the circus this afternoon. The top of 
 the cupola on our school-house is fifty feet from the 
 ground, and you think it rather a tall steeple. Now, 
 if you could put Alfred under this instrument, he 
 would appear nineteen hundred and fifty feet taller 
 than our cupola. He would have to make a pro- 
 found bow to enable him to pick the ball from the 
 tallest steeple in the world, and Bunker Hill monu- 
 ment would only serve for a stool for him to sit on. 
 
 " But as we cannot put him under the glass and 
 convert him into such a ' tall fellow/ let us take 
 other objects upon which we can produce just such 
 marvelous changes. 
 
 11 In these vials and boxes, which you have filled 
 from various sources, and where you can see only 
 seemingly pure water, or a fine powder or grains of 
 sand, there are doubtless millions on millions of ani- 
 
46 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 malcules and beautiful shells, which the unaided 
 vision cannot detect, but placed under these instru-. 
 ments, they are magnified hundreds of times, so that 
 we can see their forms and color, observe their mo- 
 tions and habits, and even distinguish many of their 
 organs, tracing out their processes of digestion and 
 wonderful manner of reproduction. 
 
 " By this wonderful glass we are made acquainted 
 with a world so teeming with strange forms of life as 
 to put Calculation totally at defiance. We see them 
 assuming such marvelous forms, sparkling in the 
 most brilliant hues, multiplying with such incredible 
 rapidity, and leaving such astounding results as to 
 stagger and bewilder the senses. What does not 
 appear to exist at all is found to exist everywhere, 
 and that which seemingly is not is revealed as the 
 foundation of nearly all the magnificent structures 
 in physical nature. 
 
 " What a lesson does this teach us ! The same 
 relation which these minute forms of existence hold 
 to the sublime whole which they serve to make up 
 do these little acts and influences in our manners 
 and life sustain to the character by which we are 
 estimated among our fellow-men. 
 
 ' For character groweth 
 Day by day, and all things aid in its unfolding/ 
 
 " We must guard against the little foxes that 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 47 
 
 spoil the vines. We cannot, therefore, be too careful 
 in searching out and correcting these little habits 
 before they have become so multiplied and fixed as 
 to give shape and tone to our manhood. White lies 
 and little sins will aggregate into perjury and fraud, 
 and are sure by-paths to the * broad road that lead- 
 eth to destruction/ 
 
 " It is, indeed, an interesting sight to stand before 
 a strong cage and mark the lithe and stately form 
 of an African lion, or watch the huge elephant so 
 deftly using his flexible proboscis, but I think you 
 will experience greater astonishment when you come 
 to inspect the contents of these bottles, where in one 
 drop of water which you have taken from the fa- 
 miliar ditch you will behold untold millions of the 
 strangest creatures, sporting, feeding, dying, and by 
 this process laying the foundation of mountains and 
 building up the everlasting hills. 
 
 "With this statement of the manner of our ex- 
 hibition, I will now proceed to give a practical illus- 
 tration of the wonderful powers of our optics/' 
 
in0trairs, fJsramtthrm, tit. 
 
 5 D 49 
 
PLATE I. 
 
 MONADS, PARAMECIUM, ETC. 
 
 FIGURES ^ 
 
 1-15. Monads. 
 
 16-18. Paramecium. 
 
 19. Nassula elegans. 
 
 20. Acineta tuberosa. 
 
 21. Chilodon cucullulus. 
 
 22. Leucophrys striata. 
 
 23. Kerona postulata. 
 24, 25. Kerona mytilus. 
 
 26. Hiniantophorus charon. 
 
 27. Arcella. 
 
 28. Trachelomonas. 
 
 29. Cyphidium distortum. 
 30,31. Ohlamidodon. 
 
 32. Actinophrys viridis. 
 
 33. Actinophrys sol. 
 
 34. Podophrya fixa. 
 
 35. Glaucoma. 
 
 36. Euplotes. 
 
 37, 38. Bursaria vernalis. 
 
 39. Loxodes dentatus. 
 
 40. Chsetonotus larus. 
 50 
 
f'/ff/t- 1. 
 
 . Ihm/wrium c. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MONADS, PARAMECIUM, ETC. 
 
 "TN exhibiting to you," Mr. Willard said, "the 
 J- wonders existing in a single drop of water, I 
 shall aVoid as far as possible the use of the names 
 adopted by the learned, as they are often very hard 
 to pronounce, nor would you understand their sig- 
 nificance. Some of you, it is hoped, will become so 
 much interested in this branch of natural science 
 that you will by and by acquire all these terms, and 
 understand the reasons why they are applied to the 
 objects which they designate. 
 
 "I will now arrange these instruments on the 
 table, and place under them some of the objects 
 which have been collected during your forenoon's 
 ramble, and then each one will have an opportunity 
 to observe the strange creatures which you have cap- 
 tured. 
 
 "I have not examined any of the collections you 
 have made, and therefore know not how successful 
 you have been, but judging from past experience, 
 I feel very certain that we shall have variety enough 
 
 51 
 
52 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 to engage us this afternoon, and several others also. 
 Permit me here to say that I propose to devote one 
 hour after the regular sessions each afternoon until 
 we have gone through with the principal objects of 
 interest revealed by our instruments; so we shall 
 have our exhibition open long after the lions and 
 tigers have left the town. The only charge of ad- 
 mission to our show will be good conduct and care- 
 ful attention to study, and I wish it to be distinctly 
 understood that I shall wholly exclude all those who 
 are found deficient in these respects a painful neces- 
 sity which I fondly hope will not occur in a single 
 instance during the interesting investigation which 
 we are about to make. 
 
 "But now to our work. First let us see what 
 Alfred Green has found in Deacon Norton's meadow. 
 You see that the bottle appears to be filled with 
 almost pure water, a slightly yellowish tint being 
 just perceptible. One drop of this will be placed 
 in the cavity of these little glass slides and adjusted 
 under the instruments. Placed thus, you perceive 
 that the water appears perfectly clear, shining like a 
 dewdrop ; not very promising, you may say, for my 
 exhibition. But let us see whether it is so or not. 
 
 " Ah, boys, this is better than I expected ! One 
 of these drops contains inhabitants enough to out- 
 number by many thousands the large animals in all 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 53 
 
 the menageries the world contains. They are teem- 
 ing with active life in many curious forms, the prin- 
 cipal one being, as was expected, the various species 
 of the monad. (Plate L, Figs. 1-15.) 
 
 "It is impossible to tell exactly how many of 
 these little atoms there are in these drops of water, 
 but that there are thousands upon thousands you can 
 plainly see, yet there is sufficient space for the dis- 
 play of their constant activity. Small as they are, 
 it is evident that there must be still smaller forms 
 of life upon which they are preying ; and it is most 
 probable that the animals thus destroyed live by 
 subsisting upon others yet farther removed in the 
 diminishing scale, until we are confounded and lost 
 in trying to follow out the connection to its last re- 
 duction the most minute order of existence. 
 
 " Those who have given the most time and careful 
 investigation to this department of natural science 
 tell us that a single drop of water will often contain 
 more millions of these little creatures than there 
 are inhabitants on the globe, yet leaving them space 
 for all the active purposes of their existence. 
 
 " It is almost impossible to conceive of animated 
 creatures the twenty-four thousandth part of an inch 
 in length possessing organs of motion, digestion, 
 reproduction, and defence, yet such is the truth ; and 
 even more astounding, the scale of diminution has 
 5* 
 
54 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 been measured downward to more than double this 
 number, or the fifty-thousandth of an inch, without 
 reaching the end the smallest measure of a living 
 being. 
 
 " That we may have some conception of this mar- 
 vel of creation, it has been estimated that a million 
 of these creatures could find room for existence and 
 display on a spot not larger than the period at the 
 end of an ordinary sentence. The mind becomes be- 
 wildered under the conception of such a display of 
 divine wisdom and power.. It is awed into more 
 reverence than when surveying the gigantic propor- 
 tions of the elephant, or the majestic appearance of 
 the lion. These we can weigh and measure, and 
 easily comprehend the sum of their proportions ; we 
 can dissect their organs, form models of the exact 
 magnitude of their bodies, and learn all the mechan- 
 ism of their frames ; but we cannot pick out, by in- 
 dividual selection, one of the thousands of atoms in 
 these drops of water, much less analyze its parts with 
 any degree of certainty. By resort to these wonder- 
 ful instruments we become aware of their existence, 
 and from a magnified image trace out something of 
 their endowments. We are thus assured that God 
 has created and given them a life as real as our own ; 
 that he has shaped their members with the same per- 
 fection of adaptation and workmanship, and given 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 55 
 
 them a destiny to accomplish in their brief life which 
 they are prompt and faithful in fulfilling. 
 
 1 That change through all, and yet in all the same, 
 Perfect in a hair as in the ethereal frame.' 
 
 "It is not simply to excite and astonish you by 
 these wonders of creation that I open this minute 
 world to your inspection, but to direct, if I can, your 
 young hearts to the benignant Creator of all these 
 things, who is just as minutely careful in ( searching 
 our hearts and trying our ways ' as he is in fashion- 
 ing these mysterious forms of life. He who puts 
 these things beyond the range of our natural vision, 
 while yet scattering them all around us, will just as 
 surely ' bring every secret thought into the light of 
 his countenance.' However we may succeed in 
 hiding our motives from the inspection of our fellow- 
 men, or even concealing the remote springs from 
 ourselves, God will faithfully scan them all, and 
 weigh them in the balance of immutable justice. 
 ' All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of 
 him with whom we have to do I' In view of this 
 solemn truth, let us all devoutly offer the earnest 
 supplication of David: 'Search me, O God, and 
 know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts, and 
 see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me 
 in- the way everlasting !' 
 
56 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "Monads are included in the general term Infu- 
 soria, so designated because the} 7 were first noticed 
 in water where vegetable matter was decomposing, 
 which led to the conclusion that this condition was 
 necessary for their production a deduction now 
 known to be a mistake, as they are found abundantly 
 in streams and ponds of clear water. An infusion 
 of leaves or straw will, however, always produce 
 them in greatest numbers ; and it is not a little re- 
 markable that, though we catch the pure rain water 
 as it comes from the clouds, and take the fresh 
 leaves before they have touched the ground, putting 
 them into a clean jar, from which everything is kept 
 out by being carefully covered, yet here these little 
 creatures will swarm after a few days' exposure to 
 light and heat. 
 
 "Monads are of various shapes and colors, as you 
 notice, but mostly of an oval form, with one or more 
 hairy filaments, by which they move through the water 
 with great rapidity when so inclined. Their colors 
 are red, brown, green, and various shades of yellow, 
 this last being the most prevalent. Each species 
 has some distinct characteristic by which it is desig- 
 nated, but it must serve our purpose at this time to 
 give only a general view of the class, with a very 
 few exceptions. 
 
 "The Social monads (Plate I., Fig. 1) are found in 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 57 
 
 great profusion. As they appear under our glasses, 
 they are little yellowish oblong atoms, with a slight 
 projection as their motive organ. When undisturbed, 
 they manifest a disposition to gather in clusters 
 around some bit of algae, or if that is not present, 
 they form a circle around the shallow edges of the 
 drops, appearing sometimes like a golden ring. 
 They are greedy feeders, and evidently carnivorous, 
 as you are sure to see them cluster thickly around 
 the remains of 
 
 any dead animal- ^ . V * ^ ' a 
 
 cule, as is strik- ^'*^S5fr^Sji^fi*4j 
 
 ingly illustrated . tx* ~* ' 
 in the drops un- *'*A*C>^* 
 
 f '>3>/. 
 
 der the glass I am 6 -^ f 
 
 now adjusting. 
 
 Some poor an- Monads 
 
 nelid has gone the way of all the living, and our little 
 
 monads are making a rich banquet on his remains. 
 
 "Next to these, perhaps, in numbers, is the Monas 
 lens. (Plate I., Fig. 10.) They have generally but 
 one filament, and are nearly globular. They mani- 
 fest less disposition for activity than our carnivorous 
 little friends, but seem quite as social in their habits, 
 often appearing in clusters so woven together as to 
 seem one body. 
 
 " There is another form of this little creature which 
 
58 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 we must not fail to particularly notice, the Anthophysa 
 or tree monad. (Plate I., Fig. 15.) In our specimen 
 it consists of three branches, on the top of each being 
 a full cluster of little pinkish animals. These after 
 a time, like ripened fruit, leave their native stem, 
 and go shooting through the water to root and 
 branch, bear fruit and die. Animals growing on 
 trees is a wonder greater than any they have to 
 exhibit in the big tent on the common. 
 
 " Some others of the monads are deserving of a 
 particular description, but time will not admit, and 
 we must pass to notice some of their habits. 
 
 " Monads multiply by the strange process of sub- 
 division, that is, one animal breaks up into many 
 another fact peculiar to our exhibition by which we 
 outstrip our rivals. Animals break to pieces, yet 
 live? you say. Yes, even so, as we shall find in 
 many instances before we get through with our in- 
 vestigations. They divide and subdivide, while 
 some also bud and branch. 
 
 " The race of monads also multiply in the more 
 usual way of eggs. By these two processes each 
 individual becomes the progenitor of millions every 
 twenty-four hours. What an incredible number, 
 then, must swarm in every pond and puddle of rain- 
 water ! We may well cease to wonder that such a 
 process, going on for thousands of years, will, from 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 59 
 
 invisible atoms, build up mountains and heave up 
 continents. 
 
 "From the disposition of monads to cluster to- 
 gether around some collection of algse, their variety 
 of colors produces no small resemblance to a bouquet 
 of flowers, whose leaves seem to scatter and fall as 
 some disturbing cause sends the mass of life career- 
 ing again through their watery home. 
 
 "Next to the monads for numbers and activity, 
 you will notice a multitude of silvery-white and 
 yellowish creatures darting through the water. They 
 are much larger in size and curiously surrounded by 
 hairy fringes, which are constantly in motion. These 
 are Paramedums. (Plate I., Figs. 16-18.) They are 
 generally of the shapes here represented, but often 
 make their appearance in other and quite variable 
 forms. I have taken a drop of water from a drain 
 near my dwelling, in which there is a deposit of de- 
 caying leaves, where these little creatures were so 
 numerous as to defy all calculation, and although 
 the unaided eye could detect no individual of the 
 species, they gave the whole drop a milky appear- 
 ance, and, when dried up, leaving a whitish sedi- 
 ment at the bottom of the glass. When placed 
 under the instrument, they were seen swarming in 
 the drop, and darting here and there with ample 
 room for the display of their impetuous activity. 
 
60 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 The effect was quite dazzling, having much the ap- 
 pearance of the rapid revolutions of a wagon-wheel. 
 
 " You will notice that their motions are very 
 eccentric, the general movement being spiral and 
 wavy, but all at once you will notice some exuber- 
 ant little fellow suddenly stop in his flying speed, 
 and begin to revolve exactly in the same manner as 
 do the pin-wheels you are so fond of burning on the 
 Fourth of July. After enjoying his whirl for a time 
 he will as suddenly resume his onward flight. 
 
 " He is a hardy denizen of our little world of 
 water, standing the widest extremes of temperature. 
 I have often found them abundant when all other 
 forms of life were rendered dormant or destroyed by 
 the cold. Nor is he at all fastidious ; he is found 
 living in water that has become very offensive from 
 putridity, and from which all other animals have 
 disappeared. 
 
 " The little starry ornaments on the back are very 
 beautiful, generally having a bluish tint that brings 
 them out very distinctly, Occasionally they are 
 seen double, which is only the act of self-division, 
 by which they multiply like the monads. 
 
 " Some varieties of this family are very beautiful, 
 as the Nasmlw elegans (Plate I., Fig. 19), marked 
 with bright green and red spots and elegantly- 
 fringed border. Nestled among the green conferva, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 61 
 
 its usual place of hiding, it occasionally darts sud- 
 denly out, whirls spasmodically round, and then re- 
 treats again to its cover. 
 
 " The Chilodon (Plate I., Fig. 21) is a fitting com- 
 panion to the last named. It has not its brilliant 
 colors, but surpasses it in grace of form, with the 
 addition of a bar of golden yellow obliquely drawn 
 across its body. 
 
 "The Adneta tuberosa (Plate I., Fig. 20) belongs 
 to another family, but is one of the most graceful 
 objects presented to the eye whenever it comes un- 
 der the glass, which, unfortunately, is not often a 
 beautiful, tufted, golden-hearted, triangular creature. 
 
 " But we have too many wonders under our glass 
 to particularize them all, nor is it necessary, as you 
 will recognize the others when you see them here- 
 after, if you are only careful in observing. Two 
 or three, however, must not be passed by thus 
 lightly. 
 
 " The ' Boat animalcule* (Euplotes, Plate I., Figs. 
 26, 30, 31 and 36) is quite common in some of its 
 many forms, and is always distinguished by its pecu- 
 liar manner of walking or swimming with its hairy 
 appendages. When walking, it does so with a jerky 
 motion, with sudden reversals of position ; at other 
 times it stands with its antennae constantly in a state 
 of vibration, as though warding off all that may ap- 
 
62 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 proach to rob it of its captured monads or other vic- 
 tims to its rapacity. 
 
 " That little collection of red and green objects is 
 made up of different forms of the Trachelomonas 
 (Plate L, Fig. 28), a distant connection of the monad 
 family. They are found quite plentifully in all bog 
 meadows, where they sometimes give a reddish tinge 
 to the shallow water. 
 
 " In these specimens we have also the Sun animal- 
 cule, which you will at once recognize, and two forms 
 of the Bursaria, those egg-shaped, green objects at 
 the bottom of the collection. 
 
 " You wonder that so many new and strange things 
 can exist in a single drop of water, and it is aston- 
 ishing, but we are just on the borders of this en- 
 chanted world, with its rarest inhabitants yet un- 
 seen, and that we may not be delayed too long from 
 forming their acquaintance, we must remove the 
 contents of our slides, although by so doing we shall 
 destroy more lives than was done during all the 
 slaughter of the recent war. The facts with which 
 you have just been made acquainted will prepare 
 you to understand the grim witticism of a returned 
 veteran, who was somewhat acquainted with the uses 
 and revelations of the microscope. His station was 
 for some time in the swamps of the South, and he 
 said that ' he had destroyed more lives by a single 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 63 
 
 swallow of water than war had taken in a century.' 
 His statement was no doubt true. 
 
 "While I shall change the objects under our 
 glasses, you can take a breathing-spell and have an 
 interchange of thoughts." 
 
tatifiers* 
 
 E 65 
 
PLATE II. 
 
 ROTIFERS. 
 
 FIGURES 
 
 1. Rotifer Vulgaris. 
 
 2. Philodina erythrophthalma. 
 
 3. Actinaurus Nepturinus. 
 
 4. Brachionus amphiceros. 
 
 5. Callidina elegans. 
 
 6. Sal pin a mucroiiata. 
 
 7. Pterodina patina. 
 
 8. Lepadella Ovalis. 
 
 9. Rattulus lunaris. 
 
 10. Eosphora digitata. 
 
 11. Diglena lacustris. 
 12,15. Anursea. 
 
 13. Notens quadricornus. 
 
 14. Limnias ceratophylli. 
 
 16. Hydrias cornigera. 
 
 17. Vagi ni cola cry stall ina. 
 
 18. Melicerta ringens. 
 
 19. Lepadella emarginata. 
 
 20. Microcodon clavus. 
 
 21. ^Ecistes longicornis. 
 
 22. Limn is, or Snakehead. 
 66 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 ROTIFERS. 
 
 AFTER a brief intermission, during which Mr. 
 Willard had readjusted his instruments and 
 the children interchanged their pent-up thoughts, 
 the little bell brought them once more to order, when 
 the teacher resumed his exhibition : 
 
 " We will now see what remarkable things Willie 
 Hunt has brought back from Squire Walton's pas- 
 ture. Among them we shall be likely to find many 
 of the same little creatures we have already been 
 examining with so much interest, but I also expect 
 to meet with one particular class which we have not 
 yet observed an animal of a higher organization 
 than any we have yet examined. It belongs to a 
 family having many branches, each one exhibiting 
 some remarkable peculiarity, making it one of the 
 most interesting studies to the microscopist. The 
 individual which gives it the class name of Rotifer 
 is called the Wheel animalcule. (Plate II., Fig. 1.) 
 It takes its name from having the appearance of two 
 wheels rotating at its head, called cilia, derived from 
 
 67 
 
68 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 a Latin word which means eyelash. It is a strange 
 appendage, possessed by most animalcules in some 
 form, which we have already noticed in many of the 
 animals examined, and of which I have not taken 
 particular notice, preferring to leave it until we had 
 under consideration the individual of which it is the 
 peculiar characteristic. When you carefully observe 
 this beautiful adjustment in the Wheel animalcule, 
 you will see the appropriateness of the name and 
 admire the perfection and grace of its motions. 
 
 " But while we are talking our little friend, I 
 trust, is waiting for our recognition and admiration. 
 "Beautiful, beautiful ! here they are in great 
 numbers and perfection. Some are 
 drawn up almost into a ball, standing 
 nearly or quite perpendicular, and 
 looking not a little like an Esquimaux 
 wrapped in his fur jacket. On one 
 side is seen the form of a young rotifer, 
 with his crooked neck and two little 
 eye spots, and on the other the egg, 
 not so far advanced. 
 
 W. A.drawnup. . , , . 
 
 "Here is another, stretched to his 
 utmost length, probing about in all directions, as. if 
 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 69 
 
 searching for prey. There is no appearance now of 
 the beautiful wheels, but in place of them there is 
 thrust out a small head with a dart-like projection. 
 Notice, also, that there is a flexible horn, or feeler, 
 just back of the jaws, but placed on the side of the 
 head instead of exactly on the top. While thus 
 stretched out it adheres to the bottom of the glass or 
 some frond of algse with its fringed suction tail. 
 But see, suddenly the head is drawn in, and there 
 are pushed out far in its advance those wonderful 
 
 Rotifer with wheels in motion. 
 
 wheels. What a change ! Can this be our little 
 Esquimaux ball, or slender, leech-like worm ? Even 
 so. Nothing like this among all the rare things in 
 the show on the common ! 
 
 " Though the wheels of the animal are in motion, 
 you see it does not move from its position, because it 
 still holds on by the process already described. The 
 effect is precisely like that of a steamboat tied to the 
 dock with its wheels in motion, as is often seen in 
 the ferry slips in winter in order to clear them from 
 
70 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ice. Our little friend, however, has quite a different 
 object : he is not clearing out, but drawing in, for 
 you can notice the streams of monads and other 
 minute things which enter within the vortex made 
 by the revolution of the wheels. 
 
 " It is not likely that he will remain long in this 
 position. Watch him, and you will notice that after 
 a brief period he suddenly jerks backward, at the 
 same time retracting his wheels, and the prey he has 
 captured passes downward to the jaws, where it is 
 ground up for the purpose of digestion. 
 
 "There he goes, his ' propellers' grandly in mo- 
 tion ! Notice particularly the cilia ; it does not seem 
 a mere vibration, but a rapid circular movement, 
 like a wheel on its axis, reversible at the will of the 
 animal. It would seem impossible that this should 
 be the case, as it would indicate that the wheel is 
 entirely detached from the animal. Some have sup- 
 posed that the movement is produced by a spiral 
 adjustment similar to that of the Forticella which 
 we shall have under notice before we are done only 
 more extensive. By others it is believed to be elec- 
 trical, or that the effect is the same as that produced 
 by the wind passing over a field of grain, wave fol- 
 lowing wave so continuously that we are unable to 
 mark the place of succession. With a very high 
 magnifying power, we perhaps get at something near 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 71 
 
 a correct solution of this beautiful motion. The base 
 of the cilia, a, remains stationary, while the point 
 forms a circle, b. Take a stick and light one end 
 of it, and then whirl it around, and you will have a 
 complete circle of 
 light, while there 
 will be no revolu- 
 tion of the hand, 
 which is the pivot 
 of the motion. This 
 is probably the cor- 
 rect solution. But 
 be this as it may, 
 the beautiful adap- 
 tation and graceful 
 
 Cilia of Rotifers in motion. 
 
 motion of this living 
 
 1 nature's propeller' may well excite our wonder and 
 
 admiration. 
 
 " Unlike its huge ocean compeer, the rotifer carries 
 his wheels in the bow instead of the stern. With 
 the broad funnel-shaped front which is thus pre- 
 sented, it would seem that the movement would be 
 backward instead of forward, yet the rapidity and 
 ease of the creature's advance show a most perfect 
 adjustment and adaptation of motive power. That 
 engineer will outstrip Fulton and Ericsson who can 
 find out the secret and apply it to practical purposes. 
 
72 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 If the wheels are detached from the animal, how is 
 the motive power applied ? and if cilia with a fixed 
 base, how can their circular motion produce an ad- 
 vance ? A stick whirling around in the hand finds 
 no resistance that would draw the hand forward. We 
 have the living model before us, but where is the 
 skillful observer who will search out the secret and 
 apply it to the purposes of human industry ? 
 
 " You notice that there are two wheels, revolving 
 generally outwardly, producing two rapid currents 
 setting toward the mouth, into which they carry the 
 food, while the little creature is propelled onward in 
 his voyage quite an advantage when he is in a 
 hurry, as he does not have to ' stop twenty minutes 
 for dinner.' 
 
 "It is worthy of notice that the sperm whale se- 
 cures his food much in the same way. It lives on 
 a peculiar animalcule, so numerous as to discolor 
 hundreds of miles of the ocean's surface, which it 
 collects by the hairy appendages filling the roof of 
 the mouth. It rushes through the water with open 
 jaws, until this hairy sieve is coated with billions on 
 billions of its dainty prey, which are then swallowed 
 and the process repeated. The whalebone of com- 
 merce is this food gatherer, taken from the whale's 
 mouth, the hairy ends removed, and then split up aa 
 we buy it. This is the precise manner in which the 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 73 
 
 wheel animalcule gets his nourishment. The whale 
 is the larger animal, but our little rotifer is the 
 greater curiosity. 
 
 " Water seems to be the native element of these 
 living machines, though they are often found in 
 damp earth, cells of moss, and even in the untidy 
 hair brush of the toilet. They are very tenacious of 
 life, continuing to live under conditions which would 
 necessarily seem fatal. Let them be dried by ex- 
 posure to the heat of summer, and so remain even 
 for years, and a little water will restore them to life 
 and activity. They almost seem to have a charmed 
 life until they have served the purpose of repro- 
 duction. 
 
 " They appear to take special delight in the bright 
 rays of the sun, and are always found thicker at the 
 top of the jar in which they are placed, often sink- 
 ing suddenly to the bottom when the light is with- 
 drawn. 
 
 " This form of the rotifer is exceedingly common, 
 and is found in every old ditch and pond of stagnant 
 water, from which circumstance it has the appella- 
 tion of Rotifer vulgaris, although he is anything but a 
 vulgar fellow, as he stands at the head of a numer- 
 ous race. Most nearly allied to him are the Philo- 
 dina,Actinurus,audCallidina. (Plate II., Figs. 2, 3 
 and 5.) Their forms and habits are so near alike 
 7 
 
74 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 we need not delay to make more special examina- 
 tion. * 
 
 "The Rotifer propagates both by eggs and by 
 bringing forth its young alive facts which can be 
 learned only by a long and patient investigation, 
 conditions which put it out of our power to verify. 
 
 "Ehrenberg, a distinguished German naturalist, 
 declares that a single rotifer will multiply into more 
 than sixteen millions in twelve days. At this rate, 
 in one month it would equal the entire population of 
 the United States, and as each animal becomes a 
 parent in a few hours, in this brief period a single 
 individual has carried the statistics of his race alto- 
 gether beyond human calculation. As this process 
 has been going on for thousands of years, it has en- 
 abled this minute creature to make his mark among 
 the other builders-up of earth's gigantic structures. 
 
 " Most of the species have strong jaws and teeth 
 (see cut illustrating motion of cilia, page 7), crush- 
 ing their food by a hammer-like action, with several 
 capacious stomachs for its digestion, to satisfy which 
 they consume enormous quantities as compared with 
 their own magnitude. 
 
 "The little red spots seen on the head are sup- 
 posed to be eyes, of which there is sometimes a 
 double complement. These fiery red orbs must have 
 a terrible aspect to some of their tiny victims. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 75 
 
 " The next most remarkable member of the rotifer 
 family is the Brachionus (Plate II., Figs. 4, 12, 13 
 and 15), which you have noticed darting and tum- 
 bling here and there in these drops of water, shaped 
 like cups, bells, balls, and bouquets. They are a 
 spine-bearing animalcule, some of them being en- 
 cased in a hard, shell-like covering, and are among 
 the most perfect and curious of all the world of ani- 
 malcules. They are symmetrical in structure, and 
 of ceaseless and eccentric activity. They are the 
 acrobats of our menagerie, and some rare feats they 
 will show us, not surpassed in the public exhibition 
 by the practiced athlete. 
 
 " In some, the case is beautifully dotted and striped, 
 with collapsed edges (Fig. 15), fringed around with 
 cilia, beyond which project two horns. Here is one, 
 and as it adheres to the plate by its slender re- 
 tractile footstalk (Fig. 4), it has much the semblance 
 of a beautiful variegated bell-shaped flower just 
 opening to the sunlight. At any appearance of dan- 
 ger it suddenly withdraws into its horny citadel, 
 through the semi-transparent sides of which much 
 of its internal organization can be observed. This is 
 quite complex, and takes the hue of its principal 
 food, being green, brown, or red by turns. We can 
 take advantage of this, and by using a little carmine, 
 indigo, or other coloring matter, give a new beauty 
 
76 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 as well as more easily notice the process of diges- 
 tion. 
 
 "The Brachionus seems capable of transforming 
 itself into marvelously curious shapes, so that we 
 are not always sure that we have a specimen under 
 our glass until we have observed it for some time, 
 and he will be sure to show his colors. This fact, 
 with the large number of members included in the 
 family, gives us some rare pictures to gaze upon, 
 some of which are now before our eyes. 
 
 Forms of the BracMonus. 
 
 " Their movements are marvels of gymnastic feats. 
 Swimming, crawling, throwing back and forward 
 summersaults, at the whim of the creatures, and be- 
 ing of different hues and shades, they give a new 
 and lively aspect to our minute world. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 77 
 
 " Its chief food seems to be the monads and other 
 smaller fry, which it gobbles up with great avidity 
 and grinds between its hammer-like jaw, which you 
 can see working so actively just below the revolving 
 cilia. 
 
 "There are many other members of the great 
 family of rotifers which deserve mention, as Eosphora 
 and Diglena (Plate II. , Figs. 10, 11), but we must 
 pass them by and pay some attention to the little 
 hermit Vaginicola (Plate II., Fig. 17), dwelling alone 
 in a transparent home, from which he timidly comes 
 forth as necessity may require. Sometimes there 
 appears to be two animals, one growing out of the 
 other, in shape very much like two morning-glories 
 stuck one within the other, as is often done by the 
 girls. The mouth is surrounded by the usual cilia, 
 which is always in rapid motion when the animal 
 protrudes from its shell. 
 
 "The Melicerta (Plate II., Fig. 18) also dwells in 
 a tubular home, but it is quite opaque, and if what 
 is hidden is half as hideous as that which is revealed, 
 we should be grateful for the concealment, for such 
 a horrid mouth fortunately is not often seen. Look 
 at those four great lobes of whirling cilia which he 
 pushes out so furiously, and mark how the stream of 
 devoted monads goes rushing into his dark maw, and 
 you will call him ugly and cruel. 
 7* 
 
78 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "Not thus will you judge the graceful Pterodina 
 (Plate II. , Fig. 7). His home is a large circular 
 shell, pale in color or quite transparent, with some 
 very beautiful markings. He has a long prehensile 
 tail, which he uses with great dexterity, and the 
 double ciliated mouth of the head of the family. 
 
 " The CEcistes (Plate II., Fig. 21) is also a dweller 
 in a cell, which is beautifully, though sometimes 
 faintly, marked. He has a ciliated mouth, flanked 
 by long horns. The three oval bodies seen through 
 the case are the eggs, which are expelled after ma- 
 turity. 
 
 "We shall only mention two other members of 
 this interesting class, the Limnias (Plate II., Figs. 14 
 and 22). We have two varieties before us, the Cera- 
 tophylli, dwelling in a long, yellow, spotted case, with 
 two lobes of cilia projecting, and rather attractive. 
 But the other, though of a beautiful green color, in 
 fine contrast with the glassy clearness of the cell 
 from which it protrudes, is a snaky monster, with 
 his huge mouth filled with seemingly sharp fangs, 
 and wide open ready to devour whatever comes 
 within their sweep. From his appearance under 
 our instrument, we should almost fear to put our 
 finger within reach of his jaws. We will let him 
 pass, and with him take our leave, for the present, 
 of the rotifer family. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 79 
 
 " At this stage of our examination we will pause, 
 although we have barely commenced our investiga- 
 tion of the collection which you obtained this fore- 
 noon, leaving abundant materials for future hours 
 of enjoyment, to which I fondly hope every beloved 
 pupil in my school will be entitled to free admission 
 on the terms already stated. 
 
 "One thing more, and then I shall dismiss you 
 for the day. All those who are dissatisfied because 
 I refused you a half holiday to attend the show of 
 wild beasts will hold up their hands and receive 
 their twenty-five cents, with permission to be absent 
 on to-morrow forenoon. What, not one ? Now let 
 all those who are fully satisfied with the entertain- 
 ment which I have given in the place of it show 
 their hands." 
 
 In response to this request all hands went up with 
 alacrity. 
 
 Mr. Willard contemplated the scene before him 
 with an evident glow of satisfaction, and then, with 
 much emotion, said : 
 
 "Children, I most cordially thank you. This 
 evidence that I have succeeded in my efforts to fur- 
 nish you with an innocent gratification causes me 
 great happiness. But my intention was not alone 
 to amuse you, although to do that will always give 
 me pleasure. I have had a higher motive. It has 
 
80 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 been my chief aim to convey wholesome lessons of 
 intelligence and moral instruction to give you, if 
 I could, higher and juster conceptions of the divine 
 power and goodness in which intention I trust I 
 have also succeeded, and this makes our pleasure 
 mutual. This will beget a more entire confidence 
 between us, so that hereafter you will the more 
 readily yield to any suggestions which I may deem 
 proper to make from time to time, being thus as- 
 sured that I will deny you no privilege or enjoyment 
 that is pure and healthful. Your happiness and 
 well-being will always be my chief aim." 
 
