The Microscope; Its History, Construction, and Applications (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1856 Excerpt: ... is cast aside, the warts almost disappear, and it stands forth in all its beauty, proving the words of the poet, that "when unadorned, adorned the most." What will man not venture to eat, in hope of tickling the appetite with some new excitement Dicquemare says: "Of all the kinds of sea-anemonies, I would prefer this for the table; being boiled some time in sea-water, they acquire a firm and palatable consistence, and may then be eaten with any kind of sauce. They are of an inviting appearance, of a light silvery texture, and of a soft white and pinkish hue. Their smell is not unlike that of a warm crab or lobster." Actinia maculata.--This is a curious and interesting object, as it is found enveloping a snail-like or periwinkled shell, having the superior part of a species of small crab projecting from the inside of the shell. Its body is of a reddish colour, marked with beautiful purple spots, and in its thickest part is not more than three-tenths of an inch; it is about three inches in diameter, and furrowed longitudinally. Among the largest of the British species of Actinia is one found ou the north-east coast, which, when contracted, usually measures three inches in length. Dr. Johnston, as sponsor, gives it the name of Actinia Tuedice, the ancient appellation of the maritime parts of Berwickshire, to indicate the place of its first discovery, where it is often dredged from deep water by the fishermen. It is of a uniform reddish or brownishorange colour, and either smooth or contracted at pleasure into circular folds. The base is smooth and orange-coloured. The mouth is ever varying in size and form, and there are often protruded from it vesicular-like lobes of a reddish colour, scored with fainter lines. Anthea, a flower, is a nam...