200 HIGH AND LOW POWER GLASSES. 



possessing a high magnifying power, becomes almost 

 useless; because it magnifies the mist or mirage and 

 thus causes all objects to be indistinctly seen; indeed 

 when mist is prevalent among the hills, or the ground 

 is quivering with mirage, the use of a glass of any 

 kind often becomes for this reason impossible, and one 

 can see better with the naked eye than in any other 

 way. There are however many occasions when the 

 atmosphere is unsuitable for the use of a telescope, when 

 a good clearer, or low-powered binocular, with as large 

 an aperture as possible, proves of the greatest possible 

 value, and enables objects to be made out quite distinctly 

 which would almost certainly have escaped observation 

 by all except very highly trained and keen-sighted 

 plainsmen. For this reason we venture to assert that 

 in the long run a good binocular will prove much more 

 generally useful than a telescope. Should the traveller 

 however be possessed of waggons or other means of 

 carrying a fair quantity of baggage, he will certainly 

 do well to take both a telescope and a binocular. He 

 can himself carry the latter, and his after-rider or gun- 

 bearer can carry the former, protected by a strong 

 leather case. 



But there is another substantial reason why the binoc- 

 ular should be preferred to a telescope, where only 

 one form of glass can be carried; and this is, because 

 the constant use of high-power glasses, even of the 

 very best kind, is exceedingly trying and ultimately 

 injurious to the eyes. This we have no hesitation in 

 positively asserting. No set of men, for instance, have 

 to make such constant use of glasses as naval men. 

 Well, they have with one consent almost entirely 

 discarded the use of the telescope, for both the above 