 As Mr. Willard was about to dismiss the school, 
 Alf Green arose, and, with much emotion, said : 
 
 "Dear teacher, I can't leave the school-house to- 
 day without making a confession. When you denied 
 our request yesterday I felt angry and disappointed, 
 and said so to my school-fellows ; and now I can't 
 be happy without confessing my fault and asking 
 forgiveness before the whole school. You have not 
 only given us amusement and instruction, which has 
 filled us with wonder, but afforded me, and I believe 
 all the scholars, a day of real pleasure, greater, I'm 
 sure, than I should have had at the circus. Here- 
 after, dear teacher, you need use no other means to 
 keep me from any place of amusement than to tell me 
 that you have something to show me. In this, I'm 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 81 
 
 sure, all my school-fellows will agree, if you will 
 allow me for once to take your place and ask an ex- 
 pression of their feelings. Let all the scholars who 
 feel as I do hold up their hands. You see, teacher, 
 they are all up once more !" 
 
 While Alf was speaking, the face of Mr. Willard 
 exhibited a strong effort to suppress the emotions 
 which he felt. The tears trembled on his eyelids, 
 and he 'had to pause some moments before he could 
 sufficiently command himself to reply. He then 
 said, with a thickened utterance : 
 
 " I do not know who is the happiest to-day, teacher 
 or pupils, but of one thing I am certain we all are 
 happy because we have tried to do right and follow 
 the ways of wisdom, and in so doing we shall always 
 find that her * ways are ways of pleasantness, and all 
 her paths are peace.' 
 
 " The best wish that I can bestow upon you is, 
 that you may ever pursue them with the same cheer- 
 fulness and pleasure which have characterized this 
 day's experience. Open alike to all, and having 
 such rich treasures to bestow, it is surprising that so 
 many turn away to follow the giddy and ruinous 
 paths of mere sensual pleasure. May the blessed 
 path you have been treading to-day grow brighter 
 and brighter unto the perfect day !" 
 F 
 
83 
 
PLATE III. 
 
 VORTICELLA. 
 
 'IGURES 
 
 1, 2. Amphileptus. 
 
 3. Amphileptus papellosus. 
 
 4. Dileptus. 
 
 5. Coleps hirtus. 
 
 6. Kondylostoma patens. 
 
 7. Trachelocerca viridis. 
 8-10. Free Vorticella. 
 
 11-13. Stentors. 
 
 14, 15. Vorticella encysted. 
 
 16. Conochilus Vorticella. 
 
 17. Carchesium Vorticella. 
 
 18. Convallaria Vorticella. 
 
 19. Microstoraa. 
 
 20. Full-grown bud of Microstoma. 
 
 21. Full-grown bud of Microstoma, stockless. 
 84 
 
PlcdeHL. 
 
 Yorticella, <fcc. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE VORTICELLA. 
 
 A HAPPY and wondering throng of children 
 went that evening from the Woodlawn school- 
 house, giving scarcely a thought to the perambulat- 
 ing exhibition from which their attention had been 
 so skillfully withdrawn. Nor did their happiness 
 cease with the entertainment at the school-house, but 
 continued with almost unabated interest as they 
 described the wonders they had seen to their grati- 
 fied parents. 
 
 Little Nettie Newton now fully understood how 
 people could see through glass eyes, and continued to 
 talk about the wonderful things she had seen until 
 her father suggested that perhaps her tongue had 
 multiplied as did some of Mr. Willard's animalcules. 
 There were many suspicious peerings into tumblers 
 of water before the usually welcome beverage was 
 swallowed, while some declared they would never 
 drink another drop a resolution which was forgotten 
 on the following morning, or disregarded under the 
 pressure of returning appetite. 
 
 8 85 
 
86 GREAT WONDERS IK LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 With many of the girls there was a careful cleans- 
 ing of hair brushes, which even then were used with 
 a kind of shudder, as though they could feel some 
 lively rotifer twisting their silken locks in his wheels 
 as he tried to navigate amid their luxuriance. 
 
 To many it almost seemed like a dream, so strange 
 were the objects which they had seen of which they 
 had previously no knowledge. Here they had seen 
 them with their own eyes, but they could not fully 
 resist the impression that in some way Mr. Willard 
 had practiced upon them some sleight-of-hand: so 
 strong was this conviction that it required the 
 positive confirmation of their parents, in some cases, 
 to remove it entirely. 
 
 The promised repetition of these magical revela- 
 tions for an hour each day was sufficient to secure a 
 prompt attendance and an increased attention to de- 
 portment and study, that their right to admission 
 might not be forfeited a contingency which occurred 
 but in one or two instances during the whole course 
 of the subsequent investigations. 
 
 According to promise, at the close of the next af- 
 ternoon's session Mr. Willard arranged his instru- 
 ments as before, and said : 
 
 " Dear children, we will now resume our explora- 
 tions into the mysterious life existing in a drop of 
 water, and I shall not be surprised if you are quite 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 87 
 
 as much interested in the rare animals which will be 
 on exhibition as you were yesterday, though the 
 novelty will not be so striking as it was when you 
 were first introduced to its strange inhabitants. I 
 have some splendid little fellows for your examina- 
 tion this afternoon ; in fact, they are considered by 
 many as the most attractive of all the animalcules 
 yet discovered. But of this you shall be your own 
 judges. 
 
 "The Vorticellce, or Bell aniinalcules (Plate III., 
 Figs. 17, 18 and 19), are very abundant in all ponds 
 and ditches where there are decaying weeds or grass, 
 or other vegetable accumulations. They are often 
 found also in many utensils used for holding water, 
 or that remain for any length of time in a damp 
 state. Thus the scraping of a wooden bucket in 
 which water has stood will generally show them in 
 great abundance and perfection adhering to the 
 woody fibres which will be detached. They will 
 breed in damp combs, hair brushes, bathing sponges, 
 and other toilet articles which are not cleansed and 
 dried with great care. Although not very horrid 
 creatures, yet this fact should lead to great careful- 
 ness in all matters of cleanliness of person and those 
 articles used in the process of cleansing it. 
 
 " The Bell animalcules may be regarded as equal 
 in interest to anything revealed in the largest and 
 
88 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 highest class of animals. I think when you have 
 seen them you will agree that nothing advertised as 
 forming a part of the collection now in our town 
 surpasses these minute creatures in beauty of form, 
 nicety of mechanical arrangement, or variety and 
 grace of motion, combining, as they do, the activity 
 and elegance of the rarest animal life with the 
 beauty and delicacy of the flowers. 
 
 "They have the cilia of the class last under con- 
 sideration, although quite differently adjusted. But 
 their marked peculiarity, and that which gives them 
 a class name, is an attachment like a long, flexible, 
 thread-like tube, by which they are generally found 
 adhering to fronds of algae or other permanent ob- 
 jects. It appears like a fine India-rubber thread, 
 capable of an indefinite stretching, hollow through 
 its entire length, and contracting instantaneously at 
 the will of the governing head, taking a beautiful 
 spiral form when thus drawn up. 
 
 "Dr. Hogg, of England, in his large work on the 
 'Microscope and its Uses/ thus speaks of this beau- 
 ful denizen of the water drops: 
 
 " * The Vorticella is not wholly condemned to pass 
 a sort of vegetable life, rooted, as it were, to a single 
 spot by its slender stalk; its Creator has foreseen 
 the probable arrival of a period in its existence when 
 the power of locomotion would become necessary, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 89 
 
 and this contingency is provided for in a manner 
 calculated to excite our highest admiration. At the 
 lower extremity of the body of the animal, at the 
 point of junction with the stalk, a new fringe of 
 cilia is developed, and when this is fully formed the 
 Vorticella quits its stalk and casts itself freely upon 
 the world of waters. (Plate III., Figs. 8, 9 and 10.) 
 The development of this locomotive fringe of cilia, 
 and the subsequent power of swimming by the Vorti- 
 cella, are generally connected with the propagation 
 of the species, which in this and some other of the 
 allied genera presents a series of most complicated 
 and curious phenomena. 
 
 " * This mode of reproduction is called gemmation. 
 It consists of the production of a sort of bud (Plate 
 III., Figs. 14 and 15) which generally acquires the 
 form and structure of the perfect animal. In the 
 Vorticella these buds, when mature, quit the parent 
 stem after developing a circlet of cilia at the lower 
 extremity, and fix themselves in a new habitation in 
 exactly the same manner as the individuals produced 
 by the division of the bell. 
 
 " ' At an earlier or later period of their existence, 
 the Vorticella withdraw the disc surrounded by cilia 
 which forms the anterior portion of their bodies, and 
 contracting themselves into a ball, secrete a gelatin- 
 ous covering which gradually solidifies and forms a 
 8 * 
 
90 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 sort of capsule, within which the animal is com- 
 pletely enclosed. By this process the little animal is 
 said to become encysted, and at this point of its his- 
 tory it is seen to be more complicated. Sometimes its 
 further progress commences by the breaking up of 
 the nucleus into a number of minute oval discs which 
 swim about in the thin gelatinous mass into which the 
 substance of the parent has been dissolved. (Plate 
 III., Fig. 21.) The body of the animal enclosed 
 within the cyst now becomes apparently divided 
 into separate little sacs, or bags, some of which ac- 
 quire a considerable increase of size, and at length 
 break through the walls of the cyst. After a time 
 one of these projections of the internal substance 
 bursts at the apex, and through the opening thus 
 formed the gelatinous contents of the cyst, the en- 
 closed embryos, are suddenly shot out into the 
 water, there to become diffused and give rise to new 
 generations. 
 
 "'But the final object of this singular metamor- 
 phosis still remains to be described. The nucleus, 
 which at the change of the encysted animalcule was 
 distinctly observable, becomes entirely and altogether 
 converted into an active Vorticella, acquiring an 
 ovate form, with a circle of cilia round its narrow 
 extremity, and presenting at the opposite end a dis- 
 tinct mouth. Within this young animal, while still 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 91 
 
 enclosed in the body of the parent, we see a distinct 
 nucleus and the usual contractile space of the full- 
 grown creature/ 
 
 " The process here described you can observe in 
 the water drops under examination, although we 
 have not sufficient time to delay and carefully verify 
 the wonderful facts. We can see enough, however, 
 in one of the specimens under our glasses, to give us 
 a beautiful confirmation. Notice that splendid clus- 
 ter of the Mierostoma. (Plate III., Fig. 19.) You 
 observe -that every animal is attached to a separate 
 foot-stalk of very great length, stretching out in all 
 directions, and springing back with a graceful spiral 
 motion. There is just perceptible in the little bell- 
 shaped head a bluish purple tinge, giving the animal 
 a striking resemblance to a morning-glory trembling 
 in the breeze, with here and there one breaking loose 
 from its parent stem and whirling away as if exult- 
 ing to be free from parental restraint. Some are 
 double headed made so by the forming of the bud 
 which is to develop into the new generation. You 
 can see the cilia putting out at the anterior end of 
 the bell. 
 
 "Scattered through the water are numbers of 
 these bud-like cysts, working like the soap-bubbles 
 which you often blow from the bowl of a pipe, and, 
 like the broken bubble, flying apart into the numer- 
 
92 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ous germs of a new life. We can, when looking at 
 wonders like these, say with Solomon : ' The eye is 
 not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing.' 
 We look and look again, and wonder if it is a dream 
 or reality that we see. We are truly beholding 
 something stranger than the 
 
 ' Stuff that dreams are made of/ 
 
 yet as real as the everlasting hills a delicate pic- 
 ture of Nature's painting, refining by its lessons of 
 beauty in forms and adaptation, of mutual depend- 
 ence and reciprocity. 
 
 " The Carchesium (Fig. 17) is of the same family 
 as the last, but is noticeable from the fact that the 
 clustered animals are all growing upon one main 
 foot-stalk, from which they branch out in all direc- 
 tions a living althea bush, which it will more 
 nearly resemble in the pale, pinkish color of the 
 flowers when we have put a little carmine into the 
 water. There ! is not that a beautiful living flower ? 
 The same graceful effect is seen in that splendid 
 cluster of Convallaria (Fig. 18) near by. In this 
 animal is seen the same individuality as in the 
 first examined ; each one grows on a separate stalk, 
 and being larger in size, the process of propagating 
 can be seen with more distinctness, and also the 
 tubular formation of the thread-like attachment, 
 with its spiral shape when the animal springs back. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 93 
 
 "It is very interesting to watch the eccentric 
 movements of the free Vorticellse. They seem to 
 exult in their deliverance from restraint; hence they 
 part from the stem, where they have had their 
 growth, with a violent jerk, and spring away with a 
 flying speed. Here they go, over and over, like a 
 gymnast turning summersaults, now stopping to re- 
 volve in an eccentric orbit or spinning like a top ; 
 now zigzag or with an up-and-down motion. Occa- 
 sionally one will stop, and turning the mouth or the 
 bell downward, will remain motionless, except a 
 rapid play of the cilia, which is so violent as some- 
 times to give an oscillating motion to the animal. 
 This motion continues for a few minutes, when the 
 creature either resumes his speed, or, which is more 
 generally the case, suddenly flies into broken frag- 
 ments, like the bursting of a grindstone from too 
 rapid revolution. I think the menagerie under the 
 big tent has nothing so wonderful to exhibit as our 
 little Bell animalcule. 
 
 "One of the most remarkable species in this 
 family of Infusoria is called the Stentor, or Trumpet 
 animalcule (Plate III., Figs. 11, 12 and 13) a name 
 to which they can lay just claims from having much 
 the shape of a French horn, as you will readily 
 notice. They are generally found adhering to some 
 fragment of conferva by a pointed foot-stalk. The 
 
94 GREAT WONDERS IX LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 mouth is very large and round, excepting on one 
 side, which has a peculiar notch, all of which is sur- 
 rounded with long cilia in constant play, except 
 when the animal is retracted. They present a rare 
 display of bright colors, green, red, bluish, yellow, 
 brown of all shades, and nearly colorless. Some- 
 times these are so blended together as to rival the 
 rainbow in brilliancy, transforming the drop of 
 water into a fairy scene of splendor. This you have 
 noticed, I perceive, by calling my attention to what 
 you designate a ' perfect bouquet.' It is a fine group 
 of Stentors in vigorous activity, and if you will watch 
 them for a time, you will see many of them quit 
 their hold and swim away in every possible shape 
 and movement, now mouth foremost and then re- 
 versed, or rotating as on an axis, sideway, and in 
 alternate half circles. Its shapes are as various. 
 All these transformations and blendings of colors 
 produce at times an effect similar to the revolving 
 of a Chinese wheel dazzling with its brilliancy. 
 
 " The Stentors multiply by eggs and sub-division, 
 which latter process you can constantly see going on. 
 You will mark a splendid Stentor rapidly moving 
 across the field of view, then suddenly stop, turn its 
 trumpet-mouth upward, in which there seems to be a 
 wonderful commotion. Soon there are seen various 
 little buds or protrusions constantly in motion, and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 95 
 
 growing larger and larger, each bubble glowing with 
 a different hue as it alternately catches the varying 
 shades of light, bearing, like some already named, 
 though more strikingly, a close resemblance to a rich 
 bouquet, where each leaf and petal trembles in a 
 gentle wind. Mark it still, and anon it will burst 
 into a multitude of fragments : the parent has ceased 
 to exist, but hundreds of children were then born to 
 transmit the ancestral glories to the generations to 
 come. 
 
 " I w6nder not that you look astonished at such a 
 display of creative power and wisdom, mysterious, 
 transcendently beautiful, and beyond the possibility 
 of imitation, yet as real as are the most stupendous 
 works of God ! All these things are but parts of his 
 ways, yet so plainly are they opened to us that we 
 must be self-blinded if we are not led by these minute 
 indices to his footstool who created all these things 
 that he might make his power and wisdom known, 
 and thereby incite us to praise and adore him. 
 
 " The C&nochilus vorticella (Plate III., Fig. 16) is 
 also a wonder of gracefulness a*nd beautiful mechan- 
 ism. It is composed of twenty or more little ciliated 
 creatures attached to a hyaline or glassy centre by 
 the usual attenuated thread, each animal being ovoid 
 or cup-shaped, forming a group of exquisite perfec- 
 tion. They are generally transparent, except the 
 
96 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 eye spots, which are red, and being slightly tinged 
 with the hue of whatever they live upon. Taken 
 from their cells, they have much the appearance of 
 some species of Brachionus, with which they have 
 been confounded by some writers. 
 
 " It is a charming sight to notice these globes of 
 Conochilus revolving in such perfect harmony 
 through the water. They turn in every possible 
 manner, and move with considerable 
 rapidity. After a time the family re- 
 lation is broken up, and each indi- 
 vidual sets up for himself, yet all ful- 
 filling the same divine purpose. 
 
 " The Amphileptus and Dileptus are 
 of a different family. (Plate III., Figs. 
 1, 2, 3 and 4.) They are exceedingly 
 curious creatures. Their bodies are 
 
 Isolated Conochilus. 
 
 very flexible, with long lancet-shaped 
 necks, which they wave around in search of prey, 
 like the motion of a ribbon gently waved by the 
 hand. This long tongue is ciliated to the end, at 
 the root of which there is an open mouth into which 
 it draws whatever may come within its sweep. They 
 are very attractive creatures, from their odd shapes 
 and curious movements. They are mostly found 
 twined with some fibre of algse, and stationary, but 
 at times they quit their hold, and backward or for- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 97 
 
 ward, it appears to matter little which, they move 
 among their minute fellows, who generally prepare 
 to give them a wide berth. Often they are seen with 
 both extremities turned up like the bows of an In- 
 dian canoe, and with a kind of rocking motion 
 make their voyages, bearing no slight resemblance 
 to the above-named vessel, without its dusky occu- 
 pant. The Papellous (Fig. 3) is bristled like a 
 hedge hog. 
 
 " TheColepshirtus (Plate III., Fig. 5), or Barrelani- 
 malcules, will next claim some notice. Their slight 
 resemblance to a barrel has given them a name, but 
 others have more appropri- 
 ately called them the musk- 
 melon animalcules. They 
 are formed of a cylindrical, 
 hairy body, with blunted 
 ends and corrugated sides, 
 swimming or rolling, as 
 suits their whim. They are 
 very greedy little creatures, 
 and, like the monads, they 
 are found in great numbers 
 around any dead animalcule. They will tear off 
 little bits of the animal, as a hungry dog would the 
 flesh from his bone, which you can see passing into 
 the creature's stomach. When this supply of food 
 9 G 
 
 The Coleps Feeding. 
 
98 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 cannot be found he will be seen whirling through 
 the water filling his barrel with monads and other 
 living creatures. 
 
 "We have also under our glasses several speci- 
 mens of the Kondylostoma (Plate III., Fig. 6), a 
 long fusiform creature entirely surrounded by cilia. 
 His motions are peculiar and graceful. Sometimes 
 he is seen as a half moon, constantly moving in a 
 circle, and then as a screw winding through the 
 water, or, with head and tail bent upward, he is a 
 gondola graceful as ever rode the waters of Venice. 
 
 " But we come to the last object which we shall 
 notice in this connection, and a rare one he is, not- 
 withstanding his long name, which, by the by, is not 
 near as lengthy as himself the Trachelocerca viri- 
 dis (Plate III., Fig. 7), or Swan animalcule. In 
 my examination few objects have attracted more of 
 my attention than this one. He has but a very 
 small body, of an oval shape, which of itself is 
 nearly colorless, but wearing the hue of the food 
 which has been swallowed. But what a neck ! long, 
 longer, longest of created things, perhaps, in propor- 
 tion to the size of the body. The specimens we have 
 under examination are stretched out to a wonderful 
 length, but I have seen them twice this measure. 
 How flexible it is, winding around any object with 
 which it meets two or three times like a thread, or 
 
GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 99 
 
 twisting in and out like stitches. At the far end 
 you will notice a wheel of cilia, by which he draws 
 in his food. I once heard a little girl say, while 
 eating candy, that she wished her throat was twice 
 as long, that she might taste the sweet longer. The 
 Swan animalcule must enjoy this privilege to perfec- 
 tion, for if our throats were as long in proportion, 
 we should have a mile or two of swallow. 
 
 "You notice the little creature swims in either 
 direction, forward or backward, but when he re- 
 verses his motion the long neck is drawn in to less 
 than half its length. Often I have met with speci- 
 mens which had the proboscis doubled at the end, 
 giving two mouths with which to enjoy his food a 
 plan which, I have no doubt, would suit some greedy 
 boys and girls who live to eat, not eat to live. 
 
 " Sometimes these long-necked gentlemen are very 
 pugnacious, and try the process of garroting their 
 victims by winding their proboscis around their 
 necks or bodies, and when their murder is finished 
 leave the body for others to prey upon. 
 
 "They multiply doubtless by eggs, which is a 
 process too slow for our purpose, but the other and 
 stranger way of subdivision we can observe with 
 great satisfaction, as it is now going on before us. 
 Notice that cluster around that stem of conferva, 
 especially those seemingly double ones beneath it. 
 
100 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 They are in process of subdivision. In one you can 
 see the neck just protruding, while the original ani- 
 mal turns and twists, as if desirous to be relieved of 
 its burden. Its long neck is whirled around like 
 the whip of a stage driver, or spasmodically entwined 
 around its own body. This state of things will last 
 for some time, when, with one mighty struggle, the 
 separation will take place, and the newly-perfected 
 swan will stretch out his long proboscis and shoot 
 away, while the exhausted parent seems to court a 
 season of repose. 
 
 Sivan Animalcule Subdividing. 
 
 " The beautiful pictures at which we have been 
 looking ought not to be too soon effaced. We will 
 therefore close our afternoon's enjoyment at this 
 point. 
 
 " As I came to the school-house this morning I 
 saw the menagerie moving out of town. What little 
 enjoyment it afforded is now only a thing of the 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 101 
 
 past, but we have many pleasant hours yet to spend 
 before our resources of pleasure will all have been 
 examined, and as for exhausting them, that is im- 
 possible. And herein is one of the greatest wonders 
 which will come under our notice. We can soon 
 exhaust the catalogue of the great animals of the 
 world, but in the small compass of a few drops of 
 water there will be found a sufficient number of va- 
 rieties to fill the pages of a large volume. I have a 
 Micrographic Dictionary of over a thousand pages, 
 and even that is condensed. 
 
 "With all these facts before us, we may claim 
 that our menagerie deserves the highest commenda- 
 tion and patronage, which I hope it may continue 
 to receive from my beloved pupils." 
 9* 
 
|tt0Itmt, jstasta, anb Sibrionts. 
 
 103 
 
PLATE IV. 
 
 EUGLENA, ASTASIA, POLYPS, AND POLYZOA. 
 
 FIGURES 
 
 1-5. Astasia. 
 
 6-10. Euglena. 
 
 11. Diflulgia. 
 
 12, 13. Hydra Vulgaris. 
 
 14. Plumatella Repens. 
 
 15, 16. Eggs of the Christatella. 
 
 17. Christatella Mucedo. 
 
 18. Lophopus crystallinus. 
 19, 20. Hydra attenuata. 
 
 104 
 
PlateJV. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 EUGLENA, ASTASIA, AND VJBRIONES. 
 
 interest excited in the minds of the children 
 by the second day's exhibition was not less than 
 that of the previous day ; the objects were so strik- 
 ingly beautiful and novel. Not only did they learn 
 of the existence of new races of animals, but observed 
 in them such shapes and habits as seemed to bring 
 them into close relation to the floral kingdom. 
 They budded and bloomed, fruited and ripened ; 
 were branched with leaf and tendril ; and had it not 
 been for their movements, they would have been at 
 once pronounced the flora of the watery garden. 
 And all this in a drop of water, where the unaided 
 eye could detect nothing ! They could hardly de- 
 termine which emotion was stronger, wonder or ad- 
 miration. Of one thing, however, they were sure 
 they had an increased desire to search farther into 
 this wonderful microscopic world. 
 
 In going to and from the school there was much 
 animated discussion among the scholars respecting 
 the marvelous things which they had seen. The 
 
 105 
 
106 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 thoughtful George Snow could not resist the impulse 
 to tease Tim Allen for his rash censure of his be- 
 loved teacher, and so, when they met at the school- 
 house gate on the morning of the third day, George 
 said : 
 
 " Well, Tim, what do you think of Mr. Willard's 
 menagerie ? You thought you knew all the animals 
 which could be found around Woodlawn, but I 
 rather think our teacher has discovered a few that 
 you had not found out. It will hardly be necessary 
 for him to fit out that expedition to Asia or Africa 
 to enable him to redeem his promise to us." 
 
 " Well, now, George, don't say anything more on 
 that subject. I was wrong, and talked like a dunce. 
 I ought to have known that Mr. Willard would not 
 trifle with us, and I'm sure you do not respect and 
 love him more than I do." 
 
 " I believe that is true, Tim, and I did not mean 
 to censure you. I know that you've as warm a 
 heart as any boy in school, but you are often too 
 hasty in your conclusions." 
 
 " That's so, George, and I never was more aware 
 of it than I am now, and I will try and overcome it. 
 Dear me ! I wish I could think before I speak, but 
 somehow the words come right out before I have 
 time to think. But, I say, what can Mr. Willard 
 have to show us to-day ? I'm quite sure that he can 
 
GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 107 
 
 have nothing so wonderful as what we've already 
 seen." 
 
 " I see, Tim, you're improving fast in forming 
 opinions. But perhaps your resolution has not had 
 time to get settled. You were quite sure Mr. Wil- 
 lard couldn't find anything about these parts which 
 you did not know, in which opinion you were 
 slightly mistaken, and now you are 'quite sure' he 
 has nothing else wonderful to exhibit, in which con- 
 clusion it is more than probable you'll be equally 
 mistaken." 
 
 "Oh, George, you're too bad to pick a fellow up 
 so. I didn't mean just what I said." 
 
 " Then, Tim, you should not have said it. That 
 is just the habit you ought to correct. But, come, 
 let us hurry ; there's the last bell ringing." 
 
 And away these young friends hurried, for warm 
 friends they were, notwithstanding their difference 
 of character. 
 
 Mr. Willard was exceedingly gratified with the 
 moral effect of his experiment on his school. There 
 was an evident improvement in deportment and 
 attention. Some of his pupils began to realize that 
 there is a pleasure in knowledge which more than 
 repays the efforts necessary to obtain it, that even 
 those efforts ceased to be a task, and became them- 
 selves a precious part of the seeker's reward. 
 
108 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " I suppose," said Mr. Willard, when, on the fol- 
 lowing afternoon, he adjusted his instrument to 
 resume his interesting exhibition and lecture, " most 
 of you would have been heartily satisfied with a 
 half day's gazing at the few animals contained in 
 the show which has just left our town, so that, had 
 it remained, few of you would have cared to repeat 
 your visitation. But it is with great gratification 
 that I perceive by your presence and interested 
 manifestations that you are not wearied with the 
 interviews we have had together, and are anxious 
 for their continuance. Perhaps, before we get half- 
 way through with these objects which I am desirous 
 to present, your patience may become exhausted, but 
 I hope otherwise, and shall do my best to prevent 
 any flagging in the interest excited. Our stores yet 
 in reserve are rich with interest, and will last for 
 many days to come, as you may readily understand 
 from the number of objects you have doubtless ob- 
 served in the water drops already exhibited which 
 have not been referred to. To some of them I shall 
 now direct your attention. In doing this, it is proper 
 that we retrace our steps and begin a little lower 
 down in the order of progression. 
 
 " Wishing to divert your attention from what I 
 considered an improper gratification, and create a 
 deep interest in the objects which I proposed to sub- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 109 
 
 stitute for the forbidden ones, I have presented you 
 with some of the more striking forms of existence 
 in the world of animalcules. We are cooler now, 
 and can examine our subjects with more deliberation. 
 We will, therefore, resume our investigations with 
 some of the less striking objects found in our collec- 
 tion, only the less attractive from their lacking some 
 of the brilliancy of form and color which we have 
 seen possessed by others. Remember, that which is 
 most showy is not always most valuable. 
 
 " First, let us notice those bright green little ob- 
 jects which we find under our glasses. They were 
 obtained by George Snow, being the green and red- 
 dish scum which he took from the surface of the stag- 
 nant pond, and are called Euglena. (Plate IV., Figs. 
 6-10.) There are several varieties of these little 
 animals, if such they are, in size about the two hun- 
 dred and fiftieth part of an inch. They are first of a 
 bright green color, and exist in such vast quantities 
 as to cover large surfaces with a thick scum. Most 
 of the species have what is supposed to be a bright 
 red eye-spot, from which they derive their name. 
 With a high power a long filament like a whip lash 
 is discovered at the head, which is in constant mo- 
 tion, swaying about in all directions, but not seem- 
 ingly for the purposes of locomotion. While its 
 general shape is a sharpish oval, it assumes a great 
 
 10 
 
110 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 variety of forms, round, flat, circular, or twisted, 
 being hardly a minute at a time in any one of these 
 shapes. It is amusing to watch them as they dart 
 here and there, tumbling, revolving, dancing, or see- 
 sawing through the water. 
 
 " Of the manner of propagation and habits of the 
 Euglena little is known with any certainty, the 
 closest observers widely differing in their conclu- 
 sions. 
 
 " It is noticed that the scum, which is composed 
 mainly of these creatures and the Astasia, which we 
 shall soon inspect, at times passes from its bright 
 green to a brownish or blood-red color. Some have 
 supposed that this is owing to the great enlargement 
 of the red eye-spot, while others regard it as pro- 
 duced by the entire change of color in the animal, 
 or the prevalence of one of the species called Euglena 
 sanguinea (Figs. 6, 7) from their bloody appearance. 
 Be this as it may, the fact is well known, and has 
 been the occasion of some alarm to the ignorant, of 
 which fact we shall take particular notice in looking 
 at another object, more intimately connected, as is now 
 known, with this phenomenon. Had our ' wonder- 
 ful optics' been known, a few of the superstitions of 
 the world would have sooner passed away. 
 
 "The Astasia (Plate IV., Figs. 1-5) differ but 
 little from the last named, and are generally con- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. Ill 
 
 sidered as belonging to it. They exist in vast ac- 
 cumulations on the surfaces of stagnant ponds and 
 swamp meadows. Upon a careful examination of 
 these accumulations, they are found to consist of a 
 dense mass of little green atoms full of life and 
 motion. Like the Euglena, they are constantly 
 changing their forms now a tailless fish, a rolling 
 pin, a cup or ball, a flying dragon, or a shooting 
 star. Often they are seen in a twist like an auger 
 (Fig. 4), and go through the water with a motion 
 corresponding to that of boring with this tool. 
 
 "They are said to multiply by eggs and subdivi- 
 sions, and it must be with astonishing rapidity, when 
 we remember how soon they cover large surfaces 
 after they have once made their appearance. Some- 
 times a single week will stretch out acres of this 
 green covering over the water. Wonderful little 
 creature ! In every foot of that green or red scum 
 there are more of these busy creatures than there 
 are inhabitants on the globe. 
 
 "For what purpose these billions of atomic life 
 are created we may not fully understand. They are 
 generally regarded with apprehension as breeders of 
 contagion and death, but if the truth was clearly 
 known, we should probably change our verdict. 
 Like snails and tadpoles, they may be, and doubt- 
 less are, Nature's scavengers, to purify the swelter- 
 
112 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ing mass of decaying vegetable matter, by devouring 
 the miasmic poisons, and to send forth to the atmo- 
 sphere a healthy element. Believing this to be true, 
 let us look at them 
 
 ' Loving, not loathingly.* 
 
 "In these drops of water which we now have 
 under our instruments, you have noticed a vast num- 
 ber of minute objects twisting and turning in every 
 possible shape. They are among the most minute 
 forms which the microscopist has to examine, and 
 their place in the scale is not yet exactly fixed, 
 whether animal or algae. Finding them in connec- 
 tion with the little creatures which we have just been 
 considering, we will not cause them to quit com- 
 pany. 
 
 " They seem at first sight but mere attenuated, 
 motionless threads, but when carefully observed the 
 movements already noticed are easily perceptible. 
 Cut off a short piece of spiral silver wire, and you 
 will have the exact form of some of these little 
 creatures ; others seem to be pinked, after the fashion 
 of trimming a lady's dress, or to be like a little bun- 
 dle of filaments bound together by a band near the 
 centre. When under the power of a large micro- 
 scope, each hair is found to be a more minute bundle 
 or cluster of animals. And it is most likely, if we 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 113 
 
 could apply a still higher power, these last would be 
 
 discovered as compound also. They are mostly 
 
 colorless or slightly 
 
 tinged with yellow, 
 
 except one species, 
 
 strung together like 
 
 a string of beads, 
 
 which is always of a 
 
 green shade. 
 
 " Like the entire race 
 of animalcules, they 
 must multiply with an enormous rapidity, as oftentimes 
 ditches and ponds are found to have a bottom cov- 
 ered several inches thick with their remains. Their 
 manner of reproduction is by the breaking up of the 
 joints of the creatures into short sections. They 
 almost invariably are the first to make their appear- 
 ance in all forms of decomposition. 
 
 "These little objects are certainly not the most 
 attractive to the eye, but when we consider their 
 number, minuteness, and curious motions, they are 
 well worthy of our careful study. But as we have 
 so many other things of equal interest awaiting our 
 attention, we must take leave of these humble dwell- 
 ers in the microscopic world. " 
 10* H 
 
olgps Jtnir j3c!j)5c;r. 
 
 115 
 
PLATE V. 
 
 MARINE POLYPS AND POLYZOA. 
 
 FIGURES 
 
 1-5. Polycystina from mid-ocean. 
 
 6. A Spine of the Synapta. 
 
 7. A curious portion of a Star-fish. 
 
 8. Snake-headed Coralline. 
 9, 10. Sponge Spicula. 
 
 11. Hartea elegans. 
 
 12. Spirorbis nautiloides. 
 
 13. Gamellaria loricata. 
 
 14. Salpingia Hassalii. 
 
 15. Serpula. 
 
 16. Tubularia Dumortieril. 
 
 17. Coryne stauriaia. 
 
 18. Notamia bursaria. 
 
 19. Actinia bellis. 
 116 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 POLYPS AND POLYZOA. 
 
 " TN almost all fresh -water ponds there will be 
 -L found at the bottom very singular minute gela- 
 tinous atoms, which, if watched closely, are seen to 
 move slowly about and constantly to change their 
 forms. We have some of them now under our 
 glasses, although they have not attracted your atten- 
 tion, perhaps. If any have done so, I shall be 
 pleased to have you mention it/' 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Willard," said Sidney Marvin, " I've 
 been watching something here under my glass which 
 was just like that when I first noticed it, but it has 
 been pushing out great long arms in every direc- 
 tion, and then drawing them back again. It is all 
 full of little black specks that run into these arms 
 when they go out." 
 
