4 THE MICROSCOPE. 



be turned aside, so as not to reflect any light through 

 the stage. 



Eye-pieces. With all microscopes, two or more 

 eye-pieces are supplied. These possess different mag- 

 nifying powers, and are lettered or numbered accord- 

 ingly; the lowest power with the earliest letters of 

 the alphabet, or with the smallest numbers, thus : 

 A, B, C ; or 1, 2, 3, &c. 



Forceps. These are fine pincers, for holding mi- 

 nute bodies to be viewed as opake objects. In use, 

 they are inserted by a stem connected with a joint, in 

 an aperture, generally in the stage ; and are moveable 

 in all directions. 



Live-box. This is a brass slide, perforated in the 

 middle, to the aperture in which is soldered a short 

 piece of brass tube, closed at the top with a circular 

 plate of thin glass. A rather wider and longer piece 

 of brass tube slides over the former; this is also 

 closed at the top by a thin glass plate, so as to allow 

 of an object being confined or compressed between 

 the two glass plates. It is used for examining living 

 objects in water. 



Knife , fyc. For cutting slices or sections of ob- 

 jects, a very sharp knife with a thin back will be 

 found useful ; or a razor may be used for the same 

 purpose. And for picking minute objects to pieces, 

 or dissection, fine needles, cut off short with pliers, 

 the blunt ends being thrust into hair-pencil sticks, 

 will be requisite. 



A pair of fine surgical forceps will also be required, 

 for taking up minute objects. These should be with- 

 out teeth, and the spring- action so weak that the 

 points can be very easily approximated. 



Dipping -tubes. For removing minute objects from 

 water, two or three narrow glass tubes, of different 

 lengths, are very useful. These are called " dipping 

 tubes/' and are used thus : the tube being held up- 

 right between the second finger and the thumb, the 



