NEW CLIP FOR BALSAM MOUNTING. 45 



Jan. 26 at zh., Feb. 9 at \h., Feb. 22 at midnight, March 8 at 11, 

 and March 23 at eo in the evening ; and is consequently above 

 the horizon the greater part of the night. The extreme length of 

 the ring is now about two and a-half times the diameter of the 

 globe, and the diameter of the globe about twice the breadth of 

 the ring. 



Urajius crosses the meridian on the morning of Jan. 15 at 6//., 

 Jan. 31 at 5/?., Feb. 15 at 4/2., March 2 at 3/^., March 17 at ih.^ and 

 on March 31 at i/^., at an altitude of 29 degrees. 



Neptime will be due South on the afternoon of Jan. 5 at 9//., 

 Jan. 20 at 8/^, Feb. 4 at 7/2., Feb. 19 at 6/z., March 7 at 5/^., and 

 March 22 at 4//., at an altitude over 57 degrees. 



On Feb. 13, the apparent motion of this planet among the 

 fixed stars changes from retrograde to direct, or from westward to 

 eastward. 



a IRew JTorm of Clip for Balaam flI>ounting. 



By G. H. Bryan, B.A., F.C.P.S. 



I'^HERE are few practical microscopists who do not admit 

 that the spring clips which have for so many years been 

 used in mounting objects in balsam are a failure. It is only 

 necessary to turn over the back numbers of the Journal of the 

 Royal Microscopical Society^ Journal of Microscopy, Scientific 

 Enquirer^ or Science Gossip to find the same complaints made 

 again and again as to their defects. The usual query which has 

 been repeatedly asked is, " Why does air run in as soon as the clip 

 is removed?" The answer is pretty obvious, viz., that the object 

 yields to the pressure of the clip as long as it is subject to it, but 

 as soon as that is taken off, the elasticity of the specimen causes 

 the latter to lift the cover up again, and what naturally happens ? 

 Why, of course the air runs in, because "nature abhors a vacuum." 

 Nor is this the only fault of spring clips, for even a moderate 

 amount of pressure is sufficient to damage many delicate 

 specimens. Take the case of sections of stems of plants : the 

 effect of squashing very frequently makes the cells and vessels in 

 parts turn on one side, and where each cell should by rights be in 

 its natural place, nothing is seen but a jumbled mass of tissue. 



