Not too long ago, I picked up a simple USB microscope, primarily to see if it could be used to capture insect behavior. There has been no opportunity to try that out yet, though I suspect with the extremely short depth of field, my selection of subject matter is going to be rather narrow.<\/p>\n
In the interim, however, I thought I’d check out how it worked on the Triops<\/em>, restrained as they were in the tiny macro tank<\/a> (actually a hole drilled in plexi and affixed to a slide to make a little well for a couple of drops of water.) As I was arranging the lighting and focus, I saw the Triops<\/em> start to behave erratically, bent almost double and struggling. It took me another few moments to get the USB video camera ready to go, but once I did, the Triops<\/em> was back to normal, more or less, and I realized I’d just missed something. Watch near the top of the well:<\/strong><\/p>\n