_The Tubular Body_ is from eight to ten inches in length, to which is added a draw-tube with an engraved millimetre scale. By extending the draw-tube greater magnification is obtained, but since this is at the cost of definition it should hardly ever be employed in the examination of bacteria. _A Triple Nose-piece_ is doubtless a convenience, saving time which is otherwise spent in replacing objectives of different magnifying powers; there is also less risk of injuring them. _Focus_ should be obtained by means of a rack and pinion coarse adjustment, together with the most approved kind of fine adjustment. The sliding tube cannot be recommended, as the motion may be stiff, encouraging the use of force, which in turn may result in the objective being brought violently into contact with the specimen, thus doing injury to the lens or damage to the preparation; or it may get too loose and readily slip out of focus. _The Stage_ should be flat and rigid, either rectangular or circular, so long as it is sufficiently large to accommodate plate cultivation. A removable mechanical stage is of great advantage for working with high powers, as a motile bacterium can be constantly kept in view, while one hand is engaged in working the fine adjustment; it may also be employed as a finder, if engraved with a longitudinal and vertical scale, and provided with a stop. The mechanical stage must be removable, so that the stage proper may be free from any attachments when required for the examination of cultures. _Diaphragms._--The plan of using a series of separate discs of different sizes should be avoided, as they are easily lost, and bacteriological investigations may have to be made under conditions in which it is difficult to replace them. A better plan is a revolving plate with apertures of different sizes, but the most convenient form is the _iris diaphragm_. _The Sub-stage Condenser_ is as necessary in biological work as in the objective--in fact, the condenser and the objective should be considered as forming one piece of optical apparatus; the microscope must be regarded as incomplete without it. It is by the _sub-stage condenser_ that the rays of light are concentrated at one point, or on one particular bacterium; for the best definition it is essential that there should be mechanical arrangements for accurately centring and focussing the condenser. All this will be explained and enlarged upon under “Practical Optics.”