 " Well done, Sidney I" replied Mr. Willard ; " you 
 have certainly hit on the right one this time, and a 
 curious subject he is. He has been named the Pro- 
 teus a title given to one of the heathen gods who 
 
 117 
 
118 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 was thought capable of changing his form and nature 
 at will. 
 
 Proteus. 
 
 " It is strange that such a shapeless, unorganized 
 mass of jelly should be possessed of any life, much 
 less manifest the existence of marked instinct, but 
 such is the fact an endowment which it seems deter- 
 mined to maintain. You can see it pushing out its 
 feelers in all directions, securing its food, which it 
 does sometimes by wrapping itself around the object, 
 if too large to be gorged, rather than let it escape. 
 The substance to be appropriated for food may be 
 many times larger than the animal himself, but it is 
 in no wise discouraged by this circumstance. It at 
 once commences the process of wrapping its gela- 
 tinous membrane around its victim, as a grocery- 
 man would wrap up a parcel for a customer. This, 
 after a while, is wholly absorbed into the substance 
 of the Proteus, showing that this globule of jelly has 
 wonderful powers of digestion. When it has a crav- 
 ing for anything not fully within its reach, it makes 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 119 
 
 a long arm and grasps the treasure. While I have 
 been talking, the specimen under my eye has as- 
 sumed three very different shapes. In the first form 
 he had but one arm and two or three short protuber- 
 ances ; in the second, six long feelers were pushed 
 out, with a head like a turtle ; and finally, he has 
 four strong arms engaged in foraging. And thus he 
 will keep moving indefinitely. 
 
 " If you do not wish the trouble of scraping the 
 bottom of some muddy pond to secure a specimen of 
 this anomalous creature, you have only to take a 
 piece of fresh meat and immerse it in a tumbler of 
 rain water for a couple of weeks, and you will then 
 find at the bottom of your vessel a flourishing colony 
 pushing out their arms and feelers promiscuously for 
 your investigation ; and, unorganized as it is, it 
 most worthily challenges your careful inspection a 
 creature that walks without legs ; handles, yet pos- 
 sessing neither arms nor hands ; navigates without 
 oars or fins; eats without teeth or stomach, and 
 digests its food equally well whether taken internally 
 or by wrapping itself around it ; in short, perform- 
 ing most of the functions of animal life without 
 being possessed of one of its perfect organs. It is a 
 paradoxical mass of gelatin, shapeless, yet assuming 
 all shapes a lump or a wave, a star or a disc, flat 
 or globular, round or square, triangular or oblong. 
 
120 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Its appearance is disgusting, yet confounding the 
 wondering imagination ; the most insignificant life 
 of all creation, yet one of the greatest marvels it 
 reveals. 
 
 " Akin to this is the Difflugia (Plate IV., Fig. 11), 
 the principal difference being that this last has an 
 egg-shaped shell, out of which its arms are protruded. 
 They are quite numerous and of different colors, 
 owing probably to a parasitic growth, which often 
 covers the whole shell of the animal. 
 
 "The family of Polyps or Hydras will now claim 
 our attention, and a most interesting study we shall 
 find them, as they present to the eye some remark- 
 able forms and colors. Sometimes they appear like 
 a ' green palm tree' with golden-tipped branches, 
 and anon change into a brilliant star as they sud- 
 denly contract their bodies. Now they are like the 
 tesselated appendage on the turban of a Turkish 
 pasha, or the blazing fuse on a grenadier's cap. 
 They open and shut like a sensitive flower, coil their 
 long tentacles around their prey, or hang pendent, 
 waving like silken threads. 
 
 " Observe those long clusters of thread-like ap- 
 pendages (Plate IV., Figs. 19 and 20) looking like 
 a minute cat-o'-nine tails an instrument which many 
 a poor sailor boy has learned to dread. They would 
 seem at first sight to be mere fibres of conferva, but 
 
GIIEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 121 
 
 Oufew moments' watching will show those tentacles sud- 
 denly contracting, as some victim comes within their 
 sweep, and a fatal snare he will find them. Like the 
 arms of the cuttle-fish, they are wrapped around the 
 object so closely that there is no escape, and are strong 
 enough to hold worms and insects many times larger 
 than the little Polyp who owns them. But this is 
 not all of their fatality, as they are armed with a 
 number of sharp stings which penetrate the hapless 
 victim, infusing, as is supposed, a deadly poison in 
 the wounds which they have made, or, as others be- 
 lieve, like the electrical eel or torpedo, destroying 
 their prey with violent electrical shocks. It is only 
 by some such method that the speedy death of the 
 victim can be accounted for. Be this as it may, the 
 struggle is soon over, and the Hydra enjoys his meal 
 at his leisure. 
 
 " Here is a little cluster of Lemna, pendent to 
 whose roots can barely be perceived 
 some bright green little star- 
 shaped objects. Let us detach 
 some of the mass and put it under 
 our instruments. Thus arranged, 
 we can at first see only three or 
 four roundish green objects, but Lemna with Polyps. 
 wait a few moments, and we shall be rewarded by 
 seeing the Polyp stretch himself when he has re- 
 n 
 
122 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 covered from the fright we gave him. There he comes, 
 slowly, as if yet apprehensive offlanger larger and 
 larger. There ! we have the perfect palm tree, or 
 rather the perfect Hydra vulgaris (Plate IV., Figs. 
 12, 13), with the embryo of his race growing from 
 the side of the parent. These youngsters will soon 
 push out their long arms, and when thus able to 
 take care of themselves will sever their connection 
 with the parental stalk and set up for themselves. 
 This is the more common species found in our fresh- 
 water ponds and streams, especially where Lemna 
 or 'duck weed' is found growing. 
 
 " The Polyp, in taking its food, is like the Proteus ; 
 it matters not whether it is swallowed or wrapped up 
 in a fold of its tentacles, it is just as easily digested; 
 nor does it matter, indeed, whether the creature is 
 inside out or not: it is all the same. He does not, 
 like some of us, mind being cut up. Sever him into 
 as many pieces as you like, each fragment remedies 
 the damage by putting out a new head and tail, and 
 going to work as usual, as much as to say, * Try it 
 again!' If you sever him lengthwise, the two 
 halves close up, and just as readily repair the injury. 
 But stranger still, you can cut off the heads from 
 ten individuals and exchange them, and the subjects 
 of the operation do not seem to mind it at all ; each 
 takes his neighbor's head and grows to it. I think 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 123 
 
 this feat rather surpasses anything exhibited in the 
 great menagerie, and although we have not the time 
 to verify it now, you can see it done when you have 
 learned the use of the instruments sufficiently, and 
 can give it the necessary attention. This animal's 
 life, therefore, is almost proof against everything but 
 heat and acids. 
 
 "The Polyzoa are near relations to the Polyps, 
 but having their houses in a shell or calcareous 
 covering, they are placed among the molluscs. 
 
 "Of this family there are but a few species found 
 in fresh water, but these are of the most interesting 
 character, from their bright colors and graceful 
 movements through the water. Their beautiful dis-. 
 play of feathery tentacles arranged in a semi-circle 
 will also attract marked admiration. From the 
 peculiar shape of this last-named appendage, they 
 are classified as Hippocrepia, or horseshoe-like. 
 
 "Of this class one is called the Cristatella mucedo. 
 (Plate IV., Fig. 17.) It is not often met with, but 
 I am fortunate in having found a source of supply 
 during all the summer, and not being sure that you 
 had made any captures in your expedition, I have 
 brought some, which I will now put under our 
 glasses. 
 
 " There he is, a most exquisite little fellow, mov- 
 ing gently just under the surface of the water. His 
 
124 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 crown of graceful plumes is waving in the light, 
 making a picture which we may well gaze at with 
 admiration. Its principal food seems to be the des- 
 mids and algse floating around it. It is always re- 
 garded as a most exquisite specimen of minute life, 
 and will repay a careful searching after. 
 
 " The eggs of this little creature are scarcely less 
 beautiful than itself. (Plate IV., Figs. 15, 16.) 
 They are not larger than a small pin-head, of a dark 
 red color, and have a peculiar fringe of hook-pointed 
 spines around the edges. They can be found by 
 very careful searching with the instrument among 
 the masses of algse from which the parent is taken. 
 
 " The Lophopus crystallinus (Plate IV., Fig. 18) 
 has much of the appearance of the last named, ex- 
 cept that it is double, and therefore presents a more 
 gorgeous object to the eye. Its crests of graceful 
 plumes are arranged in double horseshoe shape, two 
 of which are fully expanded, the smaller enclosed 
 ones being the buddings for a new generation, by 
 which it multiplies as well as by eggs. 
 
 "The last of these splendid objects which we can 
 examine is the Plumatella repens. (Plate IV., Fig. 
 14.) It is more common than the two just named, 
 though from its generally choosing the under side of 
 some aquatic plant, it escapes observation unless 
 carefully sought after. It is seldom or never found 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 125 
 
 detached and moving through the water, and is very 
 timid, withdrawing into its cell on the least dis- 
 turbance. 
 
 " With these beautiful objects before the mind, 
 and the sublime thoughts which they are so well cal- 
 culated to awaken, let us close our third day's ex- 
 hibition. But as our catalogue of curiosities is not 
 nearly exhausted, it is proper for me to ascertain 
 whether your interest in the study has so far dimin- 
 ished as to cause you to wish that it should conclude 
 here ; and I know of no better way to determine this 
 than to bring it to a vote. I will most cheerfully 
 abide by your decision, whatever it may be, and as I 
 particularly desire that it should be a frank expres- 
 sion of your real sentiments, I shall pause a while 
 to give you time for reflection while I am putting up 
 the instruments. Make up your minds, and then you 
 can vote just as you feel without fear of offending 
 me, although you may indicate thereby my failure 
 to interest you as I have intended. Should any 
 thus indicate their disappointment, I shall most 
 cheerfully excuse them from further attendance at 
 these examinations. 
 
 " Well, are you all ready ? All those who truly 
 desire me to continue these microscopic examina- 
 tions will hold up their hands/' 
 
 The hands all went up with a will. 
 11* 
 
126 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " That will do, and I am very much gratified to 
 notice that every hand went up as though you meant 
 it. I need not assure you that I will do the best I 
 can to repay your confidence. 
 
 " And now, a word or two before you are dismissed. 
 We shall have an intermission of three or four days, 
 during which I expect to visit the seashore, where 
 there can always be found objects of the rarest in- 
 terest to the microscopist, especially in the depart- 
 ment which we have just been examining. I shall 
 improve the opportunity to make the best collection 
 I possibly can, and on the first afternoon after I 
 return you shall see the results. 
 
 " These beautiful objects will teach us that God in 
 all parts of creation has scattered such specimens of 
 his handiwork as to leave no doubt of his omnipres- 
 ence. Go where we may, he is all around us, not 
 only in the grandeur of the mountains or dark heav- 
 ings of the ocean, and in the visible things of crea- 
 tion, but also in the dust of the desert and slime of 
 the bog, when penetrated by the wonderful instruments 
 we are using. Gems of form, brilliant penciling of 
 color, and marvelous conditions of life startle us by 
 their presence. Wondering and awed, we can but 
 exclaim like Jacob at Bethel : ' Surely the Lord is 
 in this place, and I knew it not P You may ask, 
 Why were these things thus created and hidden away 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 127 
 
 from our common inspection ? I can only reply that 
 so it pleased God. It may be for the purpose and 
 the thought is a sublime one of putting the seal 
 of his infinity wherever the eye, aided or unaided, 
 could pry into his works. God is in all, and through 
 all, and in you all." 
 
** 
 
 129 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MINUTE WONDERS OF THE SEA. 
 
 were few of the delighted youth who 
 wended their way home that afternoon but 
 coveted the privilege of accompanying their beloved 
 teacher to the seashore. Living so near it, most of 
 them had visited it often, and had spent many happy 
 hours roaming along the beach, picking up shells 
 and turning over jelly fish, but a day or two at 
 Brigantine, in company with Mr. Willard, would be 
 a treat indeed. If he could find such wonderful and 
 beautiful things in muddy ditches and slimy ponds, 
 what marvels would he not search out on the shores 
 of the grea^ ocean ? Many a parent was solicited 
 for such a favor, as Mr. Willard had expressed his 
 willingness to take in charge any of his pupils who 
 could obtain permission to go with him. Alf Green, 
 Willie Hunt, and Nettie Newton were so happy as to 
 obtain this gratification. 
 
 Their outfit was much the same as that used by 
 the children in their grand expedition, with the 
 
 131 
 
132 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 addition of one of the microscopes and a small 
 single lens for examining the larger objects on the 
 shore. 
 
 It was a happy time for the three favored children, 
 especially for the sharp and inquisitive little Nettie. 
 She cared but little for dress or the gay company 
 which she met at the watering-place, and even the 
 grand old ocean did not exert its usual spell over 
 her imagination. She was impatient to pry into its 
 secrets. Her feminine curiosity had been excited, 
 and she could hardly wait until Mr. Willard ar- 
 ranged for their stay at the hotel, so impatient was 
 she to get to the shore for a ramble, and to hunt for 
 its rich treasures. The two boys were scarcely less 
 enthusiastic. Nor was their friend and teacher an- 
 noyed by their impatience, which he did not put to 
 a too severe trial. Taking his requisites, they all 
 repaired to the beach and began their researches. 
 It was wonderful, with their quickened senses, how 
 many things they observed that had never before 
 attracted their attention. A few large shells, a 
 king crab, broken star fish, or a stranded jelly fish 
 had usually been the sum of wonders which they 
 had found. But their eyes were sharper now, and, 
 without the aid of the smaller instrument, they were 
 not long in making some rare discoveries. Nettie 
 was the first to arrest attention : 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 133 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Willard, I've found a tiny little bead ; 
 some lady must have lost it here, and perhaps we 
 can find some more." 
 
 Mr. Willard put it under his small glass for a 
 moment, and then handed them both to Nettie, who 
 gave but a single look, when she fairly jumped with 
 raptures. 
 
 "Oh, isn't it beautiful! It's all over speckled, 
 and there's a hole clear through it. It is a bead, 
 isn't it, Mr. Willard?" 
 
 " Well, Nettie," replied the teacher, u it does very 
 much resemble a bead, but beads do not often live, 
 and this one was full of 
 life once. This is the 
 broken shell of an Echi- 
 nus. There are many 
 of these beautiful crea- 
 tures now living in the 
 sea and along its shores, 
 but a far greater number ^'f us ** Spines remwed ' 
 are found in a fossil state. They are orange-shaped, 
 and when alive they are covered over with long and 
 curiously-jointed spines. These arms are fitted in a 
 socket-joint, and can turn in any direction. With 
 these spines the animal works himself into his bur- 
 row in the sand and captures his prey. As the 
 fossil state would indicate, this creature was well 
 12 
 
134 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 known centuries ago, being called by the ancients 
 the ' Lantern of Aristotle/ " 
 
 Living Echinus. 
 
 Hardly had Mr. Willard finished describing Net- 
 tie's prize, when Willie Hunt discovered in a little 
 heap of decaying seaweed an object which arrested 
 his attention, and he cried out lustily : 
 
 "Oh, come here, all! I've found the prettiest 
 thing ! It's a little bit of a ball, with five mighty 
 long arms." 
 
 "A Daisy Brittle Star," said Mr. Willard after a 
 moment's examination, " and a very beautiful speci- 
 men too. Look at him through this glass, and you 
 will then discover that those long tentacles are made 
 up of short joints with little pin-holes between them, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 135 
 
 through which the animal protrudes a multitude of 
 
 sucker-shaped feet, which 
 
 by count amount to more 
 
 than five thousand. With 
 
 these sure members it can 
 
 glide over the smooth 
 
 surfaces of perpendicular 
 
 rocks and creep along 
 
 the soft bed of the ocean. 
 
 mi . T ,. i Daisy Star. 
 
 Ihis beautiful process 
 
 you can only see by placing your little captive in a 
 glass vessel, where he will soon expand his long arms 
 and go feeling about. 
 
 "Perhaps the most beautiful member of this 
 family of stars is the Rosy-feather Star. In this grace- 
 
 jRosy-feather Star. 
 
136 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ful creature the arms are increased to ten, with the 
 feathery edges much prolonged, giving them a beau- 
 tiful plume-like appearance. These sea stars often 
 have a rich red or pinkish color, which adds very 
 much to the interest of their examination. They 
 can almost always be found in the little basins of 
 water left when the tide goes out, from which they 
 manifest but little disposition to escape. From these 
 hiding-places we must capture some to exhibit to the 
 school when we return, for it is one of the most 
 pleasing circumstances of our accumulation of know- 
 ledge that our own enjoyment is greatly enhanced by 
 communicating our riches to others. Besides this, 
 which may be regarded as a selfish motive, know- 
 ledge always brings a responsibility an obligation 
 to instruct others. 
 
 "But I notice that friend Alf has found some- 
 thing that seems to attract his attention. What is" 
 it, my boy ?" 
 
 " I can't say, teacher, but it looks something like 
 those green Polyps which you showed us in your last 
 lecture." 
 
 "Yes, you are quite right; it is a marine Hydra, 
 but much larger and of a brownish orange color. Its 
 tentacles are longer, and are formed much like the 
 branches of the sea stars. The body, like the fresh- 
 water Polyp, is very flexible, and is drawn up and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 137 
 
 expanded at the will of the animal. There are 
 many varieties and sizes found in the sea, being 
 doubtless connected with the coral family. Like 
 his fresh-water relative, an embrace from those long 
 arms is fatal to any poor victim coming within their 
 reach ; it will be securely held, and its life sucked 
 away. 
 
 Marine Hydra. 
 
 " But look at this magnificent leaf-shaped Sertularia 
 or Sickle Coralline which I have captured in this 
 bunch of algae. 
 
 " It has the general shape of a leaf, but each one 
 of these little branches is separate from the rest, 
 
 12* 
 
138 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 and is strung full of little cup-shaped brown Polyps. 
 It is a rare beauty. And mark what touchy little 
 fellows those Polyps are : shake the branch ever so 
 
 little, and every brown 
 head dodges back into 
 its cell with a sudden 
 jerk, to be almost 
 immediately protruded 
 again." 
 
 Thus, one after an- 
 other, some curious 
 thing was found, ex- 
 amined, and when ca- 
 pable of being pre- 
 
 Sickle Coralline. . 
 
 served, treasured up for 
 
 future exhibition to the school. No wonder that the 
 three days passed away so quickly to the young en- 
 thusiasts, and that they were reluctant to leave the 
 scene of so much enjoyment. But then, to make 
 amends for this necessity, they had a rich store of 
 rare things to take home, and a whole budget of 
 wonders to relate. On their way home it is more 
 than probable that the youthful members of the 
 party felt a little vain of their new accomplishments, 
 with a lurking intention of showing off their superior 
 wisdom among their less fortunate school-fellows. 
 But when they were once more among the familiar 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 139 
 
 group, they felt so happy in telling of their trip 
 that all pride was gone, and they nobly did their 
 best to make their mates partake as much as possible 
 of their pleasure. 
 
 The first afternoon after Mr. Willard's return was 
 waited for with great expectation. They well knew 
 that he would not return empty handed, but the en- 
 thusiastic reports of his young attendants had whet- 
 ted their desires to the utmost sharpness. When, 
 therefore, the happy hour at last arrived, the teacher 
 was surrounded by an anxious band craving to be- 
 hold the wonders which he had gathered from the 
 shores of the great sea. 
 
 After the cordial greetings had been exchanged, 
 Mr. Willard lifted a large wicker-basket to the 
 table, and took from it his jars and boxes containing 
 his specimens, and then adjusting his instruments, 
 he said : 
 
 " Children, I am happy to meet you again, and to 
 exhibit to you the treasures which we have collected 
 during our visit to the seashore ; and I am sure, if 
 you enjoy this inspection with half the satisfaction 
 which we experienced in obtaining them, you will 
 have no occasion to regret the opportunity. 
 
 " The microscopic objects of the sea are much 
 more numerous than those of the land, and are gen- 
 erally of a more striking and beautiful character. 
 
140 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Of these thousands of unique forms we can examine 
 but a few, but these will be amply sufficient to ex- 
 cite our highest admiration. Most of these marine 
 wonders are of a size to make them perceptible to 
 the eye when carefully sought after, but their sur- 
 passing splendor can be brought out only by the aid 
 of the microscope. 
 
 " We have already had our astonishment excited 
 by the incomprehensible myriads of animalcules 
 swarming in ditches and ponds. But how limited 
 are these dwelling-places of minute life compared 
 to the great and mighty ocean covering more than 
 two-thirds of the surface of our globe ! As you had 
 no conception of the crowded life of a drop of water 
 taken from the ditch until you looked at it through 
 these instruments, so you have no doubt supposed, 
 as you looked at the clear blue waters of the ocean, 
 that all its broad expanse was free from any mix- 
 ture save the scattered members of the finny tribes. 
 So it seems to the unaided vision, but a look into 
 its waters through our wonderful optics reveals the 
 same teeming profusion of animal existence that we 
 have found elsewhere. Not only along its shore and 
 in shallow waters, but through its broad expanse, we 
 can skim them from its surface, dredge them from 
 its deepest bottom, with seven miles of waters above 
 them, and strain them out everywhere singly, so 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 141 
 
 minute as not to be perceptible, but collectively 
 giving color to hundreds of miles of the ocean's sur- 
 face, tinting it green by day and covering its billows 
 with coruscations of flame at night, and, withal, 
 feeding to unequal fatness the hugest monsters of 
 the deep ! Who shall say to the Holy One, Thou 
 shalt not go beyond this greatness? or, This is so 
 small thou canst make nothing less ? 
 
 "All climates are peopled by them. They are 
 found in the everlasting ice of the North, or the ever- 
 tepid water of the South. Captain Scoresby found 
 that the waters all along the coast of Greenland 
 were discolo'red by animalcules so minute that one 
 hundred and fifty millions would find abundance of 
 room in a tumbler of water. It was the green pas- 
 ture-ground of whole herds of whales, who fatten on 
 its richness God's gracious provision ^for a region 
 where the seal of eternal ice keeps shut the door of 
 Nature's other storehouses. 
 
 " Through the long night of months in that lati- 
 tude they often relieve the gloom by their phosphor- 
 escence, tipping the briefly appearing waters with 
 the show of heat, by which, perhaps, the poor be- 
 numbed sailor may in imagination gather a little 
 warmth. 
 
 "Mr. Darwin found them equally as numerous 
 and brilliant while sailing near the mouth of the 
 
142 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 river La Plata. The vessel, he says, drove before 
 her bows two billows of liquid phosphorus. In 
 passing down the Chesapeake Bay I have often sat 
 up half the night to observe the same beautiful 
 phenomenon. Mr. Gosse has observed this brilliant 
 exhibition in a salt-water aquarium by tapping the 
 glass with his finger, when suddenly there would be 
 on the surface minute sparks of light. This he dis- 
 covered to be produced by the tiny Nodiluca Mill- 
 am. They were very delicate and colorless, except 
 when shaken ; then they emitted their light as they 
 
 made a dive toward the 
 ^G^^k bottom. They are curious 
 H& little bodies, not unlike 
 \J5WS5^ tne outline of a cherry, 
 
 floating on the surface of 
 
 Noctiluca. 
 
 the water like the Nau- 
 tilus, anchored by a little filament hanging beneath 
 the water. 
 
 "From this great sea, wherein there are 'both 
 small and great beasts' innumerable, we can, of 
 course, select but a few which we have picked up on 
 the shore, which you shall now inspect, with a few 
 other forms secured by other hands in more distant 
 places, which I have procured for your gratification. 
 
 "And first, let us admire these elegant Polycistina 
 (Plate V., Figs. 1-5) obtained by Major Owen by 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 143 
 
 dredging the surface of mid ocean. Beautiful in 
 form and color, and of the frailest construction, they 
 rock and toss on the stormiest wave in perfect safety 
 where the proudest structure of man is dashed to 
 pieces, secure in their very frailty. The storm may 
 not wreck them nor the ocean's depths be their 
 sepulchre until God's purposes are served by their 
 unobserved existence. 
 
 * Full many a gem of purest ray serene 
 The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear/ 
 
 Are ye not much better than these ? He who pro- 
 tects them watches especially over you. Never 
 think of God as seeking occasions to inflict some 
 terrible example of his power and wrath upon you. 
 With more than a parent's love and solicitude he 
 makes all things work together for good to those 
 who love him. 
 
 " Here is a splendid specimen of the Hartea ele- 
 gans. (Plate V., Fig. 11.) A graceful cylindrical 
 column, surmounted by a rich cluster of tossing 
 plumes, and just above it you will observe a curious 
 half of an egg with the head of a goose : it is the 
 spine of the Synapta, or Sea cucumber. Just at the 
 right of this queer object is the elegant portion of 
 a sea star. At the right of this last-named speci- 
 men we have the Snake-head Coralline. They are 
 
144 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ugly, ghastly-looking creatures, with their heads 
 waving to and fro, as though wishing to escape. 
 When more largely magnified, the snaky resem- 
 blance is more complete, as there seems to dart from 
 his mouth a number of 
 forked tongues. We will 
 let him pass, and look at 
 
 Head of Snake Coralline. 
 
 something more agreeable, 
 
 and here it is, a beauty the Spirorbis (Plate V., 
 Fig. 12), a little milky-white shell, out of which 
 is pushed a tuft of beautiful pink-colored plumes. 
 It is quite perceptible to the natural eye, but must 
 be under a low power at least to appreciate its rich- 
 ness. 
 
 " We have several species of branching polyps, as 
 Gamellaria, Salpingia, and Notamia, or Shepherd's 
 purse. (Plate V., Figs. 13, 14 and 18.) All these 
 are beautiful and plentiful, but we must pass them 
 by, as more attractive subjects are waiting for our 
 inspection the Serpula and Tubularia. (Figs. 15 and 
 16.) These splendid creatures live in shells, pro- 
 truding therefrom a great crown of feathers, which 
 wave and curl with most attractive gracefulness. 
 
 " The delicate flower-looking object is the Coryne 
 (Plate V., Fig. 17), an object which ever holds the 
 eye of the observer. At the mouth of the little bud, 
 attached to the long white thread, are four curious 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 145 
 
 pins, standing out like those in the hair of a Jap- 
 anese lady. 
 
 " We have many specimens of the Actinia (Plate 
 V., Fig. 19), but. time will not permit us to particu- 
 larize, as I have one rare object to show before we 
 close this interview. It is not because of its great 
 beauty, for it can boast of little in that line, that I 
 present it to you for your inspection. It is one of 
 the greatest oddities. Think of a large caldron, 
 around the brim of which a whole band of wild In- 
 dians and pappooses are dancing and gesticulating 
 in the wildest and oddest manner, and you will have 
 the best idea which you can get without looking at 
 the reality. The ludicrous scene will be better ap- 
 preciated if it is remembered that the caldron is 
 inhabited by a distinct creature, which these animal- 
 
 Lares around the. Mouth of tJie Sabetta. 
 
146 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 cule Indians, seem to be threatening with such ter- 
 rible demonstrations. Here it is, boys, and a rich 
 treat, too, as it is not often met with. 
 
 " I wonder not that the poor Sabella who owns 
 the house has withdrawn into his citadel to escape 
 from such a hideous band. Watch how they bow 
 and twist backward and forward, and shake hands, 
 as though exulting over an easy victory. But like 
 many of a much higher race who are alike given 
 to noisy assertions of courage, only let the entrenched 
 enemy show his head above the walls, and all these 
 threatening savages subside into quietness, ready to 
 renew their harmless demonstrations as soon as he 
 goes out of sight again. We have a rare text for 
 moralizing, but as I am quite sure that you can 
 draw the inferences without a discussion on the sub- 
 ject, I will leave it for you to make the application. 
 It is said that ' wisdom can be learned from a fool,' 
 and so we can gather truth from the laughable as- 
 pects of nature, as well as from her incomparable 
 realities. 
 
 " We shall have occasion to spend another hour 
 over the minute wonders of the sea, and so will close 
 our pleasant interview at this point." 
 
 It was one of the most natural things for the 
 boys, when they left the school-house, to gather 
 around the brink of an old hydrant cistern which 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 147 
 
 was uncovered for repairs, and with joined hands 
 dance around it in imitation of the grotesque lares. 
 This they were doing with great merriment when 
 the teacher passed on his way home. He could not 
 help smiling at the aptness with which his little 
 friends appreciated the odd exhibition which they 
 had just witnessed, nor did he desire to repress their 
 exuberance, not deeming it necessary for the proper 
 formation of character that the face should always 
 wear -a solemn look and every disposition to mtrth- 
 fulness be repressed. He, therefore, in passing 
 them, very pleasantly remarked : * 
 
 "A very good imitation, boys; I did not know 
 that you could- so easily convert yourselves into little 
 Indians. I rather suspect if the policeman should 
 appear you would vanish as quickly as the lares do 
 on the appearance of the poor Sabella." 
 
 " We can do that without his appearance," said 
 Alf Green as they scattered merrily to their homes. 
 
|<mtl jpolnps anb %ir tltudUngs. 
 
 13 149 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 CORAL POLYPS AND THEIR DWELLINGS. 
 
 WHEN" the children again assembled around the 
 familiar table they found it covered with a 
 large number of specimens of coral of different form- 
 
 Madrepore. 
 
 ations, while on a small black marble stand there 
 rested a magnificent cluster of Madrepore. 
 
 151 
 
152 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Mr. Willard began the exercises by saying : 
 
 " As naturally following the interesting study of 
 minute sea life which we had yesterday afternoon, 
 we will take up the coral polyps and their wonderful 
 dwellings, not the less beautiful in their forms, and 
 far more stupendous in their operations. They have 
 helped to build up and shape the globe on which we 
 dwell, and with a ceaseless energy and toil are still 
 producing marvelous changes that stagger the imag- 
 ination. 
 
 "As it is very difficult to obtain living coral 
 polyps so far from the seashore, we shall have to 
 satisfy ourselves with a description of the living ani- 
 mal, but their splendid palaces we have before us, 
 and can carefully inspect their wonderful architec- 
 ture. 
 
 " The polyp family vary much in size and color, 
 but have the general characteristics of a rounded or 
 cylindrical body, the mouth surrounded by a number 
 of flexible tentacles, which are retractile. The body 
 is soft and capable of great extension, often protrud- 
 ing several inches from the home cell. Hence many 
 of them can be examined with the unaided eye, but 
 a low power is requisite to fully comprehend their 
 curious structure and habits. They propagate in 
 three ways by subdivision, the deposit of eggs, and 
 by budding, which is perhaps the most common. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 153 
 
 That they increase with great rapidity is evident 
 from the rapid - growth of their dwelling-places. 
 Look at this splendid bunch of coral on the stand 
 one of the finest I ever saw. You can perceive with 
 the natural eye that each one of these numerous 
 branches is filled with numberless minute holes, con- 
 structed with remarkable regularity and exquisite 
 workmanship. In each of them one or more live 
 polyps has made his dwelling and worked out his 
 destiny. We will place a small fragment of one 
 of these branches of coral under our instrument, 
 with a high power, and you will see a gem of very 
 rare workmanship, surrounded by a wreath of the 
 most delicate structure. What myr- 
 iads of these exquisite chambers 
 there are in this single specimen! 
 Imagine them all inhabited, and 
 each minute occupant ascending to 
 the battlements of his enchanting CoraL 
 
 castle and spreading out his graceful banner of ten- 
 tacles, and you will but have the picture of a past 
 reality. 
 
 " I have here some beautiful drawings of the living 
 polyps protruding from their cells. In one, the Cy- 
 donium, the tentacles are broad and feathery, like the 
 sea daisy, while others are star-like, as the Tubipora 
 or Gorgone. The Tubipora is a very curious coral, 
 
154 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 often called the organ-pipe coral, from its striking re- 
 semblance to a bunch of organ-pipes. When these 
 
 tubes are occupied they have a polyp of a bright 
 green color, seeming to the observer a gelatinous 
 mass, which the microscope resolves into a con- 
 fluence of the myriads of inhabitants. This species 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 155 
 
 abounds in warm seas, especially in New South 
 Wales, the Molucca Islands, and the Red Sea, which 
 it is fast filling up with its ceaseless 
 industry. 
 
 "The Alcyonium is a well-known 
 species, called by the Germans the 
 ' thief's hand/ and by others the 
 1 devil's thumb,' with other similar 
 
 Alcyonium. 
 
 odd names. It is, however, not as 
 ugly as these names would indicate, but is really a 
 delicate and beautiful object when seen with its oc- 
 cupants all expanded over its surface. 
 
 " With this brief sketch of these wonderful little 
 architects, let us take a glance at their magnificent 
 structures. These are different in form and texture, 
 as you can see, varying in shape from the graceful 
 tree to the thumb-shaped projection, the wreathed 
 circle, the flowery disc, the wicker basket, and the 
 netted oval, and in texture from compact limestone 
 to the most open filagree. In color they are most 
 generally of the purest white, but are occasionally 
 seen of a soft pink or emerald color. 
 
 " Mr. Dana, who devoted much time and careful 
 attention to the corals of the Pacific, where they 
 abound in the greatest profusion and perfection, thus 
 writes : ' They form trees of coral, and although not 
 emulating the oaks of the forests for they do not 
 
156 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 exceed more than six or eight feet in height they 
 are gracefully branched, and the whole surface 
 blooms with coral polyps in place of leaves and 
 flowers. The cactus, the lichen clinging to the rock, 
 and the fungus in all its varieties have their numer- 
 ous representatives. Shrubbery, tufts of rushes, 
 beds of pinks, and feathery mosses are most exactly 
 imitated. Many species spread out in broad leaves 
 or folia, and resemble some broad-leaved plant just 
 unfolding. When alive the surface of each leaf is 
 covered with polyp flowers. Besides these forms 
 imitating vegetation, there are gracefully-modeled 
 vases, some of which are three or four feet in diam- 
 eter, made up of a net- work of branches and branch- 
 lets and strings of flowers. There are also coral 
 hemispheres, like domes, among the vases and shrub- 
 bery, occasionally ten or twelve feet in diameter, 
 whose symmetrical surface is gorgeously decked with 
 polyp stars of purple and emerald green.' 
 
