10 BULLETIN 71, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



are brought up from the ocean bottom must be washed in some way 

 to separate the mud from the other material. One of the easiest and 