USE OF A HAND Loupe AND MICROSCOPE
The simple equipment needed to discover the world of small animals and plants living around us is not very expensive now. A hand magnifier or a microscope will allow you to see new things for you, tiny organisms and discover the details of the structure of the larger ones: or it will be a bird's feather, or the eye of a fly.
Hand magnifier
A magnifying glass is a basic and indispensable tool for a naturalist. It is needed both in the field, and in the studio, during preparation or manipulation of small specimens. The most universal glasses are the magnifiers 8 the 10 times. Keep the subject in strong light while viewing through the magnifying glass. She works: If we tie a piece of bright yarn to the magnifying glass, it will make it easier for us to find her in the field.
Binoculars (stereoscopic magnifier)
It is one of the most expensive pieces of equipment for a naturalist's studio – unfortunately necessary for more serious research. It allows you to see the details of the construction of the smallest specimens, it also facilitates their preparation. The name binocular means, that the device has two glasses, which allow you to see the image in three dimensions, which is impossible with a hand magnifier, and also a microscope. Modern models have a variable focal length of the lens, i.e.. allow you to view the specimen under different magnifications.
Very strong illumination of the object is required for the preparation under the binocular (some models have their own light source). You have to learn how to handle tools under the binocular, when magnified to the X50, the fine tweezers' blades look like pliers, and the preparation needle like a pencil.
Microscope
The microscope is a wonderful instrument, allowing us to get to know the unknown world, invisible to the naked eye, yet so rich and interesting. It reveals new environments; the richness of forms in a drop of water from the pond, and even from the gutter. The microscope allows you to study the structure of a bird's feather or the delicate structure of a fly's wing. Many a time our experiences resemble those of Gulliver in the land of the Giants. Using a microscope, we can see only light-transmitting objects. To make it possible, we need to cut the object into thin flakes, tint them with a special biological dye, and then put on a slide called a slide.
MAGNIFICATIONS
The hand-held magnifier allows you to enlarge the image 5-20 times (most often X10). This allows you to see details in small mammals and plants, np. a butterfly's mouthpiece or the stamens of a glaucoma flower.
The binocular magnifies the image 10-50 times. Thanks to it, you can see the details of the construction of very small animals and plants, np. scales on a butterfly wing or root hairs of a plant.
The microscope magnifies 20-500 times. With X100 magnification, "invisible" are visible” water drop inhabitants, and at X500 single cells.