Fig. 42 represents a sectional view of Abbe’s stereoscopic eye-pieces, which consist of three prisms of crown glass, _a_, _b_ and _b′_, placed below the field-glass of the two eye-pieces; the tube _c_ is slipped into the tube or body like an ordinary eye-piece. The two prisms _a_ and _b_ are united so as to form a thick plate with parallel sides, inclined to the axis at an angle of 38·5°. The cone of rays from the objective is thus divided into two parts, one being transmitted and the other reflected; that transmitted passing through _a b_ and forming an image of the object in the axial eye-piece B. Adjustment for different distances between the eyes is effected by the screw placed to the right-hand side of the figure, which moves the eye-piece B′, together with the prism _b′_, in a parallel direction. The tubes can also be drawn out, if greater separation is required. The special feature of this instrument is that on halving the cone of rays by turning the caps, an orthoscopic or pseudoscopic effect is produced. This double-eyed piece arrangement of Abbe’s has not been at all brought into use in this country; this is partly owing to its original adaptation for use with the shorter Continental body-tube of 160 mm., and not for our 10-inch body. The most perfect method of securing pleasing satisfactory stereoscopic vision of objects is that devised by Mr. Wenham. In his binocular microscope an equal division of the cone of rays, after passing through the objective is secured and again united in the eye-pieces, which act as one, so that each eye is furnished with an appropriate and simultaneous view of the object. The methods contrived by the earlier experimenters not only materially interfered with the definition of the objective and object, but also required expensive alterations and adaptations of the microscope, and sometimes separate stands for their employment. Mr. Wenham’s invention, on the contrary, offers no such obstacle to its use, and the utility of the microscope as a _monocular_ is in no way impaired either when using the higher powers. [Illustration: Fig. 43.]