 " But the beauty of these coral sprays, and the 
 brilliancy of their colors, are lost sight of when we 
 think of the sublime magnitude which they pre- 
 sent as a whole, and of the insignificant workmen 
 who have built them up into islands and continents. 
 When we reflect that those vast coral reefs which 
 form New Holland and the whole group of islands 
 in the Pacific Ocean were built up from almost un- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 157 
 
 fathomable depths by the labors of these minute 
 polatys, a little oblong bag of jelly, varying from 
 the smallest atom to the size of a pea, we may well 
 pause and ask, ' Can these things be so ?' We cease 
 to wonder at a few millions of monads in a drop of 
 water : a greater marvel is before us a tiny crea- 
 ture building up continents and ocean barriers, 
 blocking up the march of progress, and wrecking 
 mighty navies. We cease to wonder at insignifi- 
 cance, and stand trembling at the dangers which it 
 builds up before us. 
 
 " What myriads upon myriads of these little crea- 
 tures have toiled for untold ages beneath the deep, 
 deep sea ! It eludes all attempts at calculation, and 
 imagination shrinks from the effort to compass it. 
 They have done what man would attempt in vain to 
 accomplish, damming up the paths of the sea and 
 saying, as with the voice of Omnipotence, ' Hitherto 
 shalt thou come, but no further, and here shall thy 
 proud waves be stayed.' 
 
 " The Polynesian Archipelago, now denominated 
 one of the great divisions of the globe, is the up- 
 building of these little zoophites. On the coast of 
 Australia the Great Barrier Keef stretches for more 
 than a thousand miles. Some groups of coral islands 
 in the Pacific are longer still, reaching to twelve or 
 fifteen hundred miles in length by three or four 
 14 
 
158 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 hundred in breadth. And all this work of world- 
 building done by an animal barely possessing life, 
 cemented to a narrow cell, and ephemeral in exist- 
 ence ! Guided by the divine wisdom and aided by 
 the almighty hand of God, it goes on mapping out its 
 submarine foundations and building up from the 
 ocean's deep valleys new worlds for man's inhabit- 
 ing ! What are the proudest monuments of man's 
 skill compared to this ocean masonry ? What is an 
 elephant or a lion compared to such a creature as 
 this? Ocean storm and grinding keel may often 
 destroy in a few hours the patient work of centuries, 
 but the brave zoophite is not discouraged. He stops 
 not to mourn over the ruin, nor to anathematize the 
 spoiler of his labors, but at once addresses himself to 
 the task of restoring the wreck to order and sym- 
 metry. He seems to have learned the lesson long 
 before our voices had been tuned to sing it: 
 
 ' If at first you don't succeed, 
 Try, try again/ 
 
 and most faithfully has he profited by it. 
 
 " We are also impressed with the great virtue of 
 unselfishness. The little polyp that laid the founda- 
 tion of one of these ocean continents ten or fifteen 
 hundred feet below the surface of the deep began 
 his labors not only to meet the necessities of his own 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 159 
 
 brief existence, but for a posterity which should 
 come many thousand years after his ocean masonry 
 was completed and he himself absorbed into the 
 superstructure which he had helped to build up, yet 
 he faithfully served his day and generation, gather- 
 ing in from the watery wastes around him his atom 
 of lime, and gluiflg it to the ocean's bed, fashioning 
 out his little home cell, which was to serve equally 
 for his dwelling, his sepulchre, and his monument. 
 
 "The. same God who gave the coral worm a 
 work and inspired him with patience and industry 
 to complete his task has given to each of you a 
 higher vocation, but instead of leading you by blind 
 instinct to fulfill the purposes of your creation, he 
 has endowed you with reasoning faculties that you 
 may prove yourselves worthy of his great bestowal. 
 You are to develop and apply your superior endow- 
 ments to the noblest purposes of truth, benevolence, 
 and religion. You are not here to build great 
 monuments of labor, produce marvelous physical 
 changes, and then to die, but to ' glorify God and 
 enjoy him for ever!' He who crowns the labors of 
 the insignificant coralline with such wonderful re- 
 sults has especially promised that you shall not 
 labor in vain, nor spend your strength for naught. 
 Only apply your energies to noble pursuits, and 
 press on with unfaltering assiduity, and ' in due time 
 
160 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 you shall reap, if you faint not.' You may not 
 help to build up continents from the bosom of the 
 deep, nor stretch a barrier across the ocean pathway, 
 but you may help to deck the one with verdure and 
 bring to its inhabitants the blessings of knowledge 
 and religion, and build on the other the beacon-light 
 which shall guide the mariner away from its dan- 
 gers. You have something to do, and do it faith- 
 fully : 
 
 1 Choose well the path in which you run, 
 
 Succeed by noble daring ; 
 Then, though the last, when once His won, 
 
 Your crown is worth the wearing. 
 Then never fret if left behind, 
 
 Nor slacken your endeavor ; 
 But ever keep this truth in mind 
 
 'Tis better late than never I* 
 
 " Of these polyp dwellings there are three or four 
 different styles of architecture. One of the most 
 peculiar is called the Atoll. It consists of a circle 
 of coral formation enclosing a shallow lagoon. This 
 circular reef rises just above the level of the sea, 
 spreading out to the breadth of a quarter of a mile 
 or more, on the outside of which the water has 
 great depth, but within growing less and less until 
 it all disappears. In this how marked is the divine 
 agency ! God is the great superintending architect. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 161 
 
 The little polyp works to propagate his race, but 
 the purpose which God has in view is the building 
 up of a new habitation for man, using these minute 
 toilers of the sea to accomplish it rather than to 
 speak the word which would give an instantaneous 
 result. But these little workmen would toil in vain 
 were their frail structure exposed constantly to the 
 direct action of the ceaseless ebb and dash of the 
 
 A Coral Atoll. 
 
 ocean. Not only would their direct labors be de- 
 stroyed, but the algse and other vegetable growth 
 necessary to form a soil would be swept away. But 
 God directs his little workmen to form their circular 
 wall, and calmness settles over the face of the waters 
 within, where pastures of algse grow, decay, and leave 
 successive strata of rich sediment until the dry land 
 appears and verdure covers the surface. 
 14* L 
 
162 GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " The Barrier Reef, as another class of coral form- 
 ations is called, illustrates the wisdom of this circu- 
 lar protection. These remain much the same for 
 ages, the waves sweeping over them during storms 
 or high tides, unless God, by some other wonderful 
 agency, lifts them up above the ocean friction. 
 
 " A writer, in describing the action of the surf on 
 flie Great Barrier Reef on the north-east coast of 
 Australia, gives a vivid picture. He says: 'The 
 long ocean-swell being suddenly impeded by this 
 barrier, lifted itself in one great, continuous ridge of 
 deep blue water, which, curling over, fell on the 
 edge of the reef irf an unbroken cataract of dazzling 
 white foam. Each line of breakers ran often one or 
 two miles in length, with not a perceptible gap in its 
 continuity. There was a simple grandeur and dis- 
 play of power and beauty in this scene that rose 
 even to sublimity. The unbroken roar of the surf, 
 with its regular pulsations of thunder, as each suc- 
 ceeding swell fell first on the outer edge of the reef, 
 was almost deafening, yet so deep-toned as not to 
 interfere with the slightest nearer and sharper sound. 
 But the sound and sight were such as to impress the 
 spectator with a consciousness of standing in the 
 presence of overwhelming majesty and power.' 
 
 " These scenes are truly grand, but they are much 
 oftener the occasion of overwhelming fears, when, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 163 
 
 *amid darkness and storm, the poor mariner hears 
 the thunder of their dashing. The wrecks which lie 
 around them are abundant proof that his fears are 
 well grounded. They are the terror of ocean navi- 
 gation, yet the goodness of God is seen in slowly 
 lifting them up for man's dwelling-place, and often 
 shaping them into a harbor of safety, where the 
 sailor can drop his anchor. 
 
 "The little polyp cannot carry on his masonry 
 above the surface of the water ; hence, when he has 
 reached the surface, other agencies must complete 
 the work which he has thus far advanced, or it re- 
 mains a new danger in the pathway of man. But 
 God has abundant resources. If his designs are to 
 be developed slowly, new forms of life and vegetable 
 growth work out his sovereign will; but if more 
 rapid agencies are required, the earthquake or vol- 
 canic fires lift up by one mighty throe the submerged 
 continent or beetling cliff. Thus God combines the 
 weakest and mightiest forces to complete his vast 
 designs. 
 
 "In our own country the Florida reefs are an 
 illustration of these coral wonders. Look at your 
 maps, and you will see extending out from the south- 
 ern point of that State, many miles in length, a suc- 
 cession of small islands called the Florida Keys. 
 These are the work of the coral polyp ; and, busy 
 
164 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 still, his work goes on, building up and extending 
 out the borders of his populous city. 
 
 " A recent writer in Harper's Monthly Magazine, 
 who accompanied a party of engineers making a 
 survey of the Keys, gives a very interesting account 
 of their formations. They are described as being 
 raised some two feet above the water, and formed of 
 several varieties of coral, the process still going on 
 with great rapidity. So soon as there is the least 
 appearance of dry land at low tides, God has pro- 
 vided a wonderful tree to root itself in the soil and 
 form a nucleus of vegetation the mangrove. 
 
 " See the wisdom of this provision. If the seed of 
 this tree was like a chestnut, or other dry-land spe- 
 cies, dry ground must appear before it could propa- 
 gate. But the seed of the mangrove is long, cigar- 
 shaped, and starts the germinal leaves before it drops 
 from the parent tree. When it at last is free it 
 drops into the water, with half of its length beneath 
 the surface, with little rootlets feeling about, ready 
 to grasp the first bottom that may be touched. Here 
 it roots itself and grows, spreading out into a grove 
 while yet the water is above the coral formation. 
 But the nucleus of an island is formed, and time 
 will enable the various agencies to build it up to the 
 sunshine. The ways of the Almighty are wonder- 
 ful. That mind must be dull which does not per- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 165 
 
 ceive his wisdom, and that heart cold indeed that 
 does not reverence him for his goodness and his 
 wonderful works. 
 
 "Our roaming amid the coral 
 groves has been very delighful, 
 and has attractions which might 
 detain us for many an hour longer, 
 but our allotted hour has expired, 
 and we must take our leave for 
 the present of the minute wonders 
 of the sea." 
 
 The children left the school- 
 house that evening in quite a dif- 
 ferent mood from that manifested 
 the day before, when they imitated 
 the grotesque lares around the 
 broken cistern. They were ex- 
 cited, but thoughtful. They began 
 to comprehend the bearings and 
 lessons of the subjects which their 
 teacher had so skillfully brought 
 before them. An awe of God, 
 never realized before, seemed to 
 pervade their minds. It held in an impressive silence 
 their youthful lips, so ready to give utterance to long 
 pent-up emotions when relieved from the restraints 
 of the school-room. That oft-repeated text came 
 
 Mangrove Seed taking 
 root. 
 
166 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 to many of their memories, " Thou, God, seest me," 
 with a new meaning, and their secret sins began to 
 trouble the conscience as they realized how plainly 
 and comprehensively they were all known to God. 
 Many a good resolution was doubtless made to refrain 
 from further offending him who could "set their 
 secret sins in the light of his countenance." Small 
 acts, whether good or bad, were comprehended in a 
 new light. They were seen to have a relation to 
 every other act, shaping and coloring the whole 
 tenor of life. The whole is but the minute parts 
 united. 
 
 The earnest, loving teacher saw all this, and re- 
 joiced that his labor had not been in vain. 
 
167 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ANNELIDA. 
 
 WHEN the children were again assembled for 
 the coveted afternoon's treat, Mr. Willard 
 arranged his instruments, and began : 
 
 " Since we last explored our little drop of ditch 
 water, we have made rather a long and extensive 
 voyage over the ocean, inspecting the coral islands 
 of the Pacific and reef-bound shores of New Hol- 
 land and Australia. We have found many objects 
 of absorbing interest, though, contrary to- the usual 
 custom, confining ourselves to the minute forms of 
 life and matter which combine to build up their 
 greatness. But now we must come back to our vul- 
 gar drop of stagnant water, which is far from being 
 exhausted of its rich treasures, there being many 
 beautiful things within its compass still awaiting our 
 examination. It may seem a great letting down a 
 passing from the sublime to the ridiculous to turn 
 from the marvels of the mighty ocean to the insig- 
 nificance of a drop of ditch water, but we must re- 
 member that our astonishment has been excited, not 
 
 15 169 
 
170 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 by the sublimity of magnitude, but by the profusion 
 and minuteness of the small. In this view, insig- 
 nificance becomes the synonym of greatness little 
 things, but great wonders ! In this sense our homely 
 drop of water outrivals the marvelous revelations 
 of the great deep. We should look for great won- 
 ders in its boundless waters, and therefore should not 
 be astonished when we found them, but when they 
 meet us so unexpectedly in the drop we are hardly 
 able to comprehend the fact. Narrow as its bounds 
 are, should we aim to exhaust its hidden treasures, it 
 would require many more days of earnest application. 
 
 " In returning to its inspection, it is with no inten- 
 tion of describing all it comprehends, but only such 
 forms of living creatures and strange plant-growths 
 as have been so often before our eyes during our past 
 examinations as to excite your desire to know more 
 about them. Even to do this will employ several 
 afternoons yet more, I fear, than you will be dis- 
 posed to devote to the subject without becoming 
 weary. 
 
 " We will begin with a class of creatures not quite 
 so attractive to the eye as those we have been con- 
 sidering, yet having many points of great interest 
 the Annelida, or worms. In examining these objects 
 we shall not be very careful to observe the strict 
 family relations, but take them very much as they 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 171 
 
 shall appear under our instruments worms, mol- 
 luscs, and insects. 
 
 " First let us notice a very queer creature which 
 is perceptible to the unaided eye, and which has 
 often kept up such a ' wiggling ' in the water that 
 we have had to remove him in order to continue 
 our observation." 
 
 " Oh ! here is one now, Mr. Willard," said Tim 
 Allen, " in the drop I'm looking at, and he makes 
 such a fuss I can't see anything." 
 
 " Well, Master Tim, pick him out, and see if you 
 can tell me what it is." 
 
 "Why, yes, teacher; it is a wiggler, isn't it?" 
 
 Larva of the Mosquito. 
 
 "That is the name commonly given to it, but 
 what is a wiggler ? He looks very fierce, with his 
 branching horns and bristling sides, and what queer 
 eyes stare at you ! This terrible fellow, children, is 
 the larva of the musquito, so you see his looks do 
 not belie his nature, for he turns into a blood- 
 thirsty wretch. Look into a barrel full of rain 
 
172 GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 water, and you will see multitudes of them moving 
 about, or hanging with the head downward, with 
 that little feathery tuft at the tail spread out on the 
 surface of the water. 
 
 " If you will hold the water between the eye and 
 a strong light, and look very carefully, you may per- 
 ceive a number of pale thread-like objects moving 
 through the element with wriggling or jerking mo- 
 tions. These are generally some form of the An- 
 nelida, or minute water worms, but they are so 
 attenuated that we must put them under the glass to 
 determine their structure. We have had many 
 familiar species under our instruments since we com- 
 menced our examination, and some very rare and, 
 so far as I am informed, quite new species. At least 
 I have never seen them pictured nor described. 
 
 "Of the familiar 
 examples is the Vine- 
 gar eel: as seen by 
 the power we are 
 using, it is a smooth 
 silvery body, taper- 
 
 moves through the water by a wriggling motion. It 
 abounds in stale vinegar, sour paste, and nearly all 
 stagnant water. 
 
 "Here is another still more lengthy denizen, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 173 
 
 which has often arrested our eye in more than one 
 form, and although not strictly belonging to the 
 class of annelida, yet coming to us in the form of a 
 worm, we will let him pass as a cousin to the family 
 this time. He is named the Monocystis lumbricorum. 
 
 Monocystis. 
 
 He is very flexible, and is often seen rolled up into 
 a ball or sharp oval, and by some is supposed to be 
 connected with the production of a distinct class of 
 animalcules, which will come under our inspection 
 hereafter. 
 
 " But here is a very marked specimen of minute 
 worms which I have never seen described. It has 
 often been under our glass, and is very common in 
 
 From South New Jersey. 
 
 the meadow ditches of South New Jersey. It is 
 
 15 * 
 
174 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 long, slim, with short articulated joints, and very 
 flexible. It has two very bright black eye-spots, 
 with fine dots extending the entire length of the 
 body, on both sides of the alimentary canal, ending 
 at the tail, which is tipped with hairy appendages 
 extending in a circle. As you notice, he is very 
 active, probing into every bunch of algse or other 
 clusters of matter with evident greediness. In color 
 he is nearly white, or slightly tinged with grayish 
 - blue. 
 
 " Another interesting object, which has often ap- 
 peared during our examinations, is also ' unpictured 
 and unsung/ so far as I know, but we will give him 
 a chance for immortality. He is not likely a mem- 
 ber of the annelida, although often stretched out 
 like a worm. His general shape is that which we 
 now see a broad, square nose, with two dark eye- 
 
 spots, the body then swelling to the middle and ta- 
 pering by slower degrees to the tail. The stomach 
 is very capacious, through which the contents are 
 seen in a dark, reddish-brown mass, nearly filling 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 175 
 
 up the centre of the body. The mouth is under- 
 neath, and is surrounded by cilia, by the use of 
 which it not only feeds, but moves through the water 
 with great speed. This circumstance would indicate 
 its relation to the rotifers in some 
 stage of progress. 
 
 " Differing entirely from this, ex- 
 cept in the form of the head, is that 
 active monster, with a long, flexible 
 body, many-jointed and hairy. How 
 he wriggles, contracts, and stretches 
 out, as if he would never reach the 
 end of his flexibility! Unless our 
 power is low we can never have him 
 all under the eye at once. He seems 
 also to possess the tenacity of life 
 given to the polyps, as I have often 
 cut one in two a circumstance 
 which he did not seem to mind, as 
 both parts kept right on with un- 
 abated activity. Watch, and see what 
 huge mouthfuls he takes up, which 
 you can trace in its whole pro- 
 gress through the animal until it is 
 finally ejected. The color of the one 
 before us is reddish brown, although I have seen 
 them nearly colorless, or tinged with green, owing, 
 
176 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 no doubt, to the nature of the food used. I have 
 observed a peculiar habit of this annelida the pas- 
 sage of two currents of water into the apertures on 
 each side of the tail, which seem to pass up near the 
 head, where they enter the alimentary canal, and 
 then turn their course, and are ejected with the other 
 contents of the stomach. If this be the fact and I 
 have verified it again and again it is a wonderful 
 provision of Nature. 
 
 " But here is the leviathan of our minute ocean ! 
 A nondescript, a worm, a quadruped! You can 
 
 Annelida with Legs and Horns. 
 
 barely distinguish him with the eye as a whitish 
 filament, but under our instruments what a monster ! 
 His head is a hard shell, with two staring eyes and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 177 
 
 a pair of long, straight horns. The mouth is armed 
 with a pair of sharp and strong mandibles, with 
 which he tears his way through every obstruction, 
 and woe be to any poor animalcule that comes within 
 their sweep! I have repeatedly seen a rotifer or a 
 paramecium impaled on one of those terrible jaws. 
 The head seems fixed to the body by a socket-joint, 
 and is often turned at a right angle with the body. 
 
 " Many of the annelida have legs, like a caterpil- 
 lar, at th^ articulations of the body, but the marked 
 peculiarity of this hideous fellow is that he is a 
 quadruped he has only four legs, two just back of 
 the head, and two at the extreme end somewhat 
 longer. Instead of feet, each leg is furnished with a 
 number of little filaments branching out in a circle. 
 Resting on these, he bends and twists into all shapes, 
 and when he moves he brings the hind pair near the 
 head, and then throws himself forward with a sudden 
 spring. Just above the insertion of the hind legs 
 there are two long, hairy appendages, like those seen 
 on some species of caterpillars. He is indeed a 
 savage-looking creature, but has always a peculiar 
 charm for me, and I seldom get tired of watching his 
 movements. Like the others which I have men- 
 tioned, I have seen no pictured representation of 
 him, nor any description. He is not so common as 
 others, but I have one place where I can always 
 M 
 
178 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 find specimens in the summer season a little bed 
 of chara growing in a clear rivulet just as it emerges 
 from the low arch of a stone bridge. The head only 
 is encased in a shell, the body being soft and flex- 
 ible. The specimen we have is a very large one, 
 they generally being much smaller so minute, some- 
 times, as to be entirely unobservable with the natu- 
 ral eye. I think you will regard this strange crea- 
 ture as a greater wonder than the alligator and big 
 serpents of the menagerie. 
 
 "There is a worm belonging to another class, 
 called Entozoa, from being a parasite that is, living 
 in other animals which we must name because of its 
 fatal effects the Trichina spiralis. It lives and 
 breeds in the muscular fibre of different animals, 
 
 Trichina Spirali&. 
 
 especially the swine, and by the use of pork it is 
 often introduced with fatal results into the human 
 system. In Germany and some of the Western 
 States whole families have died from this cause. It 
 is exceedingly minute, thousands upon thousands 
 being often found in a square inch of the diseased 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 179 
 
 muscle. If pork or ham is eaten at all, it should be 
 well cooked, as being the only safeguard against 
 their introduction. In the little drawing which I 
 have obtained, the animal is seen coiled up in the 
 section of muscle, and also one separated, both of 
 which are repulsive enough to cause us to guard well 
 against a more intimate acquaintance. 
 
 " There are many other specimens of annelida 
 which might be named, but as they have not been 
 under our glasses, we will let them pass. 
 
 "The annelida propagate by division, gemmation, 
 and eggs, but do not multiply as rapidly as many 
 other of the minute orders. 
 
 " We have had a number of another family of 
 animals under our instruments 
 which we must briefly notice : 
 the learned call them Entomos- 
 traca, an order of mollusc with 
 
 Condona Hispida. 
 
 a mixture of the insect. Of 
 this class is the Condona hispida, or ' Hairy Crawler/ 
 The animal is enclosed in a bivalve with four pro- 
 truding legs, which are constantly in motion, except 
 when drawn in. In front are two long horns with 
 hairy terminations, and the whole body bristles all 
 over with sharp spines or hairs. A still more inter- 
 esting object is the little Cypris, a bluish, egg-shaped 
 creature, though often brown and greenish. He has 
 
180 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Cypris. 
 
 the shell and features of the crawler, but is pos* 
 sessed of great interest as being 
 one of the earliest objects met with 
 in a fossil state. It is very numer- 
 ous now in the living state, but 
 must have been much more pro- 
 lific, as its countless remains form strata several hun- 
 dred feet deep, as seen in Auvergne in France. The 
 Hastings sand and Purbeck limestone of England, 
 more than a thousand feet in thickness, are also 
 crowded with them. Thus, as we look at these little 
 creatures jerking and tumbling in the drops of water 
 before us, we are carried back, in tracing their descent, 
 to unnumbered ages, and like the coral polyps, find 
 in this frail creature another of God's wonderful 
 world-builders. 
 
 "The Canthocamptus and Polyphemus are near 
 akin. The first named is of a bright pink, with 
 
 Canthocamptw. 
 
 Polyphemtts. 
 
 red spots, and is often met with in all stagnant 
 ponds, where it skips about and breeds with great 
 rapidity. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 181 
 
 " The longer object just beneath these is the well- 
 known Branchiopus stagnates, abounding, as his name 
 
 Branchiopus. 
 
 indicates, in all still waters. He is a singular crea- 
 ture, having a large head somewhat resembling a 
 grasshopper, with a body that seems a skeleton, 
 with the backbone greatly prolonged. The little 
 green animal, with two long feelers at the head and 
 a pair of ears behind, is the 
 Cyclops. He abounds in nearly 
 all waters, and is a very interest- 
 ing object to watch. His motions 
 are spasmodic, giving a few 
 strokes with his paddles, and then 
 resting, as though looking ahead 
 
 * A u f l,- Cyclops. 
 
 for dangers before rushing on 
 
 too fast. Perhaps in this some of us would do well 
 
 to copy his example. 
 
 " The Alteutha is quite similar. 
 
 " But you ask what are those four beautiful red 
 bead-like clusters set in bright green. They are 
 a rare sight, truly : they are the eggs of the little 
 
 16 
 
182 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Cypris which we have just examined. Each cluster 
 is composed of a mass of eggs glued to a green leaf 
 
 Alteutha. 
 
 Eggs of Cypris. 
 
 of duck weed, and thus set, they rival the splendors 
 of the rarest jewelry. 
 
 " We have time to notice but one more of the in- 
 teresting creatures which have come under our eyes 
 this afternoon the Daphnia, or Water Flea. Like 
 his namesake on dry land, he has 
 been seen many times during 
 our examination leaping across 
 the field of vision, as though de- 
 termined to attract our notice, 
 and we will therefore gratify his 
 ambition. He, like the Cypris, 
 is enclosed in a prettily-marked 
 shell, but is peculiar from hav- 
 ing two long arms pushing out 
 just back of the head, which branch into two parts 
 at about half their length, and end with hairy tufts. 
 Just back of the arm-sockets the heart is seen in full 
 action, showing it to possess a very high organiza- 
 tion. There are many varieties of this little crea- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 183 
 
 ture, but all so nearly alike as to require no separate 
 description. 
 
 "We have occasionally met with some strange 
 animals during our examination that 
 have always arrested your attention 
 because they are among the few ani- 
 malcules gifted with legs and claws : 
 they are the Tardigrada, or Water 
 Bears. We have two varieties be- 
 fore us, differing mainly in the form- 
 ation of the hind feet, as can be easily 
 observed. They are very curious 
 creatures, and bear no small resem- 
 blance to their namesakes as they 
 crawl and tumble among the clusters 
 of algse to which they always cling. 
 There is one marked difference, how- 
 ever our little friends have a double 
 quantity of legs. Their claws are 
 strikingly like those of the bear, being 
 long, sharp, and curved. 
 
 "There is another point of resem- 
 blancetheir tenacity of life. The Water Bears ' 
 bear hibernates during the winter, that is, lives with- 
 out taking food ; so the little tardigrada can be dried 
 up for months, but apply warmth and moisture, and 
 - they come forth as active as ever. They multiply 
 
184 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 by larvae, and but slowly, compared with many other 
 animalcules. 
 
 " We have now spent many pleasant hours in our 
 menagerie inspecting the strange animals which it 
 contains, yet quite as many remain unnoticed, but 
 as we have had the more prominent classes under 
 observation, it must suffice for the present. My ob- 
 ject has been, not to teach you the details of this 
 department of Natural Science, but to arrest your 
 attention and give you an outline by which you may 
 be guided in your future excursions into these en- 
 chanting regions. But more especially have I de- 
 sired to impress your young hearts with proper and 
 devout conceptions of God and his marvelous works. 
 I think I have notfailed. I hope as many of you as 
 possibly can will secure one of the cheap microscopes 
 found in all the stores keeping philosophical instru- 
 ments, and prosecute your researches. In each order 
 of the animalcules examined, and which you can now 
 readily distinguish, you will find many species which 
 we have not noticed, and even those most carefully 
 examined will present many points of new interest. 
 Leaving you, then, to complete what we have begun, 
 we will pass, in our next interview, to consider the 
 almost equally wonderful minute plant-life found in 
 a drop of water." 
 
ffionftrboib 
 
 16 185 
 
PLATE VI. 
 
 CONFERVOID ALGJE. 
 
 FIGURES 
 
 1. Oscillatoria autumnalis. 
 
 2. Nostoc commune. 
 
 3. Conferva floccosa, with filament breaking up. 
 
 4. Spirogyra nitida decaying. 
 
 5. Spirogyra quinina, filament. 
 
 6. Spirogyra quinina, conjugating. 
 
 7. Spirogyra cells with biciliated spores. 
 
 8. Spirogyra spores after conjugating. 
 
 9. Spirogyra spores before germination. 
 
 10. Spirogyra spores with globular contents. 
 
 11. Spirogyra spores with spiny bodies. 
 
 12. Spirogyra with imperfectly conjugated cells. 
 
 13. Spirogyra with cell nucleus. 
 
 14. Monostroma bullosa, with spores. 
 
 15. Stigeoclonium protensum. 
 
 16. Staurocarpus gracilis. 
 
 17. Rhizoclonium obtusangulum. 
 
 18. Conferva serea. 
 
 19. CEdogonium vesicatum, with spores. 
 
 20. Ulathrix mucosa. 
 
 21. Sphaeroplea annulina. 
 
 22. Ulva lactuca, with spores. 
 186 
 
Plate TL 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CONFERV01D ALG^E. 
 
 "TTTE are all familiar with the rural picture 
 ' ^ where sheep and cattle are seen grazing the 
 rich pastures and reposing under the cooling shade 
 a scene that has often inspired the artist to the 
 highest efforts of genius and the result has been to 
 add some of the rarest and most valuable pictures 
 to the art * treasures of the world. Few would sus- 
 pect, however," said Mr. Willard, "that we can find 
 a counterpart on every slime-covered rock, damp 
 mossy cellar, or ice-house, and spread over the peb- 
 bly bottom of spring and brook ; yes, even in the 
 ' old oaken bucket ' and tumbler in which water has 
 stood for any length of time until a green film has 
 gathered on their inner surfaces. Scrape off some 
 of that spongy substance, as I do from this plate of 
 glass, which has been immersed for a few days in my 
 aquarium, and then put it under the microscope, and 
 we have the green meadow ! As with the touch of 
 the magician, the slimy atom is converted into a 
 verdant parterre, with flowers and shrubs and grassy 
 
 187 
 
188 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 margins of unrivaled beauty, where some of the 
 plants exhibit conditions marvelously akin to animal 
 attributes. Through the tubular centres of some 
 of them, little egg-shaped atoms are seen chasing 
 each other in endless succession, with now and then 
 some tremulous frond breaking up into short fila- 
 ments or bursting open, out of which pours a troop 
 of these minute spores, with one or more hairy 
 appendages, and at once begin the search for a con- 
 genial resting-place. With our highest power we 
 can see all this taking place in the specimens now 
 under our instruments. And what curious and 
 beautiful shapes! Who would suspect that such 
 repulsive screens concealed such surpassingly ele- 
 gant forms? 
 
 " But you may ask, For what purpose do all these 
 things exist ? The same divine Goodness that pro- 
 vides the grass of the fields for the ox has made 
 these pastures of Conferva for the grazing of the 
 minute creatures of the water drop, where snails may 
 crop their fill and tadpoles fatten and develop into 
 frogs. Mark that monster Annalid, with his sickle- 
 like jaws, as he mows a wide swath, tearing his way 
 through the thick mass before him. Thus he, with 
 many other compeers, is fed by the same Hand which 
 opens to give us our daily bread. 
 
 " But it is in an aquarium that you will see this 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 189 
 
 gracious provision most perfectly illustrated. Here 
 we can watch the whole process of the plant-growth, 
 and mark its astonishing rapidity of increase, with 
 the manner of feeding by which its richness is ap- 
 propriated. 
 
 " I have a successful aquarium in operation con- 
 taining about sixteen gallons, which I keep up, not 
 only for its own beauty, but more expressly for the 
 purpose of having ever ready at hand abundant 
 means for microscopic study. 
 
 Aquarium. 
 
 "To see the objects which it contains, it is neces- 
 sary to keep the glass clear from the constantly 
 growing conferva, which would soon shut -out all 
 observation. It would be very troublesome, and 
 much endanger the arrangement of the larger 
 plants requisite to its vitality, if it were necessary 
 
190 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 to scrape the sides of the tank very often. God has 
 most wonderfully provided for this contingency by 
 furnishing a set of industrious scavengers that not 
 only keep the sides of the aquarium clear, but do 
 their benevolent work on a much larger scale in 
 every pond, marsh, and cellar, or wherever the slimy 
 accumulations of conferva are found. Here, amid 
 the rich growth, the whole generation of water snails 
 creep and crop to their fill. Often have I watched 
 the clear pathway which a Lymnea or a Planorbis 
 has made up the sides of 
 the aquarium, and then 
 have seen it drop suddenly 
 to the bottom and start 
 again on its cleansing path- 
 way. Not only do they 
 eat up the too abundant 
 plant-growth of the water, 
 but also prey upon the 
 dead vegetable matter and 
 decaying animal remains, and thus are co-workers 
 with many species of animalcules in keeping down 
 the death-breeding accumulations. At low tide 
 their pathway is seen over the rocks made bare, or 
 circling around every old log, and along the slimy 
 bottom of the stream, where they are always seen 
 making their slow way toward the water. 
 
 Lymnea. 
 
 Planorbis. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 191 
 
 "But there is another faithful worker in this 
 sanitary department of nature which must not be 
 overlooked. Here he is in this jar of water taken 
 from the pond back of our school-house, where, sum- 
 mer and winter, I find a good supply for 
 my aquarium. A Polliwog 1 Yes, boys, 
 a 'Polliwog,' or, to dignify him with his 
 proper title, which he deserves for his use- 
 fulness, a Tadpole. Like the snail, this 
 embryo frog will climb up and down the 
 glass sides of the aquarium, and ov^r the 
 rock-work at the bottom, nibbling off the 
 
 . - . , ,. , Tadpole. 
 
 green covering with an evident relish, 
 leaving it quite clean. In this state it passes the 
 first summer of its existence, making quite a large 
 increase in size, but no change in form. In the fol- 
 lowing spring, however, two little legs 
 will begin to push out just at the root of 
 the tail, which appendage commences at 
 the same time to grow smaller. Soon the 
 fore legs make their appearance, and thus 
 it continues to grow the tail growing 
 shorter as the legs become longer, until 
 none of the former is left, and then look 
 out! To celebrate his deliverance from 
 tails and initiation into frogdom he makes 
 his first croak, faintly at first, as if fearful of prema- 
 
192 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ture exultation, but getting courage with each at- 
 tempt, he climbs to the top of the tank, perching 
 himself on the brink, and panting, as if taking in 
 with a peculiar relish his first inspirations of pure 
 air. While thus seated he 
 keeps up a sly winking, as 
 though he had just found the 
 secret of escaping from close 
 v imprisonment, and then, per- 
 haps, with a loud croak, he 
 makes a mighty leap through 
 the open windows, to seek a 
 congenial home in the neigh- 
 boring pond to croak among 
 
 his fellows. In this very manner I had one escape 
 that I had carefully watched for more than ten 
 months. I thought him quite ungrateful for all the 
 attention I had lavished upon him. 
 
