. Evenings at the microscope : or, Researches among the minuter organs and forms of animal life . Zoology; Microscopy; Microscopes. MOLLUSCA : THEIR SHELLS. 41. light. We are looking now at the perpendicular section; is it not a beautiful object? you might fancy yourself looking at one of the noble icebergs that majestically navigate the polar seas, when it is rendered porous and laminated by the rains of spring. You see a number of thin horizontal tiers or stages, perfectly parallel and equi-dis- tant, about one-for- tieth of an inch apart, rising above each other like the floors of an edific
. Evenings at the microscope : or, Researches among the minuter organs and forms of animal life . Zoology; Microscopy; Microscopes. MOLLUSCA : THEIR SHELLS. 41. light. We are looking now at the perpendicular section; is it not a beautiful object? you might fancy yourself looking at one of the noble icebergs that majestically navigate the polar seas, when it is rendered porous and laminated by the rains of spring. You see a number of thin horizontal tiers or stages, perfectly parallel and equi-dis- tant, about one-for- tieth of an inch apart, rising above each other like the floors of an edifice. These are connected together by an infinite multi- tude of thin pillars of crystal, or rather leaves, some of which show their edges towards us, others their broader sides, and others are broken off at various distances, the frag- ments standing up from the floor, or depending from the roof, like stalactites and stalagmites in a cavern.* - This whole series of crystal floors and supporting plates is formed of calcareous matter,—limestone, in short; but though the latter are set in such close array that the eye cannot penetrate to any appreciable distance between them, their extreme thinness renders the whole structure very light, the interstices being occupied by air. But now if I give the stage-needle half a revolution, we shall have the horizontal section presented to the eye. In this aspect we acquire much more information as to the structure. The cut has been made very close to one of CUTTLE-SHELL. a Perpendicular. b Horizontal. * In calcareous districts the water trickling through into caverns often forms shapeless masses on the floor or hanging like icicles from the roof; in the former case they are called stalagmites, in the latter Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Gos
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