to high magnification, and its great usefulness is not 
realized. With a low-power binocular microscope, one 
can select desirable portions of a peel for permanent 
mounting. Such portions are cut out and trimmed with 
a sharp scissors and are mounted in balsam-‘‘damar’’ (in 
xylol) on a glass slide of good quality (specifically, ‘‘non- 
corrosive’), The peel should be covered with a number 
one cover-slip and weighted with a small lead block until 
absolutely dry. These permanent mounts are frequently 
capable of being magnified from 1000 to 1200 times, and 
440 is average. 
Occasionally so little carbon is preserved, that the 
peel shows only cell outline. Such a peel may be stained 
with any of the common biological or petrological stains, 
such as Light Green, Saffranin, Erosin, or Nigrosene. 
One is surprised to learn that it is sufficient to immerse 
the peel ina 2% aqueous solution of stain, and then wash 
out the excess dye. 
The peel has tremendous advantages over the ground- 
section because it is thinner, more translucent, less costly 
and quicker to make. The peel from an incrustation or 
carbonization is a new departure in paleobotany and has 
not been reported previously. 
The methods thus far described are primarily adapted 
to caleareous, dolomitic, and silicified specimens. We 
have had success with the following materials, and thus 
far have not experienced any failures: 
Coal-balls = England, Belgium, Holland, United 
States. 
Calcareous petrifactions = Pennsylvania, New York, 
England, France. 
Silicified petrifactions = Rhynie (Scotland), Grand 
Croix (France), Psaronius from Ohio, Saxony, 
Illinois. 
Coniferous woods from New Mexico, England, 
[77 ] 