 " He is a wonderful and useful little creature, and 
 as he does no harm, I hope none of my pupils will 
 ever engage in the cruel sport of stoning the poor 
 frogs, nor in gathering up whole handfuls of tad- 
 poles to scatter on the dry ground, as I have seen 
 cruel boys do. As they are not amphibious until 
 they have passed out of the tadpole state, they die in 
 a very short time when taken from the water. 
 
 "To a certain extent, plant-growth purifies water, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 193 
 
 rendering it fit to sustain animal life by impregnat- 
 ing it with oxygen. On this principle the aquarium 
 is constructed, which is but a miniature world. 
 Animals must have oxygen or vital air to breathe. 
 This, growing plants are constantly giving off a pro- 
 cess beautifully seen, whenever a sunbeam penetrates 
 the water, in little pearl drops that gather on the 
 leaves of the plants and go sparkling to the surface. 
 When oxygen is inhaled by animals, carbonic-acid 
 gas is formed and exhaled as a poisonous compound. 
 Unless neutralized by some counteracting process, this 
 would soon accumulate in such excess by the num- 
 ber breathing it as to be fatal, as was once seen in 
 the celebrated ' Black Hole' in Calcutta, where hun- 
 dreds of prisoners perished in a single night. Now, 
 'this poisonous element is just what plants breathe, 
 appropriating the carbon to build up their textures 
 and returning the oxygen to the air purified and 
 ready for the use of animal life again. What a 
 wonderful provision! It illustrates the saying of 
 the Scriptures, that in his hands our breath is, for 
 God has only to destroy vegetable growth, and man 
 would perish from off the earth. 
 
 " Now, the secret of the aquarium is to find this 
 
 balance of plant and animal life, so that one shall 
 
 nourish and vitalize the other ; but how graciously 
 
 is the balance on our side ! We feed the plant with 
 
 17 N 
 
194 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 poison, while it returns the office by depriving our gift 
 of its venom, and giving it back to us as the very 
 element of our existence ! By this beautiful provi- 
 sion, when the happy medium is found, fish and 
 plants remain healthy for months without any 
 change of water. My custom is to renew the water 
 every spring and fall not that it is absolutely re- 
 quisite to preserve my pets, but it enables me to wash 
 the rock work and gravel, giving my tank a more 
 cleanly appearance, as the white gravel and small 
 shells are freed from their dark and slimy covering. 
 Two well-kept aquaria, one of salt and the other of 
 fresh water, are among the richest treasures of the 
 microscopist, furnishing him with ample materials 
 for examination when winter has closed the usual 
 sources of supply. But let us return to our little 
 scavengers. 
 
 " The growth and multiplication of conferva are 
 so rapid that, unless checked in some way, the rank 
 vegetable matter would choke up all our springs 
 and streams, and even our large lakes. I remember 
 seeing a canal in Ohio so completely filled up in 
 this way that it was very difficult of navigation, 
 and large sums were spent to free it of this ob- 
 struction. In this instance there was not the pro- 
 per balance of animal life to consume the overplus 
 of growth. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 195 
 
 "But generally no sooner does the young plant 
 start to grow than the numerous and hungry ani- 
 malcules, with the whole generation of water snails, 
 begin to crop these submerged pastures, while the 
 annual troop of tadpoles greedily aid them in sub- 
 duing the rank luxuriance. Nor do these sanitary 
 labors end with keeping back the overgrowth. When 
 the plants have spent their vitality, and decay be- 
 gins its work of resolving the elements of their struc- 
 ture, ,our little friends prevent the fatal influences 
 which the slow process might exert with its miasmic 
 exhalations by devouring the putridity, and thus 
 rendering these elements immediately fit for the ap- 
 propriation of a new race of plants. Let us bless 
 God for snails and tadpoles ! 
 
 " During our examination we have constantly had 
 under our glasses various forms of conferva. You 
 distinguish them as green fronds and branching clus- 
 ters, intermixed with egg-shaped and ciliated spores, 
 many of them having a wavy or oscillating motion, 
 while the free spores are chasing each other through 
 the tubular fronds, or strangely swimming about with 
 all the appearance of true animalcules. 
 
 " The species are too numerous to be particularized, 
 or even named, hence the list which we shall designate 
 (Plate VI.) contains only a few of the more cha- 
 racteristic, and of these only a part can receive even 
 
196 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 a brief description. There will be enough, however, 
 to enable you to distinguish the class from other 
 forms nearly identical which will come under our 
 notice before our examinations are closed. The 
 color is almost uniformly a pale green, varied to 
 darker or lighter shades as they pass from one stage 
 of growth to another. 
 
 " The Oscillatoria (Plate VI., Fig. 1) is a very 
 remarkable member of this family, because of the 
 singular wavy motion which it exhibits, and from 
 which its name is derived. It is, as you perceive, 
 a cylindrical filament, divided into short sections 
 by faintly-marked rings, becoming. more and more 
 striated as the plants advance in age. After a 
 proper time they easily break into short fronds, from 
 which the active spores escape to complete the work 
 of reproduction. 
 
 " The peculiar motion noticed in this plant has 
 arrested the careful attention of all observers, but 
 though more than a century has been devoted to the 
 investigation, the phenomenon remains without a 
 satisfactory explanation. 
 
 " Observe the ends of the filaments, and you will 
 perceive a motion much like that of certain cater- 
 pillars, when, with half-raised bodies, they sway to 
 and fro, or saw up and down with a slow motion. 
 At other times the movement is similar to that of a 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 197 
 
 balance, each end going up and down alternately, 
 often accompanied with a slow progress in the direc- 
 tion of one of the ends. With these interesting facts, 
 it is not surprising that some observers have insisted 
 on the animal claims of the oscillator ia. 
 
 " The Spirogyra quinina (Plate VI., Figs. 5 
 12) is another exceedingly interesting minute plant, 
 from the variety and beauty of the transitions 
 through which it passes now a crystal wand en- 
 circled with an emerald wreath ; a piece of delicate 
 lace work or string of brilliants ; beads of oval form, 
 striped or dotted with green rosettes, with here and 
 there a crystal tube filled with active little spores 
 seeking some avenue to freedom. The plant is a 
 rare one, and the phenomenon of its growth is more 
 easily observed than most of the species. Hence it 
 has always been a favorite with the microscopist. 
 
 " In Monostroma and Ulva (Plate VI., Figs. 14 
 and 22) the escaped spores may be seen, with one or 
 more cilia, moving through the water very much 
 like some of the monads which we have had under 
 notice, with which they were formerly classed by 
 some early writers. And they certainly do bring 
 the animal and vegetable worlds into very intimate 
 relations, when the closest observers are scarcely 
 able to tell just where the line of - separation runs. 
 
 ".In all boggy meadows and shallow brooks the 
 17* 
 
198 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 Staurocarpus (Plate VI., Fig. 16) is found in great 
 abundance, easily distinguished by its graceful quad- 
 rate spores, found in the cross branches produced 
 in the process of conjugation, constituting a beau- 
 tiful net-work of silver and green, sometimes spread- 
 ing over all the surrounding objects or hanging in 
 fringes in the water. 
 
 " The last example which we shall particularize 
 is the one seen in three phases of its growth at the 
 lower right hand of our collection the (Edogonium. 
 (Plate VI., Fig. 19.) There are several varieties 
 of this plant, some of which are the first to make 
 their appearance in the aquarium, and are most 
 common in our ponds. They may be readily dis- 
 tinguished by the dense and uniform green nuclei 
 which they present, with very faint lines between. 
 After a time these break up, as at a, and the spores 
 escape, possessing an unusual number of cilia, as 
 seen at b, while farther at the right, c, thespore is 
 noticed enlarged, developing into new filaments. 
 
 " When your attention was first drawn to these 
 tangled masses of green slime," continued Mr. Wil- 
 lard, " you probably concluded that there was little 
 to incite to careful research among such unpromising 
 materials, in which conclusion, I trust, this investiga- 
 tion has proved you wrong, and that hereafter these 
 slimy deposits of the ponds, which boys generally 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 199 
 
 designate by the rather repulsive name of ' frog 
 spittle/ will have a new and not unattractive inter- 
 est. You may also learn a very important lesson 
 that sometimes the most repulsive exterior may 
 hide qualities of the greatest excellence. This the 
 study of the modest conferva has taught us. Few 
 would suspect, when looking at the slimy, tangled 
 mass of fronds in the bog or pond, that God had 
 arrayed them in the beauty which we have just been 
 observing. Nor should we have found this out if 
 we had been repelled by its loathsome exterior. Our 
 care and patience have been rewarded, and henceforth 
 we can see a beauty where uninstructed eyes will 
 look with loathing. To obtain such knowledge is a 
 blessed reward for our pains. 
 
 "The practical lesson, my dear children, which 
 may be derived from this example of too hasty judg- 
 ment, is that we must exercise the same carefulness 
 in forming our opinion of character. Often great 
 wrong has been done in judgment and treatment by 
 premature conclusions. 'Man looketh on the out- 
 ward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart/ 
 is a saying which should always be remembered, 
 and, as far as possible, be our rule of judgment. By 
 so doing we shall avoid many a painful event which 
 would otherwise be a sting rankling all the days of our 
 life. There may be a tender and sensitive nature be- 
 
200 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 neath the roughest exterior, and to give a new pang 
 through want of proper observation is more than a 
 mistake it is a crime. To offend one such is to in- 
 sult God, according to the teaching of the f meek and 
 lowly One/ who in this very appellation has consti- 
 tuted himself the guardian of the poor and humble. 
 I remember a fact illustrating this truth. 
 
 " I attended in my early boyhood a country school. 
 The house was built of logs plastered with mud, 
 having a broad fire-place at one end. The benches 
 were made from split logs, with round sticks for legs, 
 without backs or arms. Here most of the neighbor- 
 ing boys received three months' schooling during the 
 winter, which, in most cases, constituted all the edu- 
 cational advantages enjoyed. 
 
 " Among the number gathered in this unpromising 
 institution was a 'bound boy' from the county work- 
 house. He was unusually clumsy and uncouth, and 
 soon became the butt of all the school, and the sub- 
 ject of innumerable practical jokes, some of an un- 
 usually painful character, all of which he bore with 
 such patience as to lead to the conclusion that he 
 was not only a boor, but a coward also. He never 
 rudely resented the ill-treatment, nor complained to 
 the master, who was himself one of the sterner mood, 
 and seemed to entertain the common impression of 
 the poor ' bound boy.' Though not directly engaged 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 201 
 
 in the sport of teasing ' Clumsy Joe' the name by 
 which he was usually called the fact that I some- 
 times laughed at his clumsiness or the rude tricks 
 played upon him is a painful recollection to this day. 
 " Some few of the scholars could see beneath the 
 rough exterior, and were impressed with the fact 
 that Joe had a noble nature which was struggling 
 up into a higher life, that nature strengthened by a 
 spiritual apprehension of that great truth that the 
 'fear'of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.' He 
 loved the blessed Saviour, and had caught some- 
 thing of his meekness of spirit. 
 
 " That you may the more readily remember the beau- 
 tiful example of this rough hero, I have put it into bal- 
 lad form, and will close this interview by repeating it: 
 
 "CLUMSY JOE. 
 
 " The school-house stood upon the green 
 Just where the roads were crossing ; 
 And, hidden by an alder screen, 
 
 A little brook was tossing. 
 " 'Twas built of logs of river ash, 
 
 With clay-beplastered chinking, 
 And, set within the rustic sash, 
 
 Four dusty panes were blinking. 
 " A jambless hearth there was, and broad, 
 
 With hickory logs a-gl owing, 
 Where frosty hands and feet were thawed 
 When wintry winds were blowing. 
 
202 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "Its door on wooden hinges hung, 
 
 With latch-string strong and ample; 
 Such was the gate we daily swung 
 To enter wisdom's temple. 
 
 "Its seats arranged with little care, 
 Which fathers, most discerning, 
 Designed should teach one lesson there 
 How hard the seat of learning. 
 
 " One prize there was, exciting all 
 
 Ambitious lads and lasses 
 
 
 
 The peerless seats against the wall 
 Where sat the writing classes. 
 
 " The pedagogue upon whose skill 
 Our learning hung dependent 
 Was of the patronymic Crane 
 A lineal descendant. 
 
 " Capacious mouth and ample nose, 
 
 With limbs of sharpest angle, 
 Encased in nondescriptive clothes 
 That loosely round him dangle. 
 
 " Before the glowing fire he sat, 
 
 And trained his callow urchins ; 
 Who, though they little wisdom gat, 
 Yet surely gat the birchens. 
 
 " We gathered here, a double score, 
 
 From every social station, 
 That he might train with fostering care 
 The dawning inclination. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 203 
 
 "But many a poor and struggling wight, 
 
 With tattered clothes, and mended, 
 Found wisdom's ways were not so bright 
 When he their steps attended. 
 
 "And such was Joe, a clumsy lad 
 
 Whom no one loved or heeded, 
 Whose kindly heart was ever glad. 
 To do a chore when needed. 
 
 " Encouraged thus, tormenting Joe 
 
 Was thought to be amusing, 
 With many a cruel kick and blow, 
 And other rough abusing. 
 
 " But though uncouth and overgrown, 
 
 His letters scarcely knowing, 
 He meekly bore their jeering tone, 
 No signs of anger showing. 
 
 " For he had learned what Jesus said, 
 When blows and scoffs are given : 
 * Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, 
 There's great reward in heaven/ 
 
 " The chief of all that cruel bard 
 
 So sorely once offended, 
 The master took the rod in hand, 
 His utmost arm extended. 
 
 "One scathing blow had stung with pain 
 
 That made the victim quiver, 
 And high the rod was raised again, 
 Another to deliver, 
 
204 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " When Joe stepped out and bravely said, 
 
 While off his jacket stripping : 
 * On me let every stroke be laid ; 
 I'll freely take his whipping. 1 
 
 " The master's rod fell by his side 
 
 Before such brave appealing, 
 While down his cheeks the tear drops glide, 
 Eluding all concealing. 
 
 " The wondering school is thrilled with joy 
 
 That moistened every vision, 
 While there he stood, the noble boy, 
 So lately their derision I 
 
 " And he whose back escaped the smart 
 
 By such sublime atoning 
 Confessed his base, unmanly part, 
 His wickedness disowning. 
 
 " No more is heard of ' Clumsy Joe' : 
 
 Beneath the outward seeing 
 They saw his nobler nature glow, 
 Exalting all his being. 
 
 " In all the wealth that man bestows 
 Their share was still the greater ; 
 They yet might wear the finer clothes, 
 But he the finer nature! 
 
 " For every scholar owned that day 
 
 That Joe had passed above him, 
 And from that hour each one could say, 
 ' Dear lad ! how much I love him !' " 
 
jalmelk, gesmibs, mtb ||0lb0riitts. 
 
 18 205 
 
PLATE VII. 
 
 PALMELLA, DESMIDS, AND YOLVOCINES. 
 
 FIGUBES 
 
 1. Palraella cruenta. 
 
 2. Human blood disks. 
 3-13. Desmids. 
 
 14. Closteria. 
 
 15. Volvox Globater. 
 
 16. Eudorina elegans. 
 
 17. Synura uvella. 
 
 18, 19. Protococcus viridis. 
 
 20. Pandorina morum. 
 
 21, 22. Gonium pectorale. 
 206 
 
VII. 
 
 rlltt , IbMnirls fttttf \ol\ 'oeitKi . 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PAL MEL LA, VESMIDS, AND VOLVOCINES. 
 
 ONE immediate effect of the lecture on algse was 
 the extemporization of many a rude aquarium by 
 the children until better requisites could be obtained. 
 Pickle jars and large bottles with the necks broken 
 off were used, and happy indeed was the child who 
 secured by parental favor a large glass globe made 
 expressly for this purpose. Ditches and ponds were 
 searched for sprigs of hornwort, chara, and duck weed ; 
 snails and tadpoles, minnows, and dace were cap- 
 tured, and, with the addition of a gold fish, some of 
 these little tanks presented quite an attractive ap- 
 pearance. Too many, however, from overstocking 
 their jars, had the sad spectacle of dead fish and 
 decaying plants to punish them for their greediness 
 a vice which generally carries its own punishment. 
 
 At the close of the morning session on the fol- 
 lowing day, Mr. Willard requested the boys to 
 obtain a jar or two of water from Mr. George's 
 meadow, where there was a shallow ditch running 
 through overhanging rushes, and filled with water- 
 
 207 
 
208 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 cress. The water was quite clear, having its surface 
 covered with oxygen bubbles when the sunshine was 
 hot upon it. 
 
 This commission was a delight to the children, 
 and when school adjourned half of them rushed to 
 the neighboring meadow to obtain the desired speci- 
 mens. In searching for the clearest spot to dip up 
 the water they came to an old stump, whose roots 
 spread out in long bare arms, now dipping in and ris- 
 ing out of the water, and covered with slime. But the 
 children were almost horrified to notice that there 
 were great patches of blood here and there all over 
 them. They supposed at first that some animal had 
 been slaughtered there, but the more observing felt 
 sure that such a proceeding would not leave the 
 blood scattered in such separate patches, and as they 
 could not understand the matter, they determined to 
 take some of it to Mr. Willard, who, they doubted 
 not, would be able to give them a satisfactory ex- 
 planation of the mystery. 
 
 When assembled in the afternoon for the usual 
 interview, George Snow presented to the teacher the 
 jars of water which he had requested, and told the 
 discovery which they had made. 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Willard," said he, "we found an old 
 stump standing partly in the ditch, with its roots all 
 covered with blood, and we've brought some of it 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 209 
 
 for you to look at. We couldn't tell how it got 
 there." 
 
 The teacher looked at the gelatinous mass for a 
 few moments, and then replied : 
 
 "Ah, boys, wiser and older ones than you have 
 been unable to tell what this bloody mass is, or how 
 it was scattered so profusely around. Let me give 
 you an incident found in Dr. d'Aubigne's History 
 of the Reformation, in which you will see that very 
 learned men were made to tremble with fear before 
 such a spectacle. He writes : ' On the 26th of July, 
 a widow, chancing to be alone before her house in the 
 village of Castelenschloss, suddenly beheld a fright- 
 ful spectacle blood springing from the earth all 
 around her! She rushed in alarm into the cot- 
 tage. . . . But oh, horrible ! blood is flowing every- 
 where; from the wainscot and from the stones; it 
 falls in a stream from a basin on the shelf, and even 
 the child's cradle overflows with it. The woman 
 imagines that the invisible hand of the assassin has 
 been at work, and rushes in distraction out of doors, 
 crying, Murder, murder! The villagers and the monks 
 of the neighboring convent assemble at the cry; they 
 succeed in partly effacing the bloody stains ; but a 
 little later in the day, the other inhabitants of the 
 house, sitting down in terror to eat their evening 
 meal under the projecting eaves, suddenly discover 
 18* 
 
210 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 blood bubbling up in a pond blood flowing from 
 the loft blood covering all the walls of the house. 
 Blood blood everywhere blood ! The bailiff of 
 Schenkenberg and the pastor of Dalheim arrive, in- 
 quire into the matter, and immediately report to the 
 lords of Berne and to Zwingle.' 
 
 " Now, if this had really been blood, it would have 
 been a sufficient cause for all this excitement and 
 terror. But there was no blood about it, which 
 could easily have been found out had these men 
 been familiar with the use of one of these wonderful 
 instruments. The substance which produced all 
 this alarm was doubtless the same as that which has 
 excited your imagination, and there is no blood 
 about it, although to the unassisted eye it has the 
 exact appearance of this fluid in a coagulated state. 
 It is, however, a well-known species of confervoid 
 algae called Palmella cruenta. (Plate VII., Fig. 1.) 
 It is very common on damp walls and other shaded 
 places, and under favorable circumstances develops 
 with astonishing rapidity. It was doubtless such a com- 
 bination of circumstances favorable to its production 
 that caused the event so horrifying to the Swiss vil- 
 lagers, allowing some considerable latitude for their 
 over-excited condition and tendency to superstition. 
 It appears at first in rose-tinted gelatinous patches, 
 which at times spread with such rapidity as to be- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 211 
 
 come confluent, and would, with the help of a heavy 
 dew or slight mist, form little drippings from the 
 eaves and walls. It is likely that this was the full 
 extent of the phenomenon seen by the frightened 
 woman ; the story of the cradle dripping with gore 
 was either imaginary or caused by a few stains 
 made by drops from the ceiling above. 
 
 "Some writers have supposed that the miracle of 
 the waters of Egypt turned into blood was produced 
 in this Avay, aided, perhaps, by the euglena and as- 
 tasia, which have already been noticed. Most of 
 those terrible plagues were but natural agencies used 
 in a supernatural way, and he who can discolor the 
 sea by similar invisible atoms could cause the crim- 
 son palmella to redden the Nile and other streams 
 of Egypt in a single night. It requires but a brief 
 time for them to lose their bloody hues, when they 
 decay and fall to the bottom, enriching the soil 
 which they had reddened with their dyes. 
 
 "The celebrated ' red snow' of the Arctic regions 
 is now generally attributed to the same curious little 
 plant. Captain Ross, in his voyage, states that he 
 found miles of this red snow, extending to the tops 
 of high mountains and buried many feet beneath 
 the surface of the ordinary snow. How wonderful ! 
 Its roots can feed on eternal frost, as well as cleave 
 to the sun-warmed surface of milder regions. 
 
212 GREAT WONpEKS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " I have said that the microscope takes away all 
 the bloody terrors which this substance has so often 
 excited. We can soon demonstrate this by putting 
 the two things under its powers. The palmella thus 
 inspected appears a homogeneous jelly, in which are 
 embedded minute globular cells of a beautiful rose 
 color of darker or lighter shades. These gelatinous 
 patches are single, or run into each other without 
 any uniformity of order. Now let me change your 
 stump blood for some taken from my own veins. A 
 prick with the point of my knife will produce enough 
 for all our instruments. 
 
 " There ! a single look will show you the radical 
 difference. We have now long rows of half-tilted 
 circular disks, or, as they are generally called, blood 
 corpuscles. They have the appearance of a pile of 
 five-cent pieces toppled over, but not entirely sepa- 
 rated. Separate one of these disks and turn it down, 
 and there will be seen a slight depression in the 
 centre. The blood disks of the mammalia are cir- 
 cular and concave, while those of fishes, birds, and 
 reptiles are elliptical, with flat or convex surfaces. 
 
 " The human blood (Plate VII., Fig. 2) is not, as 
 you suppose, of a red color, any more than the 
 waters of the ocean are red or green when they have 
 this appearance by the infusion of millions of ani- 
 nalcules. Take away the infusion, and the natural 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 213 
 
 color of the water will be restored. So with the 
 blood, the fluid of which is of a pale yellow tint, and 
 it is the infusion of millions of little red corpuscles 
 that gives it its sanguine color. These minute 
 atoms, as we are told by M. Bouillet, a French phil- 
 osopher, measure not more than the three-thousandth 
 part of an inch in diameter, and there are more 
 than a million in such a drop of blood as would 
 hang on the point of a needle. This coloring matter 
 of the^blood is called hematine. 
 
 " These conditions of the blood put a meaning of 
 profound interest in the declaration of the almighty 
 One when he said to Cain : ' The voice of thy 
 brother's blood crieth unto rne from the ground.' 
 The microscope has enabled the blood thus to speak 
 with a sure testimony against those who dare wick- 
 edly to shed it, and also to tell the very part of the 
 body from which it was taken, as the following inci- 
 dents will most strikingly illustrate : 
 
 " Some years ago a man was found murdered by 
 a terrible gash across the throat, and a suspected 
 individual arrested, the most suspicious circum- 
 stance being a knife found in his possession having 
 a number of dark stains upon the blade evidently 
 made by blood. He accounted for them by stating 
 that he had cut some raw beef with it, and had 
 omitted to wash it. Now, had he known the facts 
 
214 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 which we have learned, he would not have made a 
 statement so fatal to his cause. The knife was ex- 
 amined by an expert microscopist, who fixed the 
 bloody nature of the stain. At the same time he 
 detected the falsehood of the prisoner's statement 
 that they were made from raw beef, for they were 
 produced by the blood of a living animal. The 
 drippings of dead flesh are watery, the blood being 
 dissolved into serum, while living blood coagulates 
 very soon after being exposed to the air. This was 
 judged to be coagulated blood. The blood was 
 probably human blood, for it had the clearly-defined 
 blood disks of the size and shape found in human 
 veins. It was found mixed with cotton fibres ex- 
 actly corresponding with the neck-handkerchief of 
 the murdered man. And more fatal still was the 
 existence of certain little cells of a tesselated form 
 which are only found in the tissues of the throat and 
 bladder. Thus step by step the fatal evidence was 
 given by this wonderful witness, which sent the man 
 to the gallows for his crime. His brother's blood 
 cried from the blade of the assassin's knife, and the 
 microscope gave it a voice to bring vengeance on 
 him who used the steel for the ruthless deed. 
 
 "But there was a case of equal interest which 
 occurred in Philadelphia only a few years ago. A 
 man was found murdered and thrown on one of the 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 215 
 
 vacant squares in the eastern part of the city. In 
 searching after the facts, it was ascertained that he 
 was last seen alive riding in a market wagon with a 
 young man. As this individual had no such vehicle 
 of his own, it was, evident that it had been obtained 
 from some stable in the neighborhood, where it was 
 soon traced. In examining the wagon some dark 
 stains like blood spots were found spattered on the 
 sides and bottom. To account for these the young 
 man said he had been carrying some chickens to 
 market. Ah, had he known the searching power of 
 our wonderful optics, he would never have thus ex- 
 posed his guilt by so fatal an attempt to conceal it. 
 
 "God, who knew that just such wicked devices 
 would be resorted to, when he filled the veins of man 
 and fowl with the blood, 'which is the life' of all 
 flesh, ordained that it should not only give life when 
 running therein, but should also testify against those 
 who should wickedly open those veins 
 to let it out, and so he bent the circum- ^ ^ 
 ference of that found in the veins of ^)(3Q 
 the fowl into an oval, and this fact re- fe(fj^> 
 vealed the wicked lie by which the 
 criminal sought to conceal his dreadful crime. The 
 blood was not chicken blood, but came from mam- 
 mal veins. This was well established, and the mur- 
 derer went to the gallows. 
 
216 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " Thus, you see, the microscope not only dissipates 
 the dark clouds of superstition, lifting its horrors 
 from the heart of man, but also puts a guard around 
 his life, and points out with fatal certainty the 
 bloody steps of the wary assassin, which it clearly 
 traces out where the naked eye is baffled and gives 
 up the search. 
 
 " But we have lingered some time over this sub- 
 ject, though not longer than its deep interest will 
 justify, and must now pass to other objects which 
 are awaiting our examination. In so doing we shall 
 reach a very interesting class of microscopic studies, 
 not only because of their exceeding beauty of shape 
 and color, but from the fact that it has long been 
 discussed among the learned whether they should 
 be included in the animal or vegetable kingdom. 
 Like the shuttle-cock, they have been tossed about 
 between these two factions, now exalted to the dig- 
 nity of the animal race, only to be the more rudely 
 thrust down again to the green pastures of the algse 
 which we have just been considering, to serve for 
 food for the order to whose equality they had as- 
 pired. 
 
 *'We will not enter into this war of races, nor 
 stop to discuss the pros and cons. Our purpose is to 
 wonder and enjoy ; and be they animal or vegetable, 
 they are very interesting objects for consideration 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 217 
 
 peculiarly so from the fact of forming this perplex- 
 ing link between the two kingdoms. If they are 
 animal, they excite our wonder and admiration by 
 their exceeding delicacy of shape and brilliant colors, 
 but if belonging to the lower vegetable order, they 
 present the striking phenomenon of plant life en- 
 dowed with an independent existence and instinctive 
 volition, moving at will, feeding, propagating, and 
 doing other things which seem only to belong to the 
 orders endowed with the functions of animal life. 
 Certainly, whatever may be the true state of the 
 case, the two races are brought very near together 
 when they are so blended that it puzzles the most 
 learned to determine the line of division. The 
 knowledge of this fact can but enhance the pleasure 
 of our investigation, during which, I have no doubt, 
 you will be involved in the same perplexity which 
 has befallen the learned now, being sure that what 
 you behold is nothing but a bit of minute algse ; but 
 anon, as you see the object begin to roll or creep be- 
 fore your eyes, you will as positively affirm that it 
 can be nothing less than an animal. So it is more 
 than likely that you will go from the school-room to 
 perpetuate the long-continued discussion, while the 
 little desmid arid diatom, volvox and pandorina, 
 will continue their life work, indifferent as to where 
 you place them, it being their vocation to fill the 
 
 19 
 
218 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 sphere which God has assigned them in the grand 
 perfections of nature. 
 
 " Of this paradoxical class the Desmids will first 
 claim our attention. (Plate VII. , Figs. 3-13.) These 
 graceful objects are generally of a bright grass -green 
 color, often combined with the most delicate edgings 
 of the purest crystal filagree work. Long ribbons 
 are seen striped, dotted, and figured, ovals and dia- 
 monds in profusion, sceptres and crowns. In look- 
 ing at a fine grouping of these beautiful forms, such 
 as we now have under our glasses, one can easily 
 imagine himself roaming through some ancient hall 
 where hang the princely shields and helmets of kings 
 and warriors, where gold, diamonds, emeralds, and 
 crystals are displayed in the greatest profusion, inter- 
 spersed with gold and green silken sashes, marshals' 
 batons, and other insignia of kingly and knightly 
 honors. Certain it is that the reality of such sur- 
 roundings could present nothing more beautiful than 
 the scene now under our eyes in these six drops of 
 water. We will not bother ourselves with the long, 
 hard names of the different varieties of the order 
 now under our notice, as this general view will 
 enable you to distinguish them from the Diatoms, 
 which we shall examine before we close our enter- 
 tainment. 
 
 " Desmids are plentifully found in all ponds and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 219 
 
 brooks, especially liking clear, running water. They 
 often so abound as to cover the bottom of the stream, 
 and are found thickly adhering to water-plants and 
 decaying leaves, so that they are easily found when 
 wanted for examination. They multiply by sub- 
 division and conjugation, and with great rapidity. 
 The subdivision takes place in the direction of the 
 clear lines seen dividing the green sections. 
 
 " Perhaps the most attractive of these curious 
 plant-animals is the well-known Volvocine, the Vol- 
 vox globator (Plate VII., Fig. 15), so called from its 
 shape and peculiar manner of moving through the 
 water. This beautiful organism will illustrate my 
 remark that it is almost impossible to resist the con- 
 viction that we are beholding an animal, instinct 
 with life, when we mark its graceful and independ- 
 ent movements. It seems a degradation to class it 
 with the motionless forms around it. It is a minute 
 revolving globe, with a delicate net-work enclosing 
 the body, within which are seen several bright green 
 spots, being the young volvocina preparing for their 
 advent into the watery home. The globe is about 
 one-thirtieth of an inch in diameter. At the inter- 
 section of each mesh of the net-work two cilia are 
 attached, by means of which its revolving motion is 
 produced. This motion is very graceful, now for- 
 ward and backward, up and down, or in a circle, 
 
220 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 the green spots producing a very beautiful effect. 
 When these spots arrive at maturity they break from 
 the parent cell and launch forth to try their own 
 fortunes. If all this is done by a mere plant, how 
 wondrously it must be constituted ! We have heard 
 of ' climbing fish' and * live oats/ but a plant gifted 
 with organs of motion and instincts to use them, 
 flying here and there as led by whim, reproducing 
 its young by a bird-like process, is certainly a mar- 
 velous illustration of the handiwork of the great 
 Creator. During all the warm months of summer 
 they can be found in places similar to that from 
 which you obtained them to-day. 
 
 " Akin to this is the more minute and beautiful 
 Eudorina elegans (Plate VII., Fig. 16), though its 
 family relations are not fully settled by the learned. 
 Its brighter colors give it a rich appearance as it 
 rolls through the water with motions similar to the 
 volvox. 
 
 " The Synura uvella, just below this, is composed 
 of many little yellowish oval bodies united at a 
 common centre, and pushing out until they form 
 a globe-shaped cluster, revolving after the usual 
 fashion of the volvocines. The Protococcus (Figs. 
 18, 19) are of similar habits, but much more nu- 
 merous. 
 
 " But here is the active little Pandorina (Plate 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 221 
 
 VII., Fig. 20), which deserves a brief notice for its 
 marked peculiarities. You will observe that milky 
 gelatinous mass, beneath which are seen several little 
 green pear-shaped bodies twisting and turning to get 
 free, which they accomplish after a while. This beau- 
 tiful creature and the Gonium pedorale (Figs. 21, 22) 
 were included by Ehrenberg among the monads, this 
 last being a plate, hence called by him Tablet monads, 
 composed of sixteen green points, which after a while 
 break up into four, and then in turn increase to the 
 same number and again subdivide. As this occurs 
 many times in an hour, we can conceive what incom- 
 prehensible numbers must be produced in a few 
 days, and who can estimate the product of years? 
 Their motion is edgewise, when they have the ap- 
 pearance of a long, thin figure. (Fig. 21.) 
 
 " These rolling spheres glancing in the light as 
 they move to and fro add very much to the inter- 
 est and beauty of microscopic examinations. And 
 what a stretch of creative power, from an invisible 
 globe to its sublime compeer circling the immeasur- 
 able depths of the starry heavens ! Yet the same 
 God is seen in the minuteness of the one and in 
 the incomprehensible magnitude of the other, and 
 man could as easily build up the sublime structures 
 of the skies as fashion the delicate and invisible 
 mote-life of the drop of water. 
 19* 
 
222 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "By varying the light thrown on the glass illu- 
 minator some enchanting transformations are pro- 
 duced while observing these volvocines. A little 
 change, and they are a disk of crystal studded with 
 emeralds, and anon with topaz ; then the crystal 
 fades away, and we have a system of beautiful green 
 plants pursuing their mazy dance in perfect harmony 
 and order. The picture is perfectly enchanting, and 
 I have often been held spellbound by its marvelous 
 attractions. 
 
 "We must not dismiss our present subject without 
 paying a passing notice to the beautiful family of 
 Closleria. (Plate VII., Fig. 14.) It is easily distin- 
 guished by its golden green crescent form, spotted 
 and striped with great delicacy. It is very abundant 
 in all ponds where plants are found growing, and 
 you have only to scrape the leaves of a bit of duck 
 weed to obtain these pretty objects for examination. 
 They multiply by subdivision, the separation tak- 
 ing place just where you see a band dividing the 
 parent in the centre a process which is constantly 
 going on. 
 
