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1876.) Microscopy. 503 
through which is passed a needle, and the bristle is fastened to this 
needle in such a manner as to project about a quarter of an inch beyond 
its point. With this arrangement the objective can be readily focused 
upon the bristle-point, which can then be moved in any horizontal di- 
rection, while the object can be brought up to focus, or depressed below 
it, by means of the rack of the sub-stage. 
A Compact Cotiectine Case. — Mr. Kinne recommends the small 
leather pocket-cases used by physicians, as being convenient collecting 
cases, when only small quantities of microscopic objects are to be ob- 
tained 
WYTHE’S AMPLIFIERS. — Rev. J. H. Wythe, M. D., reported his ex- 
periments with amplifiers, at a recent meeting of the San Francisco Mi- 
croscopical Society. Believing that late improvements in objectives had 
rendered it unreasonable to expect greater perfection in them than their 
present excellence furnishes (a conclusion which we can mention only 
under protest), he was led to look for future progress mainly in the eye- 
piece, or in intermediate arrangements of lenses. Having had no oppor- 
tunity to use or examine the “ amplifiers” mentioned in the journals, or 
the aplanatic searcher of Dr. Pigott, which is often used for a similar 
purpose, he had experimented independently upon the subject during the 
last two or three years. He arranged a strongly-magnifying eye-piece, 
consisting of a deep convex meniscus, in place of the ordinary field lens 
of the Huyghenian eye-piece, with good results. Afterwards he placed 
the amplifying lens below an ordinary negative eye-piece, using first a 
cylindrical lens of conical shape, with the lower and smaller end con- 
‘ave and the upper and larger end convex, and subsequently a double 
concave lens of 14 inches virtual focus. This last arrangement was 
most satisfactory, and seems to correspond somewhat to amplifiers used 
in the Eastern States. It is described, however, as increasing the am- 
Plification from four to eight times with such unqualifiedly good results 
Ín respect to light and definition, as have not been obtained by similar 
contrivances heretofore. 
Microscopy. — Mr. F. Kitton, an accomplished contributor to Sci- 
ence Gossip, objects strenuously to the terms microscopy and microscop- 
: He argues that there is no such science as microscopy, because its 
objects of study belong to zodlogy, botany, ete. Precisely the same 
ment might be made in regard to anatomy, physiology, and to his- 
tology, which he mentions in the same sentence without protest. All of 
than pianist or organist, and microscopy is as good as thermometry. 
