New Microscopy Diary Pages
by Thomas Aungst
I must admit that when I sit down at a microscope that a lot of time can pass by very quickly. Specimen after specimen passes under the lens and I am busy rendering preliminary drawings of each image. Then suddenly I am startled by my wife informing me that my food is getting cold. "Oh, yes, I am ready for lunch." And she informs me that lunch went uneaten hours ago. I look out the window and I see that the sun has already set.
I've just got a new microscope and I have been getting use to it; determining what the field of view is at each of its four power settings; 9.5mm at 20X, 7mm at 30X, 5mm at 40X and 3.5mm at 60X. I find that this stereo microscope, although not of high power, opens an entirely new view of the world of the extremely small. The first illustration shows some of the numerous desmids that were found in the first half hour of searching. There were also ten hydra, green with chlorophyll, and many testate amoeba, (Difflugia, two types shown). Ciliates and rotifers were present in great numbers and varied species.
