PERSONAL REMINISCENCES. 



31 



Foot of house-fly. 



so jumbled up together in his mind during the night, in 

 his sleep, that he dreamed he had me under a microscope, 

 and could not succeed in focussing me because I was 

 smoking a pipe and blew all the smoke into his eyes ! 



From a course of so 

 many years in exhibiting 

 the microscope to people 

 at various social and other 

 meetings, it will easily be 

 believed that many amus- 

 ing stories might be re- 

 called ; one or two may 

 serve to afford another 

 smile. At one I was ex- 

 hibiting my favourite ob- 

 ject, the aforesaid won- 

 derful tongue of the 

 house-fly. In the company forming an evening soiree, 

 there were two ladies who had evidently come to be seen 

 rather than to see. They looked down my magic tube, 

 and one said, " What may this be supposed to be ? " 



" That," said I, "is supposed to be the tongue of a 

 house-fly." 



" Oh, lor ! " she exclaimed, " what a horrid thing ! " 



I, supposing she had altered the focus, good-naturedly 

 replied, " Perhaps you have not seen it properly. Allow 

 me to move the stage." 



The slide was a very good one, but, like its owner, 

 rather old-fashioned. The object was encircled with 

 red paper, with a small scrawl printed in gold, and 

 by an accident, and in ignorance, I managed to place, 

 not the object, but the gilded paper, under the glass, 

 and, supposing it was a better view of the tongue, 

 " Now," said I, " perhaps you will see it better." I think 



