When the simple Kaleidoscope is applied to opaque objects, such as a seal, a watch-chain, the seconds hands of a watch, coins, pictures, gems, shells, flowers, leaves, and petals of plants, impressions from seals, etc., the object, instead of being held between the eye and the light, must be viewed in the same manner as we view objects through a microscope, being always placed as near the instrument as possible, and so as to allow the light to fall freely upon the object. The object-plates, and all transparent objects, may be viewed in this manner; but the most splendid exhibition of this kind is to view minute fragments of coloured glass, and objects with opaque colours, etc., placed in a flat box, the bottom of which is made of mirror-glass. The light reflected from the mirror-glass, and transmitted through the transparent fragments, is combined with the light reflected both from the transparent and opaque fragments, and forms an effect of the finest kind. As dust is apt to collect in the angle formed by the reflectors, it may be removed when the reflectors are fixed, either by the end of a strong feather, or blown away with a pair of bellows. When the dust is lodged upon the face of the reflectors, it should be removed by a piece of soft leather. CHAPTER VIII. ON THE SELECTION OF OBJECTS FOR THE KALEIDOSCOPE, AND ON THE MODE OF CONSTRUCTING THE OBJECT-BOX. Although the Kaleidoscope is capable of creating beautiful forms from the most ugly and shapeless objects, yet the combinations which it presents, when obtained from certain shapes and colours, are so superior to those which it produces from others, that no idea can be formed of the power and effects of the instrument, unless the objects are judiciously selected. When the inclination of the reflectors is great, the objects, or the fragments of coloured glass, should be larger than when the inclination is small; for when small fragments are presented before a large aperture, the pattern which is created has a spotted appearance, and derives no beauty from the inversion of the images, in consequence of the outline of each separate fragment not joining with the inverted image of it.