 " It has been ascertained by those who have care- 
 fully observed the Closteria with a very high power 
 that it is ciliated and possesses the power to "move 
 by very slow degrees, and will thus bury itself in 
 the mud if given sufficient time to accomplish the 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 223 
 
 feat. On this fact has been based its claims to a 
 place in the animal kingdom. 
 
 "But our hour is more than expired, and we must 
 close our interview, reserving the Diatoms for our 
 next exhibition." 
 
225 
 
PLATE VIII. 
 
 FORMS OF LIVING DIATOMS. 
 
 226 
 
Living Diatoms. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 LIVING DIATOMS. 
 
 THE children were exceedingly interested in the 
 last exhibition. The beautiful volvocines called 
 forth their highest admiration, little Nettie Newton 
 declaring that they were the prettiest things she had 
 ever seen in her life. 
 
 " Just think," said she to her papa, " of a beauti- 
 ful green and golden globe floating through the air ; 
 wouldn't it be splendid ? Well, we saw, oh ! so 
 many in a drop of water; some were green, and 
 some were red and yellow, and they went rolling 
 about in the funniest manner. I never did see any- 
 thing so beautiful." 
 
 "Why, daughter, not when you looked in the 
 glass ?" replied the father, with a quiet smile. 
 
 " Now, papa, don't tease me," replied the daugh- 
 ter ; " I'm not a globe, or beautiful either.'" 
 
 "That may be, but I very often detect two bright 
 blue globes peeping into the looking-glass," re- 
 sponded the doctor, " and I wonder what they are 
 
 227 
 
228 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 gazing at so long sometimes, unless at my little 
 Nettie ?" 
 
 " Why, of course people have to look into the 
 glass sometimes. But, papa/' continued Nettie, 
 " Mr. Willard told us how people have been fright- 
 ened at what they thought was blood running out of 
 the ground, when it wasn't blood, but a little plant; 
 and then he showed us some real blood, and they 
 were not alike at all. He showed us some chickens' 
 blood, and told us how men had been hung because 
 their guilt had been found out by the microscope. 
 It was a good deal nicer than a real made-up story. 
 I just wish you could have heard it." 
 
 " Well, well, my daughter," replied the gratified 
 father, " I am glad you have had such a nice time, 
 and have profited so much. I should have enjoyed 
 the occasion very much, I have no doubt, although 
 I have witnessed many such things, and was present 
 on one occasion when a man was convicted of murder 
 by the aid of the microscope." 
 
 " But, papa," continued the daughter, " do you 
 think Mr. Willard could tell the difference if the 
 blood of men and chickens were mixed all up to- 
 gether? Some of the boys don't believe he can, and 
 are going to bother him by bringing some to school 
 to-morrow. I hope he can, for I don't want him 
 teased." 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 229 
 
 "I guess,' 7 replied the doctor, "you need borrow 
 no trouble on that score ; Mr. Willard will come out 
 all right." 
 
 "Oh, I'm so glad/' exclaimed Nettie, " for I do 
 love him so much, for he just tries all the time to 
 make us children happy. " 
 
 As Nettie intimated, some of the boys doubted 
 their teacher's ability to distinguish between the 
 blood of different animals when mixed together, and 
 had determined to put it to the test at their next 
 interview, by producing some blood from their own 
 veins mixed with that of chickens. 
 
 Accordingly, when ready the next afternoon, their 
 proposed test was produced, and Mr. Willard was 
 asked to tell to what animal the blood belonged. 
 To this request he cheerfully yielded, not know- 
 ing the object which the boys had in view, and 
 even had he understood this it would have made no 
 difference, as it would have furnished him with a 
 good opportunity to teach them a more impressive 
 lesson. As it was, he was only too willing to gratify 
 his dear pupils. Putting the blood under one of the 
 higher powers, he examined it for a few moments 
 with great care, and then said : 
 
 " I perceive that some of you have been preparing 
 a test for me. This blood is mixed, being composed 
 of mammal and chicken blood-disks. This would 
 
 20 
 
230 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 not likely occur except from design. Be this as it 
 may, I am quite ready to give you this new test of 
 the truthfulness of our little brass witness. The 
 human tongue may utter falsehoods, but this witness, 
 never. We may not always be able to interpret its 
 testimony, but it will always be given with the 
 strictest exactness, nor can it ever be bribed or 
 perplexed by cross-examinations." 
 
 Little Nettie was in ecstasies at the emphatic 
 triumph of Mr. Willard, nor did the doubters after 
 that cherish any more thoughts of perplexing their 
 teacher. They were well convinced that when he 
 made an assertion he could make it good. 
 
 When this little episode was concluded, Mr. Wil- 
 lard introduced the topic of the hour by saying : 
 
 " It was stated in our last interview that the dia- 
 toms have shared with the desmids in the struggle 
 to preserve a place among the animal races. This 
 they have done with a larger measure of success, as 
 the majority of ablest writers insist on their just 
 claims to this honor, and undoubtedly with a vast 
 preponderance of facts on their side. But as a set- 
 tlement of this vexed question does not come within 
 the compass of our aims, we will leave it for other 
 persons to adjust, and consider the diatoms as they 
 appear to us; and an interesting study we shall find 
 them, from the peculiar beauty of their shapes, delicate 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 231 
 
 external markings and bright silicious shells. They 
 appear everywhere, and though the period of their 
 life may be very brief, yet the indestructibleness of 
 their shells gives them a perpetual record ; hence the 
 present living races are linked back to the first-born 
 of life. Mammoth and mastodon have passed away, 
 leaving nothing but a few scattered wrecks of their 
 former existence, but the living diatom of to-day 
 moves among the monuments of his departed ances- 
 tors, sweeping back to the Deluge and beyond its 
 swelling floods, even before the mountains were up- 
 heaved from their watery chambers. We can, 
 therefore, but look upon them with increased won- 
 der ; they are not only minute and surpassingly beau- 
 tiful, but most ancient, tracing their lineage farther 
 back than any other family of earth. They come 
 down to us without a break in their descent, and 
 what they were when Adam lived they appear before 
 us now. No development has changed their forms, 
 nor cast off their beautiful shells for scales or wings, 
 nor given them legs to creep. Darwin would find 
 but poor confirmation of his favorite theory by call- 
 ing the little diatom to the witness stand. 
 
 " The diatom is composed of two symmetrical 
 plates or valves, in some instances, as in the Navi- 
 cula, shaped like a small boat. They are sometimes 
 joined together lengthwise, stretching out like a 
 
232 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 long flowing ribbon, from which they break one 
 after another and go creeping slowly away. Other 
 species grow in tree-shaped clusters or loose-jointed 
 branches, with broad fan-shaped leaves. Long 
 chains of square or oblong links, curiously joined 
 at the corners, are scattered about, with golden cir- 
 cles, ovals, diamonds, crescents, stars, sceptres, and 
 little boats mingled together in the same drop of 
 water. 
 
 " But whatever may be the outward shapings of 
 these ancient families, they all follow the one great 
 law of disintegration, scattering widely to serve the 
 great purpose of their Creator, who honored them 
 with an existence long before man came from his 
 moulding hand. 
 
 " This fact accounts for the vast numbers of these 
 little boat-shaped objects which we see slowly cross- 
 ing the field of our instruments. When, during their 
 progress, they chance to touch each other, they sud- 
 denly slide themselves together, often forming little 
 clusters, as though they were enjoying a few mo- 
 ments' social intercourse. They are the most widely 
 diffused of all forms of infusorial life, living alike 
 in fresh or salt water, in pure streams or dark 
 morass, growing to plants or crawling on the slimy 
 bottom. They are said by some to have the cilia at 
 both ends, and projecting also from four minute 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 233 
 
 holes in the middle of the shell. These phenomena 
 can be seen only with instruments of very high 
 power and careful watching. They are so numerous 
 as often to impart their color to the aquatic plants 
 to which they are attached, although individually 
 so small as to remain wholly invisible to the unas- 
 sisted eye; seen, yet not seen, everywhere, yet 
 observed nowhere, except under the microscope. 
 
 "This branch of microscopic study is just now 
 exciting renewed and more careful attention, and it 
 is not to be wondered at, for the exceeding beauty 
 of the diatom ever delights the eye, while their uni- 
 versal diffusion, and the important part they serve 
 in building up the natural and artificial monuments 
 of the earth, will ever strike the mind with wonder. 
 So universally spread through all lands, and so an- 
 cient, they are designed, no doubt, to work a most 
 important result in the economy of nature. But 
 how long they toiled unknown and unthanked! 
 Yet they ceased not in working out their mission, 
 and when each one had finished its life-work, it left 
 its beautiful shell as a monument to tell of its in- 
 dustry. 
 
 " These beautiful objects are found enjoying their 
 brief life in all waters, even the clearest, but most 
 abundant in salt water, especially in all shallow col- 
 lections left by the tide in salt meadows and pools. 
 20* 
 
234 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 From these places they can be taken by millions, 
 possessing the most perfect and beautiful forms. To 
 their presence is mainly owing the yellowish tint 
 which these waters always wear. They can be ob- 
 tained also in great quantities by scraping the sub- 
 merged posts and planking of the docks, or the 
 slimy stones in brooks and rivers. Indeed, you will 
 hardly miss them wherever you may seek, for they 
 are always present where moisture is found. From 
 their giving off minute bubbles of oxygen from the 
 little holes seen in the centre of their shells, they 
 often come to the surface of the water and float as 
 a yellowish-brown scum, and will be found in the 
 yeasty accumulation on the shore after a hot day in 
 summer. 
 
 " The epicure of oysters may not be aware that 
 with every delicate mouthful he swallows he de- 
 vours hundreds of these minute molluscs. 
 
 "To show how indestructible the diatoms are, it 
 may be observed that they are found equally in the 
 coldest regions of the North and the hottest of the 
 tropics; they will even pass through the fire, yet 
 retain their perfection of outline, though the life 
 will be extinct, the frustules being pure silica. 
 
 " Since the animal, as we have no doubt it is, is 
 constantly undergoing rapid growth and subdivision, 
 it would seem God's great laboratory for the produc- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 235 
 
 tion of this important mineral, considered one of the 
 primitive earths. It is but another instance show- 
 ing how his creative power works out the greatest 
 results from the smallest beginnings, hidden in the 
 remotest causes. He begins with a diatom the one 
 hundred and thirty thousandth part of an inch in 
 size, and ends where? 
 
 " In Dr. Griffith's Microscopic Dictionary there is 
 a catalogue of one hundred distinct varieties of 
 diatoms,, while we have under our instruments only 
 a little above thirty. (Plate X.) A scientific Ger- 
 man has taken this list of Dr. Griffith's and per- 
 formed one of the greatest wonders ever witnessed 
 in scientific manipulation. We must remember that 
 all these forms of diatoms are exceedingly minute, 
 and cannot, therefore, be handled by any instrument 
 but what must be many times larger than they are. 
 Yet this man has placed them in the exact order of 
 their classification, in ranks with as much regularity 
 as soldiers, and all in the space which would be 
 covered by a ten-cent piece ! 
 
 "How he accomplished this is a wonder, and we 
 need not be surprised that the little glass slide on 
 which they are mounted cost the sum of forty dol- 
 lars at the shops. The man must be possessed of 
 remarkable skill and patience to have achieved such 
 a marvel of science and mechanism. 
 
236 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " It may seem a little tedious to watch some of 
 these tiny creatures as with slow movements they 
 push across the drop of water, but it will repay 
 those who have the patience to do it. The study 
 will go far to convince any one of the animal nature 
 of the diatom, when it is observed with what prompt- 
 itude it turns aside from any obstacle which may 
 impede its progress, perhaps with a sudden jerk to 
 the right or left. Dr. Hogg states that he has 
 watched the process attentively, and is fully satis- 
 fied that their motive 
 power is derived from 
 cilia, so arranged at 
 either end and from 
 the little opening in 
 the middle as to act 
 as oars or paddles. 
 This fact, in his opin- 
 ion, settles their ani- 
 mal relations. We can plainly observe the move- 
 ment, though our power is not sufficient to reveal 
 the cilia. 
 
 " The diatom possesses a marked interest to the 
 scientific microscopist as a test object. 
 
 " It is known that certain species of the diatoms 
 have a specific measurement and peculiar markings 
 which can be seen only by the use of a certain 
 
 Diatoms in Motion. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 237 
 
 magnifying power. When, therefore, an undefined 
 power is to be fixed, one of these little shells is put 
 under the glass, and its power is readily rated. It 
 requires one hundred and thirty thousand of one 
 species of these little creatures to fill the diameter 
 of an inch, and thirty thousand of the largest. 
 
 " Their color varies from the brightest yellow to 
 a dingy brown, but yellow being the predominant 
 shade, they give this tinge to the leaves of plants on 
 which they abound. 
 
 " The markings of some varieties are exceedingly 
 beautiful, the body often being of a pearly white- 
 ness, dotted here and there with yellow, red, and 
 green, or traced in elegant scroll work or graceful 
 circles and lace-work edgings. Occasionally one 
 will be seen attached to some sprig of algse by a 
 long staff, with the top spread out like the yellow 
 flag of a military hospital. 
 
 " As we disposed of the desmids, in like manner 
 we shall not stop to name and describe each of the 
 hundred diatoms which have been classified, but 
 having presented the class in general outline, leave 
 you to learn their technicalities when you are better 
 prepared to acquire and understand them. From 
 the view given, you will be able to distinguish them 
 from the other curious things met with in future 
 microscopic examinations. 
 
238 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 "Here we must close our investigations of the 
 strange forms of life found teeming in the little 
 world of water which we have so long and profitably 
 had before us, although we have scarcely touched 
 its miraculous borders. 
 
 " But the things having life are only a tithe of the 
 hidden treasures which can be searched out. The 
 animated atoms that ' people the sunbeam' and 
 swarm in the rain-drop are as nothing compared to 
 the infinite number whose sepulchres are the ever- 
 lasting hills and the islands of the mighty deep. 
 The dead are everywhere in the rock-ribbed earth. 
 On them the foundations of the mountains are laid. 
 By their accumulation the beetling cliffs are heaped 
 up along the ocean's shore to stay the marching 
 desolation of its restless waves. They filter through 
 the air on the wings of every wind, dropping on the 
 hungry soil to give it fertility ; they underlie cities 
 and continents ; they are built up into palaces and 
 pyramids ; omnipresent on earth, yet individually 
 invisible to the sharpest unaided vision. 
 
 " In searching the vast burial-places of the infini- 
 tesimal dead, we shall find objects of equal interest to 
 those revealed in the living millions that have moved 
 before us in the drop of water, except in the greatest 
 of all mysteries life ! We can but see their out- 
 ward shapings and guess at the manner of life which 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 239 
 
 they once enjoyed. The vast earth their death has 
 helped to build up, and in a large degree fitted for 
 the dwelling-place of a higher order of beings who 
 should come after them. In all and through all 
 these wonderful mutations we can trace the same 
 wisdom and power working out the beneficent pur- 
 poses of God, often most gracious when his vast de- 
 signs are deepest hidden from our observation hid- 
 den not always behind that which is incomprehen- 
 sible from its vastness, but concealed by the very 
 minuteness of the agency which he employs. It is 
 often as true in nature as in spiritual things that God 
 chooses 'things that are despised, and things that are 
 not, to bring to naught things that are,' and for the 
 same impressive purpose ' that no flesh should glory 
 in his presence.' We sow our broad acres of grain, 
 but a little fly eats out its life ; plant our orchards, 
 and the sting of a minute bug turns our fruit to rot- 
 tenness ; build our houses and barns, and a spark of 
 fire turns them to ashes. Can we fail to comprehend 
 these lessons ? ' Thou fool, so is every one who is 
 not rich toward God.' We must see God in every- 
 thing, and revere him everywhere. 
 
 " With him a hair is as omnipotent as a chain of 
 linked worlds. The strength is in neither, but in 
 God, who works through them. He can hide his 
 face and his favor behind that which is most minute, 
 
240 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 as well as withdraw the sun from the heavens and 
 shroud all in blackness. 
 
 ' Deep in unfathomable mines 
 
 Of never-failing skill, 
 He treasures up his vast designs 
 And works his sovereign will !' " 
 
fossil Knfus0r. 
 
 21 
 
 Q 241 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 FOSSIL INFUSORIA. 
 
 WHEN the school was again assembled for the 
 coveted hour's enjoyment, it was noticed that 
 the bottles out of which so many wonderful things 
 had been taken had disappeared, being replaced by 
 the little boxes and a large number of glass slides, 
 on which were mounted objects. 
 
 Mr. Willard began his lecture by saying : 
 "You may have wondered why I desired you to 
 procure these boxes of marl, chalk, rotten-stone, and 
 similar substances : this afternoon will explain my 
 purpose. In our examination of the coral polyps we 
 learned what mighty structures they have built up 
 in the ocean, but their dwellings are the result of 
 ages of persevering activity. When dead, they are 
 either absorbed into the mass of their building or 
 dissipated into the elements, leaving no perceptible 
 addition to the superstructures which they were rais- 
 ing. Not so with the Fossil Infusoria, which we are 
 to examine this afternoon. These minute shells, 
 when left tenantless by the death of the inmate, 
 
 243 
 
244 GEEAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 added with each generation a new layer to the foun- 
 dation which the sepulchres of their ancestors began, 
 and which, accumulating through thousands and 
 thousands of years by imperceptible degrees, have 
 become gigantic and sublime in their magnitude. It 
 would be a fact beyond belief, were it not demon- 
 strated by unmistakable evidence, that the mighty 
 Andes, rearing their heads above the clouds, tower- 
 ing more than twenty-five thousand feet above the 
 level of the sea, are largely the heaped- up remains 
 of the most minute animalcules not a valley of dry 
 bones, but a vast mountain of the dead. And not 
 only have they helped to pile up the Andes, but 
 stretched out mighty beds of slate in Austria and 
 Africa, known as tripoli when ground to powder ; 
 reared the chalk hills along the coast of England, 
 and laid the foundations of Paris in France, of 
 Richmond and Petersburg, and many other places 
 in our own country. They are built into the pyra- 
 mids of Egypt and temples of the Nile, whose fertile 
 waters also bear them from the mountains of Central 
 Africa and the desert sands to fertilize its banks at 
 the annual overflow. Nor need we go so far from 
 home to find these populous cities of the dead : the 
 ground on which we tread in coming and going to 
 school is full of them ; nor is there likely a spot on 
 the broad face of the earth where the foot can be 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 245 
 
 placed without resting on millions of the dead. The 
 language of our great moralizing poet is not only 
 beautiful but true : 
 
 1 The golden sun, 
 
 The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, 
 Are shining on the sad abodes of death 
 Through the still lapse of ages. 
 
 'All that tread 
 
 The globe are but a handful to the tribes 
 That slumber in its bosom. Take the wings 
 Of morning, and the Barcan desert pierce, 
 Or lose thyself in the continuous woods 
 Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound 
 Save its own dashings, yet the dead are there; 
 And millions in those solitudes, since first 
 The flight of years began, have laid them down 
 In their last sleep : the dead reign there alone !' 
 
 " If this language can be applied to man's monu- 
 ments of mortality, how much more so to the thou- 
 sands of species which mark the descending scale 
 from him to the minute diatom ! 
 
 " The marl beds of New Jersey are rich with these 
 accumulations, mostly in the form of shells, called 
 Foraminifera. In this yellow specimen of marl ob- 
 tained by you we can detect many of these shells 
 with the unassisted eye, perfect as those found on 
 the sea shore, in which state, however, they will re- 
 
 21 * 
 
246 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 main but a short time, as they soon slack like lime 
 and crumble to dust. But when we have picked 
 out all that the eye can detect, put the remainder 
 under the glass, and thousands more will be easily 
 found more rare and beautiful. These minute 
 forms are not confined to the dry land, but more 
 largely abound in the ocean. We are told that a 
 cubic inch of the stone from which the tripoli is 
 made weighs two hundred and twenty grains, and 
 contains no less than forty thousand millions of dis- 
 tinct organic forms minute shells ; but in making 
 soundings for the Atlantic telegraph a little sedi- 
 ment was brought up from the bottom of the deep 
 sea, and, when dried, was found to be a dust so fine 
 that when rubbed between the fingers it would dis- 
 appear in the pores of the skin. Yet on placing 
 this powder under the microscope, this almost im- 
 palpable dust was found to be composed of perfect 
 shells, with the little holes through which the ten- 
 tacles of the extinct rhizopod once protruded. These 
 shells are found in all geological periods as we go 
 down into the strata of the rocks or depths of the 
 sea. Who can help exclaiming, ' O Lord, how won- 
 derful are thy works!' 
 
 " In order to see these shells in perfection, the 
 chalk or marl must be washed, and the object 
 mounted, as it. is called that is, placed on one of 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 247 
 
 these glass slides. I have a number of them thus 
 prepared which I will now place under the instru- 
 ment for your inspection. 
 
 Foraminifera . 
 
 " Like the diatom, the Foraminifera have their 
 living generations linking the present with the re- 
 motest past. Of the great beauty of the living race 
 
248 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 you have had a glimpse in the minute wonders of 
 the sea. (Plate V., Figs. 1-5.) 
 
 " There is an interesting species of these shells 
 called Nummulites, or coin stones, of which the 
 blocks of stone built into the great pyramids of 
 Egypt are mainly composed. The chalk hills of 
 England are particularly rich with these deposits. 
 It was at first believed that chalk and flints were 
 formed by the rushing of heated water largely im- 
 pregnated with l}me and silica into the colder 
 waters of the ocean, and precipitated by chemical 
 affinity. It is shown by our wonderful instruments 
 that this theory is wholly wrong. These substances 
 are of animal origin. Chalk, marl, flints, marble, 
 tripoli, opal, and semi-opal are all found in the 
 same wonderful manner. The fact is astounding, 
 yet most palpable, that a very large, if not the 
 largest, portion of all our sedimentary rocks is 
 formed of animal remains. Tombed and ceno- 
 taphed, the earth is the vast cemetery of the minute 
 dead, which we despoil to deck our houses or adorn 
 our persons. The polished marbles on our centre- ' 
 tables, beautifully shaded with dot and stripe, owe 
 all their elegance to the skeletons embedded within 
 their substance. Here is a fragment of semi-opal 
 from the great bed of tripoli at Bilin, in Bohemia, 
 less than a half inch in size, a, in which no distinct 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 249 
 
 organic remains can be distinguished ; but let us 
 place it under our glass. 
 
 " Now you can see that it is filled with perfect 
 organisms shells, wheels, animals of strange and 
 
 Semi-Opal Magnified; a, original size. 
 
 beautiful shapes. A higher power would unfold new 
 beauties in those which we can observe and bring 
 into view thousands which we cannot detect. What 
 untold numbers each square inch of these substances 
 must contain !" 
 
250 GRE^T WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 The children gazed eagerly at this specimen, arid 
 were filled with wondering admiration at the mar- 
 velous revelation. They looked at the little bits of 
 marble and chalk with a new conception : they had 
 lost their insignificance. 
 
 " But," said Alf Green, who could not be wholly 
 cured of his skepticism, "you don't mean to say, 
 Mr. Willard, that a gun-flint one that strikes fire 
 is made up of animals?" 
 
 "Well, Master Alf," replied the teacher, "I do 
 not wonder at your astonishment, but the fact is 
 easily proved. Here we have a thin scale of flint, 
 and if you doubt its being so, you can break off a 
 thin piece from this one which you have brought 
 yourselves, from which I ob- 
 tained the specimen which I 
 now show you. 
 
 "Now look, Master Green, 
 and tell the school what you 
 
 Flint Magnified. 
 
 oct;. 
 
 "Oh, I see," exclaimed the admiring scholar, "a 
 whole lot of stars and suns with rays sticking out 
 all around !" 
 
 "Pretty good," replied the teacher; "those points 
 do look as if they would stick a little, and if we 
 magnify them a little more, we shall find that each 
 point is pronged like a fork. These curious outlines 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 251 
 
 which have excited your admiration are the shells of 
 animalcules, but, as you see, death has not robbed 
 them of their beauty. 
 
 "In Norway and Lapland there is a species of 
 minute fossil called Berg Mehl, which forms a strata 
 more than thirty feet thick. 
 The natives call it 'moun- 
 tain-meal/ for in times of 
 scarcity great quantities 
 are gathered and mixed 
 with their coarse meal and 
 baked into bread. It is, 
 as can be readily seen, 
 composed of the fossil 
 shells of diatoms, mostly 
 of the species called navi- 
 cula. 
 
 " We have thus seen that 
 these infinitesimal dead 
 compose stone, flint, gem, 
 and meal, and here we 
 should suppose their do- 
 minion would cease; but 
 no, they run almost through 
 the mineral kingdom. The 'Bog Iron Ore,' we are told 
 by Ehrenberg and other writers, is largely composed 
 of these relics of minute life, and where else we shall 
 
 Spicula of Flint. 
 
 Berg Mehl. 
 
252 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 find them we can hardly tell, but must await the 
 further developments of science. 
 
 " We must not suppose that these fossil forms are 
 confined to great antiquity. Far otherwise ; they are 
 accumulating every moment, and in some instances 
 with great rapidity. In the Red Sea this process is 
 going on with such energy as to endanger naviga- 
 tion, and in the harbor of Wismar, in the Baltic, 
 these deposits increase at the rate of seventeen thou- 
 sand cubic feet of mud every year, every grain of 
 which, we are told, contains a billion of beautiful 
 silicious shells! In Barbadoes and other places a 
 similar process is filling up the sea. What can we 
 say of such things but that * this also cometh 
 forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in 
 council and excellent in working ' ? Truly it may 
 be said in other than a spiritual sense that we can- 
 not fly from his presence ; on land or to the utter- 
 most parts of the sea he is equally and palpably 
 present in his wonderful works. 
 
 " Let us take a more particular notice of some 
 of these palaces of a minute race. 
 
 " I have told you that the diatoms were among 
 the first born of life, perhaps the very first, and that 
 they have come down to us in an uninterrupted de- 
 scent ; hence we might expect to find them most 
 numerous and most generally diffused a fact which 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 253 
 
 is verified by all researches. They are found in all 
 the living forms which we have noticed, but these 
 which I present are perhaps the most numerous. 
 
 Fossil Diatoms. 
 
 "These navicula shells are older, no doubt, by 
 thousands of years, than the mummies of Egypt, as 
 their tombs were the flinty rocks, yet they are as 
 perfect in shape and fresh in outline as their living 
 compeers so lately under our instruments. No 
 wonder they are so highly treasured by the micro- 
 scopist. 
 
 " In Bermuda and Barbadoes these forms of infu- 
 sorial shells are found in the greatest abundance and 
 perfection, and I am fortunate in having secured a 
 
 22 
 
254 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 number of well-mounted specimens. Here are two 
 with very hard names : 
 
 A rachnoidiscus. 
 
 Actinocyclus. 
 
 " How beautifully the last named is striped and 
 dotted, with a delicate lace-work edge, and starred 
 in the centre ! Seeming so frail, it is wonderful that 
 it is not broken into pieces in the process of wash- 
 ing and mounting, yet it will not only endure this 
 treatment, but pass through great heat also. 
 
 Cucconei. 
 
 Coscinodiscus. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 255 
 
 " Akin to these, but of smaller dimensions, are the 
 little oval Cocconei and the Coscinodiscus. This last 
 is worthy of notice, from the elegant cross bars divid- 
 ing it into sections, with delicate rosettes at the ter- 
 minations. 
 
 " The Idhmia is very attractive from its peculiar 
 shape and delicate 
 penciling,. and the at- 
 tachment of a second 
 shell to the parent, 
 indicating the man- 
 ner of its reproduc- 
 tion. At some point 
 near the middle of the 
 parent cell a bud is 
 seen to protrude, and with steady progress develops 
 into a perfect animal, when it rudely breaks away. 
 In our specimen death has arrested the process ; like 
 the monarch of Israel and Jonathan, 'they were 
 lovely in their lives, and in death they were not 
 divided.' 
 
 " Two most remarkable of this class of microscopic 
 objects are the Gallionella and the Triceratum. The 
 Gallionella is widely scattered over the United 
 States, in many parts of which I have obtained 
 beautiful specimens, and is often termed the ' Sox- 
 chain animakule.' When only one end of the 
 
 Isthmia. 
 
256 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 chain is seen, it has much the appearance of a small 
 coin, but turned lengthwise it is found to consist 
 of twenty or more of these coin-like sections. In 
 this shape they are perceptible to the eye on close 
 inspection as a fine thread-like filament running 
 through the limestone rock in which they abound. 
 
 Gallionella and Tnceratum. 
 
 "The other specimen is a beautiful honey-comb 
 triangle, of very attractive appearance. Both of 
 these forms have their living representatives in our 
 ponds and ditches, and are said to multiply so fast 
 that one hundred and forty millions of these subsec- 
 tions are produced every twenty-four hours. No 
 wonder that they build up mountains in thousands 
 of years ! 
 
 " The last examples which time will permit us to 
 examine are the Campy lodiscus, Ampliitetra, and 
 Dictyocha. They are given because we saw them 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 257 
 
 abundantly in the living state, and we can see how 
 little change death has made in their appearance. 
 Their bright colors have faded a little, but the tene- 
 ment has not been shattered by the hand that dashed 
 its inner life out. They are beautiful shapings, giv- 
 ing almost every angle known to geometry. With 
 
 Campylodiscus, Amphitetra, and Dictyocha. 
 
 these 'frail materials God rears up the sublime struc- 
 tures of nature, and who but the almighty One from 
 such beginnings could bring to pass such stupendous 
 results ? From nothing he has all things made ! 
 
 " With this overwhelming, solemn thought we 
 will take our leave for the present of these infinites- 
 imal forms of life. In doing this, how profound 
 the impression! The means, how far beyond our 
 conception and knowledge! The result, how baf- 
 fling our comprehension ! The one we must search 
 for with eyes wonderfully assisted ; the other meets 
 us with its grand realities incomprehensible at 
 either extreme, but meeting us in the medium with 
 the tangible certainties of creation. 
 22* R 
 
258 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " Who can resist the lesson which says to us so 
 impressively, ' Trifle not with aught which God has 
 created, for he may use it to curse thee ; despise it 
 not, for he may make it a blessing to thee ' ? He 
 may withdraw the animalcule from the ditch or pond, 
 and the destroyer will start up from its pestilential 
 waters; or give his commands to his invisible army 
 of motes that ' people the sunbeam/ and they will 
 enter into the nostrils and creep into the pores of the 
 skin, and the cholera will sweep off its thousands. 
 A little fly shall sting the fruit or eat out the germ 
 of the wheat, and the whole staff of bread shall be 
 cut off. How true it is that whole nations ' perish 
 , from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little !' 
 What a fearful thing it is to trifle with God ! that 
 God who does not trifle with the minutest thing 
 which he has created ! Because he made it, it is no 
 trifling thing. 
 
 "My dear pupils, my efforts will have accom- 
 plished very little if I have not succeeded in im- 
 pressing you with this solemn truth. If you must 
 not trifle with the least of the things which he has 
 made, how much greater the offence to treat lightly 
 your own precious souls ! Your bodies are but the 
 soul's casing. Like these fossils, they will soon be 
 entombed, resolved back to dust and commingled 
 with diatom and foraminifera, but what of the soul ? 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 259 
 
 We cannot trace its flight with the telescope, nor 
 find its hidden dwelling with the microscope. The 
 body will return to the dust, whence it came, but 
 the soul shall go to God who gave it ; and the all- 
 important question is, How shall we stand before 
 him ? May the wonder and astonishment which our 
 lessons have excited at the marvels of his creating 
 hand lead us to the greater marvel of his grace in 
 the gift of his only begotten Son for our redemption ! 
 "Our next interview will be devoted to the prac- 
 tical uses of the microscope." 
 
I radical itses 0f tfyc Microscope. 
 
 P 261 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 PRACTICAL USES OF THE MICROSCOPE. 
 
 THE welcome hour found the children gathered 
 around the familiar table, as eager as ever to 
 listen to their loving teacher and inspect the strange 
 things which he had to show them. Mr. Willard 
 began by saying : 
 
 " The girls have provided us with a beautiful col- 
 lection of butterflies, millers, moths, and other in- 
 sects, and we could spend many pleasant hours in 
 examining their structure, habits, and beautiful 
 wings, but nearly all these interesting facts you can 
 learn without the use of the microscope. To aid 
 you in this I have some copies of a book recently 
 published, the ' Wonders of Insect Life/ by Professor 
 Willet, which I recommend you all to read. It is 
 full of interesting information on this subject, and 
 will save us the necessity of spending much time in 
 the investigation of insect life. To any one who 
 will take the pains to observe, the curious ways and 
 structure of many a familiar bug will excite a great 
 degree of interest, which will be vastly increased 
 
 263 
 
264 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 when the object is placed under the microscope. It 
 is only thus we discover that the down on a butter- 
 fly's wing is composed of beautiful plumes vieing 
 with the splendors of the peacock, and that some of 
 the shells are studded with sparkling gems. By this 
 power the masses of larva are transformed into 
 pearls and beads of rare form and workmanship, 
 and legs and horns become wonders of mechanism. 
 With a knowledge of these facts we are never at a 
 loss for objects of study. If we cannot obtain water 
 from the pool or marl from the pit, we have only to 
 capture the common house fly, cockroach, or miller, 
 and we have abundant resources to engage our atten- 
 tion. The eye of hundreds of lenses, the suction 
 foot, the sharp sting, the variegated wing, the coiled 
 proboscis, or hairy antennae, all these will repay 
 the pains taken to examine them. Indeed, the ob- 
 jects of microscopical interest are almost limitless ; 
 the animal and vegetable creations are never-failing 
 resources. The leaves and pollen of flowers, pores 
 and fibres of wood, moss and lichens, texture of 
 bones and shells, skin, hair, and nails, blood and 
 other fluids of the human body, in short, there is 
 nothing capable of being adjusted to the powers of 
 these wonderful glasses but is invested with a new 
 and strange interest. 
 
