The most important improvement, then, effected by Wenham consists in the splitting up or dividing the pencil of rays proceeding from the objective by the interposition of a prism of the form shown in Fig. 43. This is placed in the body or tube of the microscope so as to interrupt only one-half (_a c_) of the pencil, the other half (_a b_) proceeding continuously to the field-glass, eye-piece, of the principal body. The interrupted half of the pencil on its entrance into the prism is subjected to very slight refraction, since its axial ray is perpendicular to the surface it meets. Within, the prism is subjected to two reflections at _b_ and _c_, which send it forth again obliquely on the line _b_ towards the eye-piece of the secondary body, to the left-hand side of the figure; and since at its emergence its axial ray is again perpendicular to the surface of the glass, it suffers no further refraction on passing out of the prism than on entering. By this arrangement, the image sent to the right eye is formed by rays which have passed through the left half of the objective; whilst the image sent to the left eye is formed by rays which have passed through the right half, and which have been subjective to two reflections within the prism, and passing through two surfaces of glass. The prism is held by the ends only on the sides of a small brass drawer, so that all the four polished surfaces are accessible, and should slide in so far that its edge may just reach the central line of the objective, and be drawn back against a stop, so as to clear the aperture of the same. [Illustration: Fig. 44.--Sectional view of the Wenham Binocular.] The binocular, then (Fig. 44), consists of a small prism mounted in a brass box A, which slides into an opening immediately above the object-glass, and reflects one-half of the rays which form an image of the object, into an additional tube B, attached at an inclination to the ordinary body C. One half of the rays take the usual course with their performance unaltered; and the remainder, though reflected twice, show no loss of light or definition worthy of notice, if the prism be well made. As the eyes of different persons are not the same distance apart, the first and most important point to observe in using the binocular is that each eye has a full and clear view of the object. This is easily tried by closing each eye alternately without moving the head, when it may be found that some adjustment is necessary by racking out the draw-tubes D, E, of the bodies by means of the small milled head near the eye-pieces; this will increase the distance of the centres; and, on the contrary, the tubes, when racked down, will suit those eyes that are nearer together.