530 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
astronomy — has been done with instruments of comparatively small size. 
We may go further and say that a large part of the discoveries made in 
this science have been made with telescopes of moderate power. Dawes 
made his famous discoveries of double stars with a telescope having an 
aperture of only inches. The most of Herschel’s discoveries were 
made with a telescope of small aperture. It often occurs that solidity 
in mechanical construction more than compensates for increased magni- 
fying power. 
Mr. G. S. Wool man : The American makers furnish a better 
low-priced stand than the European. 
President Ewell : All Microscopes are good, but some are better 
than others. 1 would not select the Society of Arts instrument, but let 
us be tolerant. Some English authorities favour that stand. I would 
buy a model such as Brother Blackham has, but let us encourage every 
one to get a Microscope of some sort. 
Mr. Turner : I look at this matter from the standpoint of the manu- 
facturer. Men will accept, use, and pay for European work of a worse 
character than they will take from American manufacturers, and then 
criticize the latter. 
President Ewell : I want to say that the best work in the world is 
made in the United States. 
Professor Claypole : I agree with the President, but this instrument 
was made forty years ago ; Dr. Carpenter was the leading man in getting 
it made, and advocated it. I maintain that it is better the student 
should get such an instrument as this, and keep up to his work, than to 
drop it.” 
C3) Illuminating- and other Apparatus. 
Three new Accessories for the Microscope.* — Mr. E. H. Griffiths 
describes three accessories that are easily made by additions to the 
Griffith focus-indicator, which has already been described to the 
American Society of Microscopists. 
Fig. 65 is a rough sketch of the focus-indicator as now in use. 
Fig. 66 represents the same device attached direct to the nose-piece 
of the Microscope or to an adapter, and figs. 65 and 66 are introduced 
here simply to show that the indicator is a portion of the new accessories 
to be described. 
Fig. 67 is an object-holder to be used as an excellent substitute for 
stage-forceps, and for many objects it is much more convenient than the 
forceps. Near the bottom of the spindle-dropper of the indicator a small 
hole is drilled for the introduction of a pin, as illustrated in the sketch. 
The insect or other object for examination may be placed in focus by 
raising or lowering the dropper, and it may be turned over or placed in 
any position desired. 
This device may be used as a mechanical finger for arranging 
diatoms, &c. The pin in fig. 67 must be removed, and a cat’s whisker 
or other finger put in its place. It may be thrown into focus and out 
of focus by means of the Microscope adjustments. 
Fig. 68 represents a revolving diaphragm with as many apertures as 
* Proc. Amer. Soc. Micr., xiii. (1891) pp. 47-8. 
