196 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [June 



made to fit the lower receptacle tig-htly the same as the 

 cover of an ordimiry tin pail, and it will be readily seen 

 that the steam rising- from the water underneath coming- in ■ 

 contact with the cooled surface above would condense 

 and running- down the cone-shaped condenser, drop into 

 the small funnel. 



As you will see, this can be made to fit the smallest of oil 

 stoves, or any size larg-er as desired. It can also be used 

 to make all kinds of flavoring- waters by dropping- the arti- 

 cle, inclosed in a cloth, into the water to be distilled, the 

 streng-th being- determined by the amount put in. — A. J. 

 Harris in Pop. Science News. 



Note on Color Illumination. — Julius Rheinberg- has 

 desig-ned a new form of substag-e differential color illumi- 

 nator in order to simplify and facilitate the use of color 

 discs and other stops in the substag-e of the microscope. 

 It consists essentially of a box, or slide carrier fitted under 

 the condenser, in which there are a number of metal slides 

 which can be pulled out or pushed in quite independently 

 of one another by means of little handles on both sides of 

 the carrier. Each slide has two circular apertures, the one 

 being- fitted with a color disc or other stop, the other one 

 being- left free. The kind of stop is indicated on the han- 

 dle. The opening-s in the slides are so arrang-ed that when 

 the apparatus is closed all the free opening's coincide, so 

 that illumination can be effected in the ordinary wa5\ 

 When any other illumination is required it is only necess- 

 ary to pull out the particular stop, or combination of stops, 

 each stop being- in accurate position when pulled out as far 

 as it will g-o. 



In the apparatus there are 19 stops, viz., a dark g-round 

 stop, four stops which cause the backg-round to assume 

 various colors, four which cause the object to assume vari- 

 ous colors, stops causing- the object to be illuminated in 

 different colors from opposite sides in various colors (for 

 showing- striations), and one causing- the object to be illum- 

 inated in different colors at rig-ht ang-les to each other for 

 showing- striation etc., similarly situated. There are also 



