HARDWJCKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



15 



might be clearly seen, bone sections had to be 

 mounted dry— a fertile source of after-annoyance, 

 as many have found in a plentiful crop of fungus- 

 growth, which either disintegrated the section 

 or spoilt the slide. Many slides of bone, teeth, 

 scales, &c, prepared in the dry way by recognized 

 mounters, in my cabinet are so affected. A similar 

 annoyance led Dr. Ormerod, of Brighton, to try a 

 modification of a method of mounting described by 

 Dr. Carpenter, together with a novel method of 

 grinding the section. 



About three months since Dr. Ormerod kindly 

 showed me his process, and gave me permission to 

 describe and illustrate it at a microscopical meeting 

 of the Brighton and Sussex Natural History 

 Society. Several who saw the process have since 

 tried, and found it a perfect success. Its chief 

 recommendations are simplicity, rapidity, per- 

 manence, and good results. It succeeds not only 

 with bone, teeth, ivory, and similar structures, but 

 also with the hard shells of some fruits, and the 

 stones of nuts, plums, &c. 



The materials required are pieces of ground glass 

 (coarse better than fine) about G inches square, 

 pumice-stone with a flat surface, a coarse stone or 

 grindstone, and a fine saw. Eirst cut as thin a 

 slice as possible with a fine saw (I use a common 

 fret saw), then roughly rub down on the coarse 

 stone or grindstone ; now, using the pumice-stone 

 as a pad, rub down as thin as required, with water 

 on the ground glass, employing a rotatory motion 

 (the sections need not be ground so thin as for dry 

 mounting) ; well wash with water, and the section 

 is now ready for mounting. 



On a glass slide boil some Canada balsam (old is 

 better than new) ; do the same on a glass cover. 

 When both are nearly cold, remove with blotting- 

 paper the superfluous moisture from the section ; 

 place it on the glass slide, on the nearly cool 

 balsam ; lay on the glass cover, warm over the 

 lamp, and press down the cover. As soon as cold, 

 run a hot knife round the cover, and clean off the 

 superfluous balsam with the knife under icater—a. 

 method which, to those who have not tried it, will 

 be a pleasant surprise. The slide may now be 

 labelled, and placed in the cabinet. 



With practice, from the time of cutting the slice 

 till the slide is ready for the cabinet, about half an 

 hour will have elapsed. I have completed some in 

 twenty minutes; ivory and teeth being tougher, 

 will take a little more time than ordinary bone 

 sections. Compare this with the time and trouble 

 under the ordinary methods, and when it is added 

 the results are equally satisfactory, and the per- 

 manence of the specimen is secured by the mount- 

 ing in balsam, microscopists will recognize its 

 advantages ; the moist surface prevents the thick 

 balsam running in and filling up the lacuna and 

 canaliculi. In practice I cut several sections ; as 



time and opportunity allow, I rub down and finish 

 ou the ground glass, and leave them in water until 

 I can find time to mount, and then complete the 

 process. The other evening I mounted sixteen 

 slides in an hour and a half, of bone, teeth, and 

 ivory, which had been rubbed down at odd moments 

 during the week. In the case of ivory, especially 

 hippopotamus, and teeth, a file reduces the thick- 

 ness quicker than the coarse stone. 



As mentioned before, the saving of time to the 

 histologist is a very great point, few having the 

 leisure to afford hours over the grinding, &c, in- 

 separable from the other methods. 



Brighton, December, 1S70. T. W. Wonfok. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMING OF BEES. 



A LTHOUGII bees are mostly allowed to swarm 

 -^"*- of their own accord, artificial swarming is 

 very profitable. What is more common than to see 

 thousands of bees clustering idly for a week or two 

 together about the outside of a stock hive, in the 

 very best honey-gathering season? It is certainly a 

 profit if we can set those idlers to work in a new 

 hive ; besides, by drawing them earlier than they 

 would swarm if left to natural instinct, you have 

 earlier swarms, save a deal of trouble in watching 

 them swarming, and do not run any risk of hives 

 flying away, as a great many do that come off by 

 their own accord. I am convinced that, if this 

 method was more generally adopted, more work- 

 iug-men would become bee-masters. The natural 

 swarming-time of the day being when they are 

 away at their work, they consider they run a great 

 risk of losing their swarms. I will now give a few 

 simple directions for Artificial Swarming, whereby 

 the most timid among bees may draw a swarm in a 

 few minutes, and rarely even get a sting. I never 

 use veil, gloves, nor bee-dress of any description ; 

 and yet, although I work a good deal among them, 

 it is very rarely I ever get a sting. Commence 

 operations by blowing a little tobacco or fustian rag 

 smoke in at the doorway of the stock. hive you in- 

 tend to draw the swarm from ; lift it from itsst and 

 and turu it upside down, a little distance from 

 where it stood; then lay your empty hive on the top 

 of it, mouth to mouth. If nearly of the same size, tie 

 a sheet firmly round the junction to prevent bees 

 escaping to annoy you ; or if different sizes, you 

 should be prepared with a round board — say 24 

 inches in diameter, with a 14-iuch diameter round hole 

 in the centre thereof, to lay between them during 

 the time that you are drawing them. I mention this 

 size because it is likely to fit drawings from any 

 size. After you are sure that you have the hives so 

 well closed up that they cannot escape between 

 them, take two sticks and give your under one, that 

 is, the stock hive, some sharp raps, say from three 

 to five minutes ; by that time you should have 



