THE MICROSCOPE ITS MISINTERPRETATIONS. 18 1 



and concludes with the remark that he expects in a few months the 

 podura headings, such as he described them, will be fully established. 



Thus was the gauntlet thrown down, and the challenge was at once 

 accepted by various members of the Society, who, on the conclusion 

 of the reading of the paper, at once disputed the new doctrine. Mr. 

 J. Beck was the first to express an opinion, and rather increased the 

 confusion of the subject by stating that both the spines and the beads 

 were illusory, and that the true structure of the podura-scale was a 

 series of corrugations on one side, and that the reverse side was slightly 

 undulating or nearly smooth, and that the notes of exclamation were 

 due to refraction of light. 



Mr. Hogg, the Hon. Secretary of the Society, thought Dr. Pig- 

 gott in error; he had never seen such appearances as beads; thought 

 probably Dr. Piggott had seen them by using too deep an eye-piece, 

 bad illumination, and drawing out the tube of the microscope to too 

 great an extent ; or, perhaps, to a disturbed vision caused by advanced 

 age and presbyopia. 



The President, the Rev. J. B. Read, followed by stating that he 

 agreed with the observations made by Mr. Hogg, and such was his 

 faith in the skill of the opticians of the day, that he could not but feel 

 that what he saw with their instruments really existed. 



On the same date and occasion on which Dr. Piggott expounded his 

 views, Mr. S. J. Mclntire, a member of the same Society, read a paper 

 " On the Scales of Certain Insects of the Order Thysanura." Now, Mr. 

 Mclntire, although a recent member, and young in microscopical re- 

 search, is always listened to on this subject with respect by the Society, 



Fig. 5. 



having devoted his attention specially to these insects, and shown a 

 patient and intelligent power of observing, not only their structure 

 but their habits ; he, in his communication, opposed Dr. Piggott's 

 views, and calls the beads " optical illusions," and concurred with 

 Mr. Beck's statement that the surface of the scale is corrugated, but 

 flatly contradicts him by stating that both sides are alike. 



December 8, 1869. The President, the Rev. J. B. Read, stated that 

 he, with Dr. Miller and others, had interviewed Dr. Piggott, and was 

 bound to say he had seen the beaded appearances, and it was clear to 