 " But you must not suppose that the only value of 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 265 
 
 the microscope consists in its wonderful powers of 
 revelation. This would, indeed, give it a rare 
 value, and justify all the attention which has been 
 given to its perfection, but it has a practical worth 
 which must not be overlooked, and this worth is 
 every year becoming more and more apparent. 
 There are few departments of human effort that do 
 not require its aid in detecting fraud or enlarging 
 resources. It has become the most prized hand- 
 maid of Science and Art, it ministers to the relief of 
 suffering in the hands of the physician, and the de- 
 tection and punishment of crime in the courts of 
 justice. Of this last benefit I have given you two 
 examples in tracing the guilt of the criminals by the 
 blood-marks which they had left. 
 
 " But it is not only used on this bloody scent : a 
 single hair is often all that is presented to its search- 
 ing inspection. There was a case of this kind a few 
 years since. An old lady had been brutally mur- 
 dered and thrown out of an upper window, the mur- 
 derer hoping thereby to give the impression that she 
 was killed by a fall. But the head was cut and 
 bruised in a manner which made it impossible that 
 this should have been the mode of her death. In 
 the search for causes a poker was found with bloody 
 stains, which, with some others taken from the shirt 
 sleeves of a son-in-law, were taken to an expert. In 
 
 23 
 
266 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 searching these, a single gray hair was found ad- 
 hering to the sharp end of the poker, which had been 
 driven into the head. This hair was identified as 
 belonging to the murdered woman, and established 
 the fact that this instrument had been used in her 
 destruction, entirely overthrowing the theory of the 
 prisoner that she had accidentally fallen from the 
 window. It is, therefore, literally true that life 
 sometimes hangs on a single hair. 
 
 " There is an anecdote which strikingly illustrates 
 the almost infallible testimony of the microscope, 
 even when hundreds of years have transpired after 
 the event has taken place which it is called upon to 
 elucidate. A few years since, in making some re- 
 pairs in an old church in Yorkshire, England, a few 
 bits of dried parchment or skin were taken from 
 under the heads of some large nails which studded 
 the doors. They excited so much curiosity that they 
 were taken to an expert microscopist for examina- 
 tion. Placed under his instrument, he pronounced 
 them to be pieces of human skin that of a man of 
 light complexion, for the well-defined human hair 
 was still fast in the skin and perfect in its preserva- 
 tion. To verify these statements search was made 
 in the old parish records, when it was found that 
 near a thousand years before a Danish robber had 
 broken into and robbed this church, and for a pun- 
 
GREAT WONDEKS IN LITTLE THINGS. 267 
 
 ishment had been flayed and his skin nailed to the 
 church door. On all the portions of the skin ex- 
 posed to the weather time had done its work of de- 
 struction, but the broad-headed nails had preserved 
 those portions concealed under them to give this 
 testimony of the long-past event. 
 
 Human Hair. 
 
 
 Cat's Hair. 
 
 Hair of Mouse. 
 
 " Like the blood, God has given to the hairs of 
 each species a distinct individuality, which the mi- 
 
268 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 croscope brings out with unerring certainty, and it 
 can identify, in most instances, that of different in- 
 dividuals of the same species, as in the case of the 
 murdered woman just mentioned. Let us take a 
 few specimens. 
 
 " Here is a sample of human hair. It is cylin- 
 drical, with fine wavy lines running parallel around 
 it. All human hair is not exactly like this, but the 
 general characteristics are the same, and mark its 
 identity. It is in some respects analogous to the 
 stem of a plant growing by continual additions at 
 the root. Internally it is much the same, being 
 made up of a large number of fibres which are 
 capable of separation, like those of wood, hence 
 'splitting a hair' is no metaphor. It is said by 
 those who have examined its structure with very 
 high powers that a single hair is made up of more 
 than fifty thousand fibrils, being finer than those of 
 any other known tissue. Pull out one of your hairs, 
 and then try and imagine that this vast number of 
 threads are wrapped together in a thing so attenu- 
 ated ! God's spindles spin finely. Not only are 
 the hairs of your heads all numbered, but his hand 
 has spun out each invisible fibril and wove them 
 together for a covering to your head, and a glorious 
 adorning it is. 
 
 " The following anecdote, taken from the American 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 269 
 
 Journal of Microscopy for May, 1871, will show how 
 much may hang on a single hair, and how certainly 
 the microscope will bring out its testimony : 
 
 " Some time ago, being in company with a medi- 
 cal man, whom I will call Mr. R , we fell into 
 
 conversation pn the uses of the microscope, in the 
 management of which he was an adept. 
 
 " * Now/ said he, ' I will tell you a story of what 
 happened to myself one which, I think, well illus- 
 trates the importance of this instrument to society, 
 though I was put in a very unpleasant position owing 
 to my acquaintance with it. 
 
 " ' I have, as you know, given a good deal of 
 attention to comparative anatomy, especially to the 
 structure of the hair as it appears under the micro- 
 scope. To the unassisted eye, indeed, all hair ap- 
 pears very much alike, except as it is long or short, 
 dark or fair, straight or curly, coarse or fine. Under 
 the microscope, however, the case is very different ; 
 the white man's is round, the negro's oval, the 
 mouse's apparently jointed, the bat's jagged, and so 
 on. Indeed, every animal has hair of a peculiar 
 character, and what is more, this character varies 
 according to the part of the body from which it is 
 taken an important circumstance, as will appear 
 from my story, which is this : 
 
 " ' I once received a letter by post containing a 
 23* 
 
270 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 few hairs, with a request that I would examine 
 them, and adding that they would be called for in a 
 few days. Accordingly, I submitted the hairs to 
 the microscope, when I discovered that they were 
 from the human eyebrow, and had been bruised. I 
 made a note to this effect, and folded it up with the 
 hairs in an envelope, ready for the person who had 
 sent them. In a few days a stranger called and in- 
 quired whether I had made the investigation. " Oh 
 yes," I said, " there they are, and you will find them 
 and their description in this envelope/' handing it to 
 him at the same time. He expressed himself as 
 being much obliged, and offered me a fee, which, 
 however, I declined, telling him that I could not 
 think of taking anything for so small a matter. 
 
 "'It turned out, however, of more consequence 
 than I imagined, for within a week I was served 
 with a subpoena to attend as a witness in a trial for 
 murder. This was very disagreeable, as I have 
 said, but there was no help for it now. The case 
 was this : A man had been killed by a blow from 
 some blunt instrument on the eyebrow, and the hair 
 sent to me for examination had been taken from a 
 hammer in possession of the suspected murderer. I 
 was put into the witness-stand, and my testimony 
 that the hairs were from the human eyebrow, and 
 had been bruised, was just the link in the chain of 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 271 
 
 evidence which sufficed to convict the prisoner. The 
 jury, however, were not easily satisfied that my state- 
 ment was worth anything, and it required the solemn 
 assurance of the judge that such a conclusion was 
 within the reach of science to convince them that 
 they might act upon it. 
 
 " ' One juryman in particular, an old farmer, was 
 very hard to satisfy. " Does thee mean to say/ 7 said 
 he, " that thee can tell the hair of any animal?" I 
 answered that I would not take upon myself to assert 
 positively that I could do so, although I Relieved I 
 could. " Well," said he, " I'll prove thee." 
 
 " ' The prisoner, as I said, was convicted, and I 
 went home, and in the busy life of an extensive 
 practice forgot all about my obstinate old farmer. 
 About two years afterward, however, a person an 
 utter stranger to me called on me with a few hairs 
 screwed up in a piece of paper, which he asked me 
 to examine and report on. " Is this a murder case ?" 
 I inquired ; " for if so, I will have nothing to do' with 
 it. I've had enough of that sort of work." "No, 
 no !" said he, " it is nothing of the kind. It is only a 
 matter of curiosity, which I should be very much 
 obliged if you would solve ; and if you will do it, I 
 will call or send for the result of your examination 
 in a few days' time." Having received this assur- 
 ance, I undertook the investigation. 
 
272 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " ' When he was gone, and I had leisure, I put 
 the hairs under the microscope, and soon discovered 
 that they were taken from the back of a Norway 
 rat. Two or three days afterward, as I was sitting 
 in my consulting-room, an old farmer-looking man 
 was ushered in. " Well/' said he, " has thee looked 
 at them hairs ?" " Yes," I answered, " and I find that 
 they are from the back of a Norway rat." " Well," 
 exclaimed he, " so they are. Thou hast forgotten 
 me, but I have not forgotten thee. Does thee recol- 
 lect the trial for murder at L assizes ? I said I 
 
 would prove thee, and so I have, for them hairs 
 came from the back of a rat's skin my son sent me 
 from Norway." So the old gentleman was quite 
 satisfied with the proof to which he had put me, and 
 I, as you may suppose, was well pleased that my 
 skill and sagacity had stood such a queer proof as 
 this, and more convinced than ever of the value of 
 the microscope/ 
 
 " Here the doctor's story ended, which I have 
 given as nearly as possible in his own words, and 
 upon which I believe that a thorough dependence 
 may be placed. 
 
 " A very similar case is given in Prof. Richard- 
 son's late work on Medical Microscopy, occurring at 
 Norwich, England, about the year 1850. 
 
 "A female child nine years old was found lying 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 273 
 
 on the ground in a small plantation, quite dead, with 
 a large gash in the throat. Suspicion fell upon the 
 mother of the murdered girl, who, upon being taken 
 into custody, behaved with the utmost coolness, and 
 admitted having taken her child to the plantation 
 where the body was found, whence the child was 
 lost in the quest of flowers. Upon being searched, 
 there was found in the woman's possession a large 
 and sharp knife, which was at once subjected to a 
 minute and careful examination. Nothing, however, 
 was found upon it, with the exception of a few 
 pieces of hair adhering to the handle so exceedingly 
 small as to be scarcely visible. The examination 
 being conducted in the presence of the prisoner, and 
 the officer remarking, ' Here is a^ bit of fur or hair 
 on the handle of your knife/ the woman immediately 
 replied, 'Yes, I dare say there is, and very likely 
 some stains of blood, for as I came home I found a 
 rabbit caught in a snare, and cut its throat with the 
 knife.' The knife was sent to London, and, with the 
 particles of hair, subjected to a microscopic examina- 
 tion. No trace of blood could at first be detected 
 upon the weapon, which appeared to have been 
 washed, but upon separating the horn handle from 
 its iron lining it was found that between the two a 
 fluid had penetrated which turned out to be blood 
 certainly not the blood of a rabbit, but bearing 
 s 
 
274 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 every resemblance to that of the human body. , The 
 hair was then submitted to an examination. With- 
 out knowing anything of the facts of the case, the 
 microscopist immediately declared the hair to be that 
 of a squirrel. Now, around the neck of the child at 
 the time of the murder there was a tippet or ' vic- 
 torine/ over which the knife, by whomsoever held, 
 must have glided, and this victorine was of squirrel's 
 fur ! 
 
 " This strong circumstantial evidence of the guilt 
 of the prisoner was deemed by the jury sufficient for 
 a conviction, and whilst awaiting execution the 
 wretched woman fully confessed her crime. 
 
 "Ah, how our wonderful instrument peeped into the 
 hidden crevice of the knife-handle to bring out the 
 bloody testimony, and searched along the sinuosities 
 of the squirrel's hair to point out the dreadful crime 
 of that wicked mother ! No human eye could have 
 brought to light such guilt without its aid, and the 
 inhuman parent might have lived to slaughter 
 another innocent. 
 
 "The fibre of wool, placed near the human hair, 
 can be easily distinguished by its texture and mark- 
 ings, the points of the circular lines being much 
 sharper. The hair of the domestic cat is of curious 
 formation, seeming to be a succession of steps en- 
 closing a series of semi-transparent masses, to which, 
 
GREAT WONDEKS IN LITTLE THINGS. 275 
 
 probably, we may assign the electrical phenomena 
 which pussy exhibits in the winter evening. The 
 hair of the mouse is entirely dissimilar. These ex- 
 amples will be sufficient to illustrate the marked 
 variations of hair and show how easily they can be 
 distinguished one from the other. 
 
 " Bones have about the same variety of texture in 
 different animals, and in the several parts of the 
 same animal, by which the skillful observer can not 
 only fix the species, but the exact part of the skele- 
 ton from which any particular bone is taken. This 
 rule will apply also, with not quite so much certainty, 
 to the muscles and cartilage, secretions, and other 
 components of the body. 
 
 " From these considerations we can see what an 
 invaluable instrument the microscope is to the phy- 
 sician. With it he can not only fix the location of 
 the parts of the body, but "determine the condition, 
 whether healthy or diseased, and thus be better pre- 
 pared to apply the remedy. Had it not been for the 
 microscope we should never have known the cause 
 of death when the terrible Trichina have been at 
 work. Knowing now the cause, a remedy may be 
 discovered to check his fatal work. It is now said to 
 be shown, by the same process, that the terrible cancer 
 is owing to a fungoid growth sucking away by its rapid 
 increase the vitality of the parts until it eats the poor 
 
276 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 victim's life out. If this be so, let us hope that 
 a sure antidote will be yet discovered for this most 
 painful malady. 
 
 " These examples will show what cause of grati- 
 tude we have for the discovery of the microscope. 
 In the hands of skillful men it becomes a precious 
 boon to suffering humanity, lessening many of its 
 pains and dangers. 
 
 " A curious instance of the detection of crime by 
 the microscope occurred in Germany some years ago. 
 In transacting some banking business it became 
 necessary to transfer several boxes of gold from one 
 city to another. The boxes arrived in due time, 
 but, when opened, the precious metal had mysteri- 
 ously disappeared : its place was occupied by a 
 peculiar species of sand. All efforts to detect the 
 robber utterly failed, until some one acquainted with 
 the use of the microscope suggested an examination 
 of the sand found in the boxes. This was done, and 
 its characteristics established, and then specimens of 
 sand were taken from every station on the line of 
 railroad and subjected to a similar process; in 
 this way the place of the robbery was easily fixed 
 upon, and this led to the ultimate arrest and punish- 
 ment of the thief. 
 
 "These instances will show the great practical 
 value of the microscope in the jurisprudence of our 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 277 
 
 country, so that both physician and lawyer should be 
 well acquainted with its use, or the public will hold 
 them deficient in preparation for the duties of their 
 professions." 
 24 
 
I radical Q|S*S of % 
 
 CONTINUED. 
 
 279 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PRACTICAL USES OF THE MICROSCOPE. Continued. 
 
 AFTER a few minutes' intermission, Mr. Willard 
 resumed his discussion by remarking, "To 
 Science and Art the microscope has become an indis- 
 pensable assistant. With this instrument and the 
 solar spectrum the gases and minerals of the planets 
 are clearly determined one of the most wonderful 
 achievements of science. Most of you are aware 
 of the effect of a prism of glass in separating the 
 rays of the sun into the seven primary colors. You 
 can thus make a ribbon of light, with the different 
 colors running across it, as in some of the ribbons 
 which the girls wear. By the same process it is 
 found that the light from the different gases and 
 burning minerals produces specific lines across the 
 ribbon without regard to the distance at which the 
 observation is made. To demonstrate the conditions 
 of the atmosphere or substance of one of the planets, 
 an apparatus called a spectroscope is used, and a 
 photographic picture taken in which the light will 
 be represented by a uniform line, invisible, it may 
 
 24* 281 
 
282 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 be, to the unaided vision, but with our faithful 
 instrument these lines can be examined and the 
 nature of the substance which caused them deter- 
 mined with great certainty. By this wonderful 
 process many of the minerals with which we are 
 familiar on earth are shown to exist in the sun, 
 moon, and some of the planets. As this study is just 
 in its infancy, the astonishing results already ob- 
 tained warrant the expectation of discoveries of the 
 greatest magnitude, and before long we may expect 
 to know what the moon is made of as familiarly as 
 we do the composition of the earth on which we tread. 
 "There is a combination of the telescope and 
 microscope from which we may expect most aston- 
 ishing results. The former instrument has been 
 brought to such perfection and power that objects 
 on the moon's surface seventy feet in diameter can 
 be easily distinguished. Photographs taken with such 
 powerful instruments can be placed under the micro- 
 scope, and examined with great care. By this pro- 
 cess we may be able to inspect all the secrets of the 
 moon, and if there is animal life existing on its sur- 
 face determine its forms and conditions. There is 
 little doubt that another generation will be almost 
 as familiar with the physical conditions of the moon 
 as we are with the earth : perhaps we ourselves may 
 reach this knowledge. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 283 
 
 "The microscope is exceedingly interesting and 
 useful in all manipulations of iron and steel, both as 
 revealing the rare beauties of their structure and de- 
 termining their quality. I have some specimens 
 which we will put under our instruments. This 
 iron, you notice, is composed of crystals in the form 
 of double pyramids ; the smallness of the crystals 
 and the height of the pyramids are in proportion to 
 the quality and the density of the metal. In pig 
 iron the crystals approach more nearly the cubic 
 form, while that which has undergone the process 
 of the forge has its pyramids flattened and reduced 
 to parallel leaves. In the best steel the crystals are 
 disposed in parallel lines, each crystal filling the in- 
 terstices between the angles of those adjoining. The 
 axes of the crystals are always in the direction of 
 percussion they have undergone. Fine steel, under 
 the microscope, presents to the eye large groups of 
 beautiful crystals brilliant as a string of diamonds. 
 
 " By this inspection you will notice that the finest 
 and most dense steel is quite porous a fact which 
 could hardly be admitted were it not for the unmis- 
 takable testimony of our wonderful optics, which, 
 though not exactly capable of looking through a bar 
 of steel, can nevertheless look into it. 
 
 " The microscope has started an earnest discus- 
 sion of the topic of ' cell formation/ now exciting 
 
284 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 patient and careful investigation, and which has 
 already established the principle that animal and 
 vegetable structures owe their growth alike to its 
 operation, though differing widely in the elements 
 of which they are composed. Yet when presented 
 to us in their earlier developments there is little to 
 distinguish between the animal and the vegetable. 
 They are an aggregation of transparent cells. Too lit- 
 tle has as yet been settled to speak with positiveness, 
 but enough is known to show that animal and vege- 
 table start from much the same point and advance 
 much in the same way. It is a simple semi-trans- 
 parent globule, with a shell much like an egg, with 
 contents holding a nuclew. These cells multiply 
 and change, all directed by the same unerring wis- 
 dom to that point which they are designed to build 
 up. And what curious roads they travel to reach 
 their destiny ! quarreling not on the way, whether 
 their pathway is down to the foot or up to the head, 
 to sparkle in the eye or indurate in the nail. They 
 troop away through the pores of the bones and clus- 
 ter in the muscle, spin out the network of nerves and 
 ringlets of hair, pour in the currents of blood, swarm 
 in the fluid secretions, busy, restless little workers, 
 building up the blade and fruit, or developing the 
 infant into manhood. 
 
 "While we wonder at this ' beginning of life/ it 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 285 
 
 may humble us a little to see that our growth is like 
 that of a pumpkin at least, if there is a difference, 
 the most observant have not yet been able to point 
 it out. The only marked difference now established 
 is the process by which this germ-life is nourished 
 into complete development. The animal molecule is 
 fed from within on organic compounds by the mys- 
 terious process of digestion and assimilation, while 
 the plant germ feeds on inorganic elements from 
 without, taking up through the pores and distribut- 
 ing through ducts to branch and leaf. 
 
 " We have seen in the volvocines and confervoid 
 algse that these plant germs have something very 
 near the power of independent motion, leaving many 
 in doubt to which class they belong. Here, if 
 anywhere, we might have expected some intimation 
 of a ' development ' process, if it anywhere existed. 
 Just here, where it is difficult, in looking at the 
 germ-cell, to determine whether it is the beginning 
 of a cabbage or an elephant, a monkey or a Darwin, 
 we might expect from the same seminal source to see 
 start up all these diversities of life, but not so : ' like 
 begets like/ and ' seed bears seed after its kind/ as 
 uniformly as the day follows night; and, as has 
 already been stated, the diatom of to-day is in the 
 exact image and likeness of those gathered from the 
 dust of the pyramids or dug from the base of the 
 
286 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 ancient hills. The bulrush of the Nile that now bends 
 to its ripple is the same as those which formed the 
 cradle of Moses. Darwin could not have been 
 familiar with the microscope, or perhaps he would 
 not have written his book. 
 
 " To those engaged in traffic and commerce who 
 wish to deal honestly with their customers, it be- 
 comes a protection against the craftiness of dishonest 
 manufacturers and tradesmen. By its use they de- 
 tect, with unerring certainty, all mixtures of cotton 
 or wool in the texture of silk goods, or shoddy with 
 the woolen. The druggist saves his customers from 
 the fatal consequences of impure drugs and chemi- 
 cals, and the banker detects the cheats of the 
 counterfeiter. 
 
 "In the hands of the groceryman and provision- 
 dealer the microscope is invaluable to us all, saving 
 us from many a vile compound. There is hardly an 
 article which passes through the hands of those 
 dealers tea, coffee, flour, sugar but is adulterated 
 by unscrupulous mn regardless of taste or health. 
 So cunning are they in their deceptions oftentimes 
 that nothing but the stern, truth-telling microscope 
 can detect their craftiness. God has stamped every- 
 thing with an individuality which no cunning of 
 man can efface. Mix and cover up as they may, 
 this divine identity will look up through the instru- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 287 
 
 ment as though saying, ' I am true, though man is 
 trying to make me a deceiver.' 
 
 " We all love sweet things, and pure, well-clari- 
 fied sugar is very nutritious as well as agreeable. 
 But crude or stale from long keeping, or damp from 
 improper storage, it is a mass of animated impurities. 
 You have often seen greedy boys scraping the sugar- 
 casks before a sugar-house or grocery-store. That 
 you may see just what they were eating, we will 
 take a sample obtained by the girls from the grocery 
 on the corner. We will take but a grain or two and 
 moisten it a little and place it under the instruments. 
 As I have not examined the specimen, I know not 
 
 'ugar Mites and Larva. 
 
 what it may contain, but I am quite sure there will 
 be no lack of elements which will give you a new un- 
 
288 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 derstanding of the oft-repeated phrase in the current 
 price quotation, that ' sugar is lively/ Now look 
 and see how near I was to truth in my supposition. 
 Why do you start back so suddenly, Nettie?" said 
 Mr. Willard to the little girl as she turned away 
 from the instrument with an expression of disgust. 
 
 "Oh dear!" was her reply; "I'll never touch an- 
 other bit of sugar! Such horrid creatures!" 
 
 "They are not the most inviting things to the 
 appetite, truly," replied her teacher, " but as you are 
 not much given to scraping sugar-barrels, you can 
 indulge a little in sweet things yet without much 
 fear of swallowing many of these fearful creatures. 
 They are not confined to the barrels found on the 
 streets, however, but abound in all crude and damp 
 sugar, which is often mixed with a purer article by 
 unscrupulous men and sold for the family use. 
 
 "A writer in a New York paper thus describes 
 what he saw in a few grains of crude sugar, which 
 we can amply verify with the examples we are now 
 inspecting : 
 
 " ' In less than the quarter of an ounce of raw 
 sugar there were apparently myriads of horrible 
 insects as large as beetles and having the appear- 
 ance of crabs. Four dreadful legs, with claw-pincers 
 at the end of them, jointed in four parts as with 
 armor, and bristling with sharp-pointed spears, were 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 289 
 
 in front of the monster, and his head was of a long 
 pyramidal form in two joints, with finger-tips at the 
 terminus where the mouth ought to have been. The 
 body was oval-shaped and marked almost exactly 
 like that of a crab, only upon the rims of the inner 
 circle, upon the back, there were twelve more of 
 these long sharp spears, with two at the tail, and 
 four snake-like tentacula excedingly fine in articula- 
 tion, and no doubt intended, like pussy's whiskers, to 
 be feelers, to warn the hinder and contiguous parts 
 of danger. 
 
 " ' Talk about lively beasts ! and lively they were, 
 eager, restless, ravenous, always foiling foul of each 
 other, or attacking great joints of sugar as large in 
 reality as a mathematical point. With the pincers 
 attached at the end of each proboscis they caught 
 hold of each other and tore one another to pieces, 
 repeating in their small way the enormous tragedies 
 of Tennyson's primal monsters.' 
 
 " Dr. Barker, of London, has estimated that in 
 every pound of raw or damaged sugar there are 
 more than two hundred and sixty-eight thousand of 
 these animals, so that every little boot-black who 
 scrapes his fill from the sugar-house hogshead gets 
 a pretty large mixture of animal diet with his sweet- 
 ness. 
 
 " Well-clarified sugar kept in proper receptacles 
 
 25 T 
 
290 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 is entirely free from these disgusting creatures, and 
 by the use of a very low power we can prevent being 
 victimized by dishonest dealers. 
 
 " But in the more important article of flour we 
 are exposed to the same imposition. If stale, made 
 from bad wh&it, or mixed with these damaged arti- 
 
 Meal Mite. 
 
 cles, it breeds an equally offensive creature the Meal 
 mite. These vermin are not quite so numerous as 
 the sugar mite, but quite as plentiful as is desired. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 291 
 
 In this mouldy flour obtained by the girls we have 
 numbers of them, but that you may see how terrible 
 they are I have a larger specimen mounted. Look 
 at his spiny body, like a porcupine, and those long 
 legs with a sharp hook at the termination, and I 
 think you will not fancy eating a large quantity. If, 
 however, dishonest millers and grocerymen sell them 
 to us, it is a satisfaction to know that they are pretty 
 well cooked before they come on the table, though, 
 even in that shape, we can dispense with them as an 
 article of diet. 
 
 "Unfortunately, our bread is not only exposed to 
 the infusion of these terrible mites, but also to many 
 deleterious substances, as plaster, terra alba, and 
 potato starch, all of which can be just as easily de- 
 tected by the microscope. In like manner, our coffee 
 is mixed with chicory, wheat, peas, rye, and many 
 other substances, until there is no safety in buying 
 coffee, except in the raw state, and even then it 
 must be carefully examined or we shall find our 
 supplies mixed with thorn-apple seeds or sunflower 
 grains, and its delicate aroma ruined. Tea is tam- 
 pered with in the same way by using leaves of plants 
 bearing a similar shape, and often colored by the 
 use of some poisonous mineral, blue vitriol being 
 largely used for this purpose, and few specimens of 
 tea can now be obtained without the evidence of 
 
292 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 these wicked adulterations, which, if not checked, 
 may lead to the necessity of discarding its use al- 
 together an event, perhaps, not very alarming, but 
 very disagreeable to those who are much attached to 
 the pleasant beverage. 
 
 " Another very striking and beautiful use of the 
 microscope is seen in its nice adaptation to sanitary 
 purposes, detecting the miasmic poisons that may 
 lurk unseen, save for its aid, in the atmosphere. This 
 is readily done by covering a glass plate with a thin 
 coating of mucilage and exposing it to a current of 
 air for a short time, then washing off the collection 
 and putting it under the instrument. Mr. Dancer 
 tried this experiment in Manchester, England, and 
 from twenty-five cubic feet of air obtained one hun- 
 dred and fifty drops of liquid, in which there were 
 more than forty million of organic beings. Now, 
 when we remember that this quantity of air is only 
 a small portion of that which is breathed by every 
 man in twenty-four hours, we cease to wonder that 
 he so often breathes in death in our greater marvel 
 that he lives at all in such an atmosphere. In New 
 York the same process has been tried by the health 
 officers, only varied by taking the fine dust that 
 settled on a plate of glass, and this accumulation 
 was found to consist of minerals, coal dust, lamp- 
 black, fibres of wool, scales, granules of starch, 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 293 
 
 hairs, etc., and when water was added, and the con- 
 tents exposed for half a day to the sun, thousands of 
 animalcules made their appearance. All this from 
 the surface of a small plate of glass. What, then, 
 must be the product of the whole teeming city ? We 
 ought to bless God that the breath of our nostrils 
 comes through his purifying hand, or it would be 
 speedily fatal. 
 
 " Similar experiments made in factories, armories, 
 furnaces, and machine shops prove that the em- 
 ployes are constantly inhaling the minute particles 
 of the materials which they are using. Thus in the 
 Springfield armory the air was found impregnated 
 with emery and sharp, jagged pieces of steel and iron 
 too small to be detected by the unaided eye, but con- 
 stantly going into the lungs of the operatives. It is 
 well that Nature has provided such barriers as pre- 
 vent these sharp lancets from going far into these 
 vital organs, or the most fatal results would speedily 
 follow. 
 
 "To the antiquary the microscope possesses a pe- 
 culiar value, enabling him to make important dis- 
 coveries, deciphering illegible inscriptions on old 
 coins and ancient jewelry and tracing out the faded 
 writing of mouldy manuscripts. However minute or 
 dim, this wonderful eye will trace it all out. Here 
 is a slide with a small circle in the centre. I will 
 
 25* 
 
294 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 wipe it carefully and let you examine it. Now pass 
 it round, and if any scholar can detect any object 
 within the circle he will please name it. You find 
 nothing? Well, that is what I expected. We will 
 now see how one of our instruments will succeed. 
 Ah, it has sharper vision than we have. I now read : 
 'Exodus, Chap, xx., 1-17, ' and by moving the slide 
 gently I can plainly observe all the Divine command- 
 ments. God's sun-pencil has written them all within 
 a space so small that no unaided eye can detect them, 
 and thus the antiquarian uses the microscope to 
 bring to light many hidden things of the greatest 
 importance to history, science, and religion. Often- 
 times he has found that parchments have been used 
 several times, one writing being erased to give place 
 for another, 
 
 "During the recent war between Prussia and 
 France, when Paris was surrounded by the army 
 of the former, the only way to communicate with 
 the world outside of the walls was by balloons or 
 carrier pigeons, which could convey but a small 
 weight of a few ounces. Had the Parisians been 
 confined to the ordinary methods of writing, very 
 little intelligence would have passed beyond the city 
 limits or have returned by these faithful birds. But 
 the French are most skillful in the construction and 
 uses of the microscope, and were not long in finding 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 295 
 
 out the way of putting it to a practical use. Being 
 as expert in the use of the photographic art as of 
 the microscope, whole pages of a newspaper or writ- 
 ten document were photographed in the small space 
 of a dime on fine vellum and numerous copies taken, 
 and in this manner a single pigeon could transport 
 quite a respectable mail from and to the beleaguered 
 city. 
 
 " Thus we have only glanced at some of the ways 
 in whicH the microscope is made conducive to the 
 happiness of man, but they are quite sufficient to 
 give it a position of utility equal to almost any 
 other invention. Add this to the marvelous forms 
 of a new life to which it has introduced us, and our 
 little brass tube becomes invested with surpassing 
 interest, giving it a rank with the telescope, tele- 
 graph, and steam-engine, and in some respects sur- 
 passing them. With these facts before you, I am 
 sure I need not urge your further acquaintance with 
 it, not doubting that you have become so interested 
 with its wonderful revelations that you will gladly 
 devote any occasional hours which I may be able to 
 set apart for further investigations. You have be- 
 come so familiar with the management of the instru- 
 ment during these interviews that most of you can 
 now pursue your investigations without my aid, 
 which I most earnestly urge all to do who can pro- 
 
296 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 cure a cheap instrument, which will be ample for all 
 practical purposes. Should you meet with difficul- 
 ties in so doing, it will ever give me the greatest 
 pleasure to aid your researches by any instructions 
 necessary to your success. 
 
 " Monday afternoon will close our menagerie, not 
 because we have exhausted its wonders, or become 
 tired of gazing at those most familiar to us, but other 
 duties will claim our attention. 
 
 "The interest connected with the traveling show 
 which lately visited our place has quite died away, 
 and it is doubtful whether it left any beneficial re- 
 sults. Not so, I trust, will be the influence of our 
 many pleasant interviews. Each one had its special 
 interest and left a definite impression. It taught 
 us something which we shall ever remember. It 
 changed our entire views of some parts of the visi- 
 ble creation and enhanced our conception of the 
 Creator. Our thoughts will no longer be confined 
 to that which is sublime from its vastness, but will 
 often recur with increased wonder to the minute things 
 which have been made equally as well known to our 
 senses. The ditch will no longer be a mere collec- 
 tion of impure water, nor the lump of chalk a mere 
 trifle to be left for the carpenter's use. In both, our 
 minds will see the wonderful forms hidden within 
 them. This quickening of the senses is a gain for 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 297 
 
 all life, and my ardent prayer is that our study may 
 lead to the quickening of that moral sense which 
 will gain an immortal life. Our moral vision is as 
 obtuse to spiritual things as our eyes unaided are 
 to the hidden things which we have been exam- 
 ining. You will commiserate those who cannot see 
 these minute forms of life as you can see them. 
 They have the same eyes which you have, but 
 theirs have not been quickened to behold the things 
 which you see. There are more precious truths 
 than can be revealed by our wonderful instruments, 
 yet I fear many of you are as unconscious of their 
 existence as you were a short time ago of the strange 
 forms with which you are now so familiar. The 
 greatest wonder ever revealed to the world is that 
 blessed Saviour who came into the world to save 
 the souls of men ; and, alas ! to some of you I must 
 yet say : ' Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh 
 away the sin of the world/ From our delightful 
 study of the wonderful works of the same gracious 
 Redeemer for ' all things were made by him ' you 
 will go with a determination to use the sharp eyes 
 which he has .given you, and can you make the sad 
 mistake, while looking at his marvelous works, not 
 to see him who created all these things ? And see- 
 ing him, can you refrain from loving him with all 
 your hearts for his goodness and mercy? If you 
 
298 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 fail in this, all your knowledge will be vain, and 
 your pleasure end in ceaseless pain. I would rather 
 be the means of showing you the blessed Jesus 
 than unveil to % you all the mysteries which he has 
 created. With this expression of my great anx- 
 iety for your spiritual welfare I will dismiss you, 
 hoping that you will meditate upon these things, to 
 which I may recur again in our next interview, 
 which will close our exhibition for the present." 
 
inal 
 
 299 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FINAL EXHIBITION. 
 
 IT would be unjust to the children of Woodlawn 
 to say that they left the presence of their faith- 
 ful teacher, after such an affectionate admonition, 
 with thoughtless hearts : mingled with the sober ten- 
 derness awakened toward their instructor, there was 
 a really earnest seriousness. The question of that 
 higher knowledge to which their attention had been 
 directed had become, to some of them, a subject of 
 paramount importance. They began to understand 
 the true ends of knowledge, and cherished resolu- 
 tions to make a proper use of it. 
 
