One of the best forms of a stand for a simple microscope is shown in Fig. 10, where A is a brass pillar screwed to a tripod base; B is a broad stage for the objects, secured to the stem by screws, whose milled heads are at C. By means of the large milled head D, a triangular bar, having a rack, is elevated out of the stem A, carrying the lens-holder E, which has a horizontal movement in one direction, by means of a rack worked by the milled head F, and in the other direction by turning on a circular pin. A concave mirror G reflects the light upwards through the hole in the stage, and a lens may be attached to the stage for the purpose of throwing light on an opaque object, in the same way that the forceps H for holding such objects is attached. This microscope is peculiarly adapted, by its broad stage and its general steadiness, for dissecting; and it is rendered more convenient for this purpose by placing it between two inclined planes of mahogany, which support the arms and elevate the wrists to the level of the stage. This apparatus is called the dissecting rest. When dissecting is not a primary object, a joint may be made at the lower end of the stem A, to allow the whole to take an inclined position; and then the spring clips shown upon the stage are useful to retain the object in its place. Numerous convenient appendages may be made to accompany such microscopes, which it will be impossible to mention in detail; the most useful are Mr. Varley's capillary cages for containing animalculæ in water, and parts of aquatic plants; also his tubes for obtaining and separating such objects, and his phial and phial-holder for preserving and exhibiting small living specimens of the Chara, Nitella, and other similar plants, and observing their circulation. The phial-microscope affords facilities for observing the operations of minute vegetable and animal life, which will probably lead to the most interesting discoveries. The recent volumes of the Transactions of the Society of Arts contain an immense mass of information of this sort, and to these we refer the reader.
The mode of illuminating objects is one on which we must give some further information, for the manner in which an object is lighted is second in importance only to the excellence of the glass through which it is seen. In investigating any new or unknown specimen, it should be viewed in turns by every description of light, direct and oblique, as a transparent object and as an opaque object, with strong and with faint light, with large angular pencils and with small angular pencils thrown in all possible directions. Every change will probably develop some new fact in reference to the structure of the object, which should itself be varied in the mode of mounting in every possible way. It should be seen both wet and dry, and immersed in fluids of various qualities and densities, such as water, alcohol, oil, and Canada balsam, for instance, which last has a refractive power nearly equal to that of glass. If the object be delicate vegetable tissue, it will be in some respects rendered more visible by gentle heating or scorching by a clear fire placed between two plates of glass. In this way the spiral vessels of asparagus and other similar vegetables may be beautifully displayed. Dyeing the objects in tincture of iodine will in some cases answer this purpose better.