CHAPTER II. 
THE MANIPULATION OF THE MICROSCOPE. 
1. Setting Up the Microscope.—The microscope is 
an instrument of precision whose delicacy may be easily 
impaired by carelessness or neglect. When not in use 
it should be protected from dust by placing it in its case 
‘or under a bell-glass, and any particles which settle 
upon it should be removed with a camel’s-hair brush 
and chamois-skin. If necessary, the mechanical parts 
may be first cleaned with chamois-leather moistened in a 
solution of equal parts of benzine and olive-oil and then 
wiped with dry chamois. 
The microscope should be handled always by the base, 
and not by the upper part of the pillar, in order to avoid 
straining the fine adjustment. When in use it should be 
placed on the work-table rather near the edge, with the 
pillar side nearest the observer, who should sit close to 
the table in a chair of such height that his eyes will be a 
little above the level of the upper end of the draw-tube 
(see Fig. 17). Those unfamiliar with the microscope 
are apt to sit too far off or too high above the instrument 
‘and bend painfully toward it. For general work it is 
best not to tilt the tube of the microscope even when the 
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