The Microscope. 47 



from the whole shell of a turtle, and filled with dried cherry 

 pits, rushed into the room where lay the victim of the head ache. 

 Screaming, hooting, rattling of shells, and burning of fine to- 

 bacco dust, constituted the dose. The Indian theory is that any 

 pain is due to the devil's presence, and their united demonstra- 

 tion on this occasion was for the purpose of scaring the devil 

 out. Surely, if anything would startle him, these pow-wows 

 would. The head ache departed at all events in this case. 



I called the Indians about me to look into my microscope. 

 One broad-shouldered six-footer insisted on holding the instru- 

 ment up to take a view of the Cattaraugus cieek in the valley. 

 I held the microscope down, and gave them their first lesson in 

 the use of the instrument. They passed in silent and solemn 

 file around the table. I had temporarily mounted the end of a 

 louse's foot — it is not necessary to explain how or where I pro- 

 cured the specimen, but they all seemed to know the creature. 



Each Indian gazed long and intently. All stood back, at 

 length, and eyed me and the glass in silence for a time. An old 

 woman broke the silence, and seemed to voice the sentiment of 

 the rest. She was very emphatic in her language. She ex- 

 pressed her abhorence of what I had done. She shook her fist; 

 her eyes flashed, but she did not swear ; they cannot in Seneca ; 

 when the Indians swear they lapse into English. 



Imagine my utter amazement at the turn things had taken ! 

 Her grievance was this. " It lie so ! White man very bad ! 

 Make iron lie ! Make glass lie ! Very bad ! " 



I saw it all. Her senses were shocked because my magnifier 

 " lied so," and she held me responsible. 



X That was my first and last attempt to teach Pagan Indians 

 microscopical science. 



THE GRAPHOLOGICAL MICROSCOPE^. 



C. M. VORCE, F. R. M. S. 



AMONG the most important of the applications of the micro- 

 scope to what are called " business uses " is the examina- 

 tion of writings, books, etc. The use of the microscope for such 

 purposes has rapidly increased in the last ten or fifteen years, 

 until now scarcely a case of importance whose turning point rests 

 on the authenticity of written or printed matter, is tried without 



1 Received, with the drawing, in June, 1890. 