 This was apparent in the promising religious 
 awakening in the evangelical churches of Wood- 
 lawn, Mr. Willard's pupils being largely interested, 
 traceable to his faithful instructions during the course 
 of lectures which he had been giving. His last 
 brief but pointed remarks seemed to have been most 
 timely, and his young audience left his presence, each 
 one feeling a personal interest in the subject. It 
 
 26 301 
 
302 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 was not strange, therefore, that an unusual solemnity 
 was manifested in their deportment, and a silence 
 which all seemed reluctant to break. This was, 
 however, done by Timothy Allen, rallying his friend 
 Alfred, to whom he said : 
 
 " Why, Alf, you're as sober as Parson Longface. 
 What's the matter, boy?" 
 
 "Well, Tim," was the reply, " I'm not ashamed to 
 acknowledge that I feel not only sober, but really 
 anxious about myself. We have seen most wonder- 
 ful things, and have been deeply interested in them, 
 and I begin to feel that we have something more 
 to do in the matter than simply to enjoy the intel- 
 lectual pleasure. As Mr. Willard said to us, we 
 must be dull and guilty to wonder at the work and 
 not recognize and adore the Worker. Strange arid 
 marvelous as the revelations of the microscope have 
 been, I'm more of a wonder to myself. If God has 
 so carefully organized these minute forms, and given 
 them a destiny, did he create you and me only to 
 search them out and admire them? Did he not 
 rather make them that, beholding his handiwork, it 
 might lead the observer to glorify him ? I feel as I 
 never felt before the force of the lines we have often 
 sung: 
 
 Tis not the whole of life to live, 
 Nor all of death to die/ 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 303 
 
 and am determined to make a start for the right 
 way, and with the Lord's help live more like a rea- 
 sonable being." 
 
 Before Alfred had finished his frank confession 
 Timothy was as sober as his fellow-student, and as 
 frankly replied : 
 
 " Excuse me, Alfred ; I did not mean any offence, 
 for I've been as deeply impressed as you have been, 
 and have many times wanted to give expression to 
 my feelings, but could not muster up courage to do 
 it. I know that life is a serious matter, and that to 
 which it leads is more serious still, and, like you, 
 I wish so to spend this life that I may meet the 
 future without dread. Mr. Willard has given us 
 not only hours of delight and lessons of most valu- 
 able instruction, but opened up to us higher aims 
 and purposes, and, for one, I'm resolved and ready to 
 openly avow my determination to pursue the path of 
 right and truth." 
 
 George Snow and Willie Hunt had stood deeply 
 interested spectators of this conversation, and at its 
 close gave their hearty congratulations, and ex- 
 horted their young companions to persevere. They 
 had been in the advance of their two companions in 
 this matter of seeking a personal interest in the grace 
 of Christ. As there was to be a special meeting of 
 inquiry for the young on the next afternoon, they 
 
304 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 invited their two friends to attend with them, which 
 they most cordially accepted. 
 
 After this interesting arrangement was settled, 
 another matter was discussed. Alfred Green, gen- 
 erous as impulsive, had suggested to his schoolmates 
 the fitness of presenting to their teacher some token 
 of their appreciation of his efforts to add to their 
 happiness, and by general consent it was resolved 
 to purchase a fine microscope, which had been ac- 
 complished mainly through Alfred's efforts, and the 
 instrument was now ready for presentation. This 
 pleasant service was, with the same unanimity, 
 assigned to Alfred. 
 
 The meeting on Saturday was one of the deepest 
 interest, and developed a much wider religious 
 awakening than had been expected, especially 
 among the attendants at Mr. Willard's school. 
 George and Willie gave assured testimony of a 
 living faith, while Alfred, Timothy, Sidney Marvin, 
 Nettie Newton, and several others were among the 
 most earnest inquirers. The Sunday which followed 
 but confirmed these hopeful indications, and caused 
 the church to rejoice under a gracious refreshing 
 from the Spirit of the Lord. 
 
 Side by side with the earnest pastor, Mr. Willard 
 was endeavoring to carry forward the good work, 
 and the Lord gave him very special occasion for 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 305 
 
 rejoicing that he had not labored in vain nor spent 
 his strength for naught. 
 
 On Monday, at the opening of the school, Mr. 
 Willard read the fourth chapter of the first Epistle 
 of John, which to a number of the scholars had a 
 richness of meaning never before realized. It was 
 no longer the mind dealing with grammar and 
 rhetoric, but the heart delighting in the life-giving 
 truths: they had got beyond the letter and were 
 drinking in the Spirit. 
 
 When the regular routine of the day was gone 
 through, and the children were gathered round the 
 familiar table for the closing scene of these special 
 interviews, there was an expression of sadness on 
 most of those youthful faces, while little Nettie's 
 eyes were filled with big tear-drops. Their kind 
 teacher, whose own heart was kept under control 
 only by strong efforts of the will, did not allow them 
 to dwell long in this melancholy mood, for his cheer- 
 ful voice soon dissipated the shadows that so easily 
 cloud the faces of childhood. He began by saying : 
 
 " After the rich enjoyment of the holy day just 
 passed, I scarcely feel an inclination to talk of any- 
 thing but the richness of a Saviour's love. In com- 
 parison with this topic Science and the wonders of 
 creation are as nothing, except as we view them as 
 so many ways in which that love finds expression. 
 26* U 
 
306 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 In closing our microscopic examinations for the 
 present, let us keep in view this relation of all 
 things to Christ, and our minds will not be diverted 
 from the great concerns which so engaged them 
 yesterday. 
 
 " In our examinations we have been using powers 
 of from fifty to six hundred diameters that is, if a 
 line was drawn straight through an object, it would 
 appear six hundred times longer than it really is. 
 Now, as every other line would be equally as much 
 enlarged, to find the number of times a thing is 
 magnified we multiply the diameter by itself; thus 
 fifty gives twenty-five hundred, and six hundred 
 diameters shows the object is magnified three hun- 
 dred and sixty thousand times. You may, perhaps, 
 think this is a very large number, and it has brought 
 some strange things within the range of our vision, 
 revealing a teeming life where nothing was suspected. 
 What, then, must be the. marvelous world to which a 
 power of many millions would introduce us? Where 
 we have suspected nothing under the limited range 
 of our instruments, these stronger glasses would ex- 
 pose a still more marvelous kingdom of God's 
 incomprehensible workmanship. 
 
 "A recent French savant, M. Plonchet, affirms 
 that it is possible to magnify objects more than 
 fifty millions of times a number as much surpass- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 307 
 
 ing the range of our instruments as these did the 
 capacity of our own eyes. This statement of the 
 Frenchman has been more than realized by a New 
 York engineer, Mr. Dickerson. With his instru- 
 ment a house fly is so magnified that, did it exist in 
 just that proportion, it would cover a space half the 
 size of the city of Washington. A man thus enlarged 
 would be more than a hundred miles high, and a 
 lady's hair stretched out for twenty-five or thirty 
 miles. ' This instrument is so sensitive that a loud 
 word spoken near it destroys the focus from the 
 tremor of the atmosphere, and a footstep shakes it 
 out of adjustment. 
 
 "The microscope has been called 'man's sixth 
 sense/ but in view of such facts it almost endows 
 him with a supernatural power : he sees things that 
 are invisible! We are awestruck, and ask, Can 
 these things be so ? Though surpassing our appre- 
 hension, and almost our belief, our own eyes have 
 beheld the borders of this mysterious world ; what 
 lies beyond, like the unknown scenes existing be- 
 yond the confines of this life, we long to explore, 
 yet shrink at the thought of what may be made 
 manifest. According to the learned Frenchman just 
 named, we should find animalcules swarming in our 
 mouths, swimming through our blood, creeping into 
 our skin, and nestling in our bones, until we shudder 
 
308 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 at our fearful condition. In this respect it can be 
 truly said that ' ignorance is bliss/ and we may add, 
 perhaps without doing wisdom a wrong, that in this 
 regard it is ' folly to be wise/ further than to accept 
 the statement as an incentive to greater and perse- 
 vering habits of personal cleanliness, for most of 
 these parasitic animalcules are a scourge only to 
 those who are neglectful in these respects. It is 
 said that ' cleanliness is next to godliness,' and those 
 who disregard the maxim will sooner or later find 
 
 Sarcoptes Scabiei. 
 
 their hands infested with such fearful creatures as 
 this which I now put under the glass, taken from 
 between the fingers of ' Dirty Joe/ whom you see 
 daily on the steps of the court-house blacking boots. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 309 
 
 It is the loathsome Itch insect, which produces the 
 sores existing between the fingers and around the 
 joints of those infested with it. Buried in the skin, 
 it breeds and fattens to punish the slovenly for their 
 neglect. One look at its horrid claws and sucker 
 mouth should be enough to ensure any one against 
 its depredations. 
 
 " Oftentimes there will be seen faces specked here 
 and there with little red or black pimples, produced 
 by a grub which burrows in the skin of the face and 
 breeds by depositing its larva. 
 They are not quite so disgust- 
 ing as the last one named, but 
 enough so to lead to persever- 
 ing efforts to destroy them. This 
 worm-like creature is often a 
 judgment sent to punish those 
 of improper habits as well as 
 untidy persons, impressing the 
 lesson which I have already 
 enforced, that we are criminal 
 in neglecting or abusing the 
 bodies, so fearfully and won- 
 derfully made, which God has 
 given us. Dishonoring them, 
 we dishonor their Maker. 
 
 " It is not only necessary to keep the face and 
 
 Grub from the Face. 
 
310 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 hands clean, but the mouth and hair should be 
 special objects of attention. I have already men- 
 tioned the fact asserted by the French savant, that 
 the mouth is swarming with animalcules a state- 
 ment which you received with an incredulous smile. 
 If I should show you the actual condition of some 
 of your mouths, the smile would soon change to a 
 ' wry face/ and your incredulity give way to a fixed 
 determination to keep a * sweet mouth ' by the free 
 use of soap and brush. If the mouth is neglected 
 for a while, the teeth become coated with a slimy sub- 
 stance called tartar, seemingly a very harmless thing. 
 Let us see what it is composed of. Our highest 
 power is only six hundred diameters, but it will en- 
 able us to see something in this little mass of tartar 
 which will certainly not be a subject of laughter. 
 
 " Now you may take a look and see what a ne- 
 glected mouth contains ! We have a mass of ani- 
 mation much resembling the vibriones, which we 
 had under our glasses a few days ago. Our power 
 is too small to discover the different shapings of 
 these parasites, but when one is used high enough 
 to thus distinguish them, they are found of almost 
 ever^ horrible shape snakes, worms, spears, crosses, 
 hooks, and daggers, intertwined and wriggling with 
 disgusting reality. Dr. Harrimore has estimated 
 that a cubic inch of tartar taken from the teeth will 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 311 
 
 contain not less than two hundred and fifty million 
 of these animalcules. If this be true and there is 
 no reason to call it in question every atom of this 
 substance must contain thousands of these minute 
 creatures. I do not wonder that some of you put 
 your hands over your mouth ; but it is needless, they 
 will not jump out ; their place of abode is too con- 
 genial, and nothing but a thorough cleansing with 
 soap and brush will dislodge them. If you suffer 
 them to remain, they will destroy the gums, corrode 
 the teeth, and taint the breath, and you will pay the 
 painful consequences in aching teeth, which you will 
 soon lose. Take care of your teeth. Nature is 
 bountiful in supplying you with a second set, and 
 sends these scourges to punish those who abuse her 
 munificence. 
 
 " Another little matter of the toilet, more especially 
 interesting to the girls. In one of our former lessons 
 we referred to the animalcules found in damp hair- 
 brushes, and now recall the subject as one of no 
 small importance. The Bible tells us that ' if a 
 woman have long hair, it is a glory to her : for her 
 hair is given her for a covering.' A beautiful head 
 of glossy hair is a rich gift, for which its possessor 
 should be thankful, and it is a crime to defile it by 
 neglect or the use of improper applications. 
 
 " Conceive of those glossy curling locks filled with 
 
3.12 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 rotifers, vorticella, diatoms, and algse, crawling and 
 multiplying, and what is worse, with millions of 
 ' Gregaria/ which not only infest the hair, but bur- 
 row into the skin. This conception becomes a fact 
 in every case when water is used in dressing the hair, 
 as can be abundantly proved by inspecting the brush 
 employed on the hair through which it has passed. 
 When water is constantly used the hair acquires a 
 strong acid smell, and is then always filled with a 
 fungus growth, which multiplies with astonishing 
 rapidity. The head is then not unlike a mossy stone. 
 Use no water, grease, or other artificial compounds 
 on your hair, except to shampoo the head with clean 
 water and soap once or twice a week, wipe it dry, 
 and then use a dry brush or comb. In this way you 
 will keep the ' glory of woman ' bright as a crown, 
 and pure. 
 
 " We have been describing the conditions of the 
 natural hair, but what shall we say of the artificial 
 substitutes so lavishly used by the votaries of fashion ? 
 Live hair in its process of growth has some power to 
 throw off the impurities which come in contact with 
 it, but dead hair breeds and nourishes them ; hence 
 it is always infested to loathsomeness, and nothing 
 short of heat can render it pure. As this element 
 would soon destroy its texture altogether, it can be 
 only partially used, and not sufficiently to thoroughly 
 
GREAT WONDERS IX LITTLE THINGS. 313 
 
 cleanse the article, hence it may be settled as an 
 axiom that all false hair is filthy. Nor are the sub- 
 stitutes exempt from this charge. Jute, the princi- 
 pal one, Prof. Haamel tells us, is infested with a par- 
 asite having much the appearance of a common wood 
 tick, with crab-shaped arms, which are constantly in 
 motion, by the use of which it penetrates the scalp, 
 producing diseases of the skin, thus causing the na- 
 tural hair to fall off. Girls, you have been on the 
 seashore, and noticed how the multitudes of * fiddler 
 crabs' would troop off sideways to their hiding- 
 places when your presence disturbed them. Just 
 think of the pile of jute on the back of the head of 
 some fashionable lady, and the swarm of tick-like 
 animalcules crawling through it, and how would you 
 like to pin it to the back of your head ?" 
 
 As the teacher was describing this fashionable 
 breeder of vermin, three or four of the larger girls, 
 who were adorned with these adjuncts of the head, 
 had divested themselves of their chignons, which was 
 noticed by the school, and produced no little merri- 
 ment. That night there were several little bonfires 
 in which jute formed the material of combustion an 
 example which it would be well for all to follow who 
 wear it. 
 
 "Though our researches/' continued Mr. Willard, 
 " into the minute forms of nature have developed 
 
 27 
 
314 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 such wonderful things, the results are meagre com- 
 pared with what lies yet concealed. There is another 
 field of exceeding beauty and interest which we 
 have not even touched, and can now only briefly 
 refer to the inorganic or mineral kingdom. In 
 this department we find the most valuable metals 
 for use and the precious gems so much prized for 
 their exceeding brilliancy. In themselves they are 
 beautiful objects to look upon. Their perfection of 
 form and sparkling appearance are attractive, but 
 how wonderfully all these attractions are increased 
 when, by a curious process, these gems are made 
 to glow with all the colors of the rainbow, and 
 that too seemingly not at rest, but curiously in 
 motion, revolving like the Chinese wheel ! This 
 effect is produced by what is called Polarisation a 
 process too difficult for you now to understand, but 
 you can have a demonstration of its exceeding 
 splendor, as I have a Polariscope constructed by Mr. 
 Nicol. By this process the different minerals are 
 proved to have the power, like the prism, of analyz- 
 ing the rays of light, and that each one has favorite 
 colors of its own. When these are so mysteriously 
 put^n motion, we have some of the most inconceiv- 
 able and beautiful combinations. I will adjust the 
 polarizer to one of our instruments, and place a few 
 minerals under it, and give you a glance at this en- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 315 
 
 chanted world. Here is a crystal of common granite, 
 one of the earliest minerals found in the earth's 
 crust. To the eye it has no particular attractions, 
 but look at it under this magical transformer, and it 
 is glowing with beautiful colors. And here is another 
 substance which enters largely into the composition 
 of the earth's substance, and is also found in com- 
 bination with animal structures, when it is productive 
 of many remarkable changes. Here is one made up 
 of green and golden chains and brooches, changing 
 to an intermixture of garnet and topaz. Here is 
 another of prismatic wheels, where the same colors 
 predominate, and still another, where the red take 
 the place of the golden rays. Thus we may go on 
 through an endless scene of dazzling transformations 
 of stars and crosses, crescents and crowns, pearls 
 and diamonds, yet we are dealing with but one of 
 God's precious gifts light ! By its aid all things 
 else are seen, yet itself seldom noticed when thus 
 ministering to our happiness ; but lest we should de- 
 spise this ever-faithful servant, the rainbow spreads 
 ewer the heavens the evidences of its beauty, and 
 the microscope brings it nearer to our senses, and 
 reveals it modestly hidden in the cloud, and by the 
 process we have just been considering sets it before 
 our wondering eyes arrayed in more glory than any- 
 thing it reveals. 
 
316 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 " But where shall we stop ? Wonders on wonders 
 throng around us everywhere, whether we look up 
 or down, in the rock or in the water, in the plant or 
 in the animal, in life or in death ! We have only 
 begun, and can never reach the end, so we may as 
 well stop here and praise the infinite grace which has 
 given some of us the ability, I trust, to see the end 
 of all true knowledge, the beginning and the end of 
 all things : ' Lift up your eyes on high, and behold 
 who hath created these things, that bringeth out 
 their hosts by numbers ; he calleth them all by 
 names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is 
 strong in power ; not one faileth.' " 
 
PC f wrpris*. 
 
 27 . 317 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE SURPRISE. 
 
 is our closing exhibition," said Mr. Wil- 
 J- lard, his voice tremulous with suppressed emo- 
 tion. " During our pleasant interviews what strange 
 things have come to us through these little tubes ! 
 We shall now turn our eyes out upon the world with 
 a new sense. Henceforth to us the air will be full 
 of life, the dry land heaped up with the living and 
 the dead, out of sight to the great mass of mankind, 
 but ever present to our quickened senses. With our 
 new faculty we can see them leaping, crawling, 
 boring, flying, all around and all above us, life 
 everywhere, death everywhere, within and without 
 us, intangible, yet sublimely real ! 
 
 "In closing these stated interviews it is to me a 
 pleasant inference, from the continued interest which 
 you have manifested, that I have succeeded to a 
 gratifying extent in my purpose to amuse and in- 
 struct you, and far above this emotion is the devout 
 thankfulness which I feel that I have had some 
 humble instrumentality in leading some of you to 
 
 319 
 
320 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 the fountain of life. It would be impossible for 
 me to express the deep emotions which I yesterday 
 felt as I witnessed your professions of love to the 
 precious Kedeemer, and heard your lips give testi- 
 mony to the fact that my efforts had been thus highly 
 owned of God. Oh that others of my dear pupils 
 may be led in the same gracious way ! for ' I have 
 no greater joy than to hear that my children walk 
 in truth.' 
 
 " Be assured I shall ever hold in the sweetest re- 
 membrance the occasion which has brought us so 
 intimately into communion with the marvelous works 
 of God, and, as an inseparable result, into closer and 
 dearer relations to each other. 
 
 " Before closing these delightful and stated inter- 
 views permit me once more to try and impress upon 
 you a profound determination to cherish the grand 
 moral lessons which we may deduce from the subject 
 that has so delightfully employed our time. The 
 study of atomic life shows us how minute is God's 
 searching inspection into all the economy of nature, 
 and does he not look as minutely into all the subtle 
 depths of thought and action ? It can be truly said, 
 1 He knoweth our thoughts afar off;' he traces all 
 their sources, and notes all their moral shadings ; he 
 sees what may escape our closest inspection. We 
 are accustomed to speak of the springs in the moun- 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 321 
 
 tain-side as the sources whence God fills up the great 
 and wide sea, and in so doing show our ignorance of 
 God's wondrous ways. It is not in the mountain 
 spring nor the glittering drop of morning-dew that 
 God treasures up his watery stores : his fountains are 
 invisible. 
 
 "I take this glass tumbler and wipe from its 
 outer surface all moisture, then fill it with water. 
 I can place the water within, but God will not use 
 the fountain which I can measure to represent his 
 resources. Like the animalcules, they are hidden in 
 their minuteness, yet everywhere present. Mark how 
 we can detect them. I place in this glass of water 
 a small piece of ice. Now you notice the surface, 
 hitherto clear, so that you could look through the 
 tumbler and contents, begins to grow dim and shuts 
 out our gaze. I draw my finger down the outside 
 of the glass and a stream of water follows it ! God's 
 ocean reservoirs are the invisible atoms of moisture 
 diffused throughout the atmosphere, and when he 
 wishes to water the earth and fill up the sea, he 
 ' bringeth the cold out of the North,' and the hidden 
 treasures of the rain start from their hiding-places 
 to go forth with the voice of thunder to do his 
 gracious bidding : ' He causeth the vapors to ascend 
 from the ends of the earth ; he maketh lightnings 
 for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his 
 V 
 
322 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 treasures.' What a wonderful unity in all God's 
 works ! 
 
 " We have also learned how infinitely far-reaching 
 is his abounding goodness. He organizes the ani- 
 malcule the fifty- thousandth part of an inch in 
 length, and hides him away from the sight of man, 
 but does not neglect him because of his insignificance 
 and seeming uselessness. He makes provision for all 
 his wants, furnishing materials with which to build 
 a house, and a storehouse from whence he may draw 
 supplies for himself and to nourish his young. Can 
 we suppose that a God so careful of such insignifi- 
 cance will in any way neglect those whom he created 
 in his own image ? To assure us of his minute care- 
 fulness, he tells us that the ' hairs of your heads are 
 all numbered' a fact which we do not know and 
 never will find out, but he has booked them all, and 
 not one shall be plucked out but he takes the care 
 of its disposal. Oh what a precious song is the 
 twenty-third Psalm! Who can repeat it without 
 feeling the blessed assurance with which it closes ? 
 ' Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
 days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the 
 Lord for ever !' 
 
 "Too many entertain the idea that God's provi- 
 dence is shown only in the general, and that he is 
 ever on the watch to trap the erring, and hasty and 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 323 
 
 severe to punish. Whereas, whether we learn his 
 goodness from the study of nature or the pages of 
 revelation, the very reverse is true. His care is 
 minute and individual, and his forbearance and long- 
 suffering wonderful. He is not willing to- punish, 
 but ever ready to forgive. While he searches out 
 all our little sins, he does not supply only our great 
 wants ; while he holds us accountable for a vain 
 thought, he does not heal only a broken bone. No, 
 no ! He is minute and particular in blessing, also. 
 He marks carefully the coming danger, and sends 
 his guardian angel to ward off the calamity. His 
 eye beholds the corpuscle of blood bearing the seeds 
 of disease to the citadel of life, and turns it from 
 its fatal pathway to exhale through the pores of the 
 skin, and the waiting winds bear the miasmic seed 
 away, and the plague comes not nigh our dwelling. 
 His eye beholds the devious pathway in which your 
 feet are treading, from which his hand removes the 
 danger and builds a firm foundation for each foot- 
 step. 
 
 ' The steps of faith fall on a seeming void, 
 And find a rock beneath.' 
 
 " Let us, then, look up from the infinitely small 
 to the INFINITELY GREAT, and in so doing we shall 
 find a Jacob's ladder from the one to the other, on 
 
324 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 which not only angels, but every devout heart, can 
 ascend to heaven. The rock that pillows the head 
 or forms the footsteps, the drop of animated water, 
 the minute shell or fossil, if our minds are quickened 
 to spiritual apprehension, will be our ' Ebenezer,' 
 bringing a devout realization of the divine presence, 
 and we shall be enabled exultingly to say, ' Surely 
 the Lord was in this place.' Too often, alas! we 
 fail to recognize his presence or to ascend one round 
 of the ladder toward heaven, where he is seated who 
 created all things by the word of his power. God 
 has placed man at the head of all, to the intent that 
 he might glorify him with devout love and thanks- 
 giving. How ungrateful and groveling must he be 
 who can refrain from giving him the honor due unto 
 his name ! 
 
 "We must not fail to learn one more lesson to 
 guide us in the delightful work of doing good. 
 Many children think that because they cannot do 
 some great and striking act, such as men perform, 
 therefore they must wait until they grow up to man- 
 hood before they try to do anything. But the truth 
 taught us by the study of little things is quite dif- 
 ferent from this. It teaches us that the many little 
 things make up the great thing. The polyp is not 
 the coral island, but the island is the polyps' work. 
 Thus it is not by one act of kindness, however great 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 325 
 
 it may be, that one becomes entitled to the blessed ap- 
 pellation of a merciful man. To win this Godlike dis- 
 tinction, there must be a habit of doing good a habit 
 which will enter into the smallest affairs of life. It is 
 said that ' charity gives away more pence than pounds/ 
 meaning that he who gives away a penny a day un- 
 til it makes a pound does more good than he who 
 gives it by one act. Each penny may bring a bless- 
 ing from the poor, while the pound will invoke but 
 one. True kindness is not one act, but the spirit that 
 pervades all actions. Do all the little kindnesses 
 you possibly can, and great ones will be accomplished 
 before you are aware. 
 
 ' Oh may our sympathizing hearts 
 That generous pleasure know, 
 Kindly to share in others* joy, 
 To weep for others' woe ! 
 
 ' When poor and helpless sons of grief 
 
 In deep distress are laid, 
 Soft be our hearts their pains to feel, 
 And swift our hands to aid.' 
 
 " The sanguinary struggle in the Crimea is a com- 
 paratively recent historical event. During its pro- 
 gress, I read the stirring reports of battles and sieges 
 with at least ordinary carefulness, yet how soon they 
 have passed from the memory ! Generals of un- 
 doubted skill and bravery fought and perished there, 
 
 28 
 
326 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 yet of all their names and deeds I can distinctly re- 
 member but one, General Cathcart, and I do this by 
 associating his name with a minister who is my per- 
 sonal friend. But the Lord has said, ' If any man 
 serve me, him will my Father honor/ There are 
 two names connected with the Crimean war which 
 will never be forgotten Florence Nightingale and 
 Hedley Vicars. Amid the dread struggle of arms their 
 deeds were unnoticed, and their names only heard in 
 gentle whispers on the lips of the suffering and dying 
 to whom they ministered and brought the consola- 
 tion of a Saviour's love. But while the fame of the 
 worldly hero dies away almost as soon as the thunder 
 of the cannon by which his victories were won, the 
 glory of these heroic servants of God is spread wider 
 and wider, and brightens with every increasing circle. 
 It is a most striking illustration of the power of 
 goodness that the long and fearful struggles- of four 
 great nations produced no name which will be 
 cherished so long and lovingly as that of a modest 
 Christian woman, who, in the spirit of her Master, 
 'did what she could.' Wherever history portrays 
 the scenes of that Crimean contest, her deeds will be 
 told ' as a memorial of her.' This will be true also, 
 though perhaps in a less degree, of Captain Vicars, 
 who, amid the temptations and conflicts of the camp 
 and battle, could serve his" Master as faithfully as he 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 327 
 
 did his queen. Generals and colonels who per- 
 ished on the same sanguine field will pass from 
 memory, but the humble subaltern who loved his 
 Bible and his Saviour, and who not only owned him 
 in theory, but imitated him in practice, will live in 
 fragrant remembrance while there is a Christian heart 
 to be stimulated by his saintly example. 
 
 "Be assured, my beloved children, that it is ' more 
 blessed to give than to receive/ If you fail to under- 
 stand and practice this grace, you will live to little 
 purpose, and I shall have failed also in one main in- 
 tention of all my instructions ; but hoping other 
 things of you, I shall cherish the expectation that 
 the world will be, the better for your living in it. 
 
 " And now, beloved pupils, trusting that I have 
 more than repaid you for the disappointment experi- 
 enced because of my refusal to allow you the oppor- 
 tunity to attend the departed exhibition, I will dis- 
 miss you with a most fervent supplication that God 
 will bless to your present and eternal welfare the in- 
 struction which I have tried to impart. To some of 
 you I rejoice to know this blessed consummation 
 has already come, but how many are yet undecided 
 or entirely neglectful ! Let me call the attention of 
 such to another fact which we have learned during 
 our investigation the stupendous results of weak, 
 insignificant agencies when left unimpeded to do 
 
328 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 their work. A day's hesitation, a thoughtless word, 
 an unguarded act, may fix the destinies of eternity ! 
 Little hindrances, which may now be easily put out 
 of the way, may grow by neglect to insuperable 
 difficulties. 
 
 "One bright spring afternoon I was engaged 
 dressing some flowers in my garden. A small cloud 
 arose, and a flake of snow floated on its jeweled wing 
 down to the spot where I was stirring the earth 
 around my plants. What is weaker or more easily 
 put out of the way than a flake of snow ? But all 
 night the flakes came down silently and softly, until 
 in the morning they were heaped and heaped into 
 mountains of whiteness. I was to start on a journey 
 that morning, but on the railroad over which I was 
 to travel there were nine most powerful locomotives 
 striving in vain to clear a pathway. My journey 
 was out of the question. My loss was the failure to 
 meet some dear friends, an occasion of much regret, 
 but not of self-condemnation or irreparable injury. 
 
 " It may be that some cause as trifling as the little 
 snowflake may now be settling down on the pathway 
 of some of my dear pupils. A brush of determina- 
 tion and it is gone, but neglected, it will multiply 
 with fearful strength and rapidity, and, before you 
 are fully conscious of your danger, place your soul 
 beyond the possibility of hope. Who will run the 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 329 
 
 fearful risk? Whatever of pleasure and informa- 
 tion I may have given you during these pleasant 
 reunions, I should feel recreant to my duty did I not 
 urge you, by all the considerations drawn from the 
 value of your souls, the love of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and the realities of eternity, to make this sub- 
 ject the first all-absorbing subject; and may the God 
 of all grace bring you all to know Christ here and 
 to share his glory hereafter ! 
 
 " Should his gracious benediction thus come down 
 upon you, I am sure that my own happiness will be 
 enhanced beyond the power of expression, and I 
 shall count the time spent in these hours of investi- 
 gation as among the richest of my life. May God 
 bless you, beloved children, and make you as happy 
 and useful as my devoutest wishes would have you, 
 and then beyond all peradventure your lives will 
 be a blessing to the world and your future a glorious 
 rest!" 
 
 At the assembling of the school in the afternoon 
 there was noticed under Alf Green's desk an ob- 
 long package. It was the beautiful rosewood box, 
 handsomely inlaid with silver, which contained a 
 splendid microscope of fine workmanship and high 
 power, with all the requisites for its manipulation. 
 Each scholar had contributed something toward its 
 purchase, and had so carefully concealed the matter 
 
 28* 
 
330 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 that Mr. Willard was wholly unconscious of what 
 was coming. 
 
 Alf drew the box from its resting-place, and hold- 
 ing it in his hand, approached the desk where the 
 teacher was still standing. It was some moments 
 before the excited boy could sufficiently control him- 
 self to discharge the pleasant duty which his fellow- 
 pupils had assigned him. But after some choking 
 and stammering, he said : 
 
 "Beloved teacher, I'm doubly favored to-day, 
 being not only an equal sharer in the delightful in- 
 terviews which are now about to close, but I have 
 been selected by my schoolmates to present to you 
 a slight token of our affection and gratitude for your 
 kind efforts to amuse and instruct us. These hours 
 have not only given us much present gratification, 
 but will, I'm sure, be to most of us sources of last- 
 ing profit. We shall go forth impressed with the 
 wisdom and goodness of God as never before, and 
 with a thirst for still farther researches into the 
 strange world to which you have introduced us so 
 kindly. We think, too, that we shall better under- 
 stand our relations to those around us to the poor- 
 est as well as the most. favored, and especially to our 
 gracious Creator. Your instructions have given a 
 value and interest to common and even despised ob- 
 jects that will invest them with a new charm to us. 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 331 
 
 " To do all this for us has taken much of your 
 time to which we had no just claim, and also must 
 have put you to considerable trouble and expense. 
 You were under no obligation to compensate us for 
 your refusal to allow us to attend the show. Now, 
 had we attended the menagerie as many successive 
 days as we've spent with you, we shouldn't have en- 
 joyed ourselves near as much, nor treasured up as 
 much information. Most of what was there seen 
 was familiar to us, but here we have entered into 
 new scenes, so strange that they almost seem like a 
 dream. 
 
 "Now, we children have reckoned up what it 
 would have cost to attend so often the show that 
 has gone, and think that we ought to put into a 
 shape that will be pleasing to you at least a part of 
 that amount. This our parents have approved. We 
 have understood that you had to borrow the instru- 
 ments used during these pleasant hours, and that you 
 may not have to do it again, in behalf of my fellow- 
 pupils, both girls and boys, I beg leave to present to 
 you this microscope, the best that Dr. Newton could 
 select, with the box and all necessary things to make 
 it complete. Valuable as it is, we do not wish you 
 to regard it as at all expressing the strength of our 
 love and gratitude for your deep and continuous in- 
 terest in our welfare." 
 
332 GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 
 
 While Alf was delivering his well-conned speech, 
 which older heads had helped him to prepare, Mr. 
 Willard stood quite overwhelmed with this wholly 
 unexpected demonstration, until he could restrain 
 himself no longer, and the tears flowed freely. When 
 the box was placed in his hands he was so confused 
 as hardly to know what to do with it, turning it 
 around and around, as if in doubt whether to keep 
 it or not. But when sufficiently collected to respond, 
 he said : 
 
 "My beloved pupils, you have got the better of 
 me at last. I did not anticipate so speedy an illus- 
 tration of your just comprehension of the spirit of my 
 last lesson. It is indeed more blessed to give than to 
 receive, and however valuable this splendid instru- 
 ment may be, it will bear no comparison in my esti- 
 mation to the cherished affection of which it is an 
 expression. Wherever my lot may be cast in the 
 future, and whatever other scenes may engage my 
 attention or friendships entwine around my heart, of 
 one thing I am sure the old brown school-house at 
 Woodlawn, and the noble, loving band of youth who 
 greeted me beneath its roof, will ever be among the 
 brightest and sweetest treasures of memory, and I 
 shall ever bless the occasion which has served to bind 
 our hearts so indissolubly together." 
 
 Most warmly did the children respond to these 
 
GREAT WONDERS IN LITTLE THINGS. 333 
 
 ardent sentiments of their affectionate teacher, as 
 was evinced by their tearful eyes. 
 
 When the school was dismissed they clustered 
 around their teacher, and, with a hearty grasp of the 
 hand, each gave personally a token of the affection 
 which had been more publicly expressed. Then they 
 scattered to their homes to renew the happiness of 
 the day by recounting its pleasures to their gratified 
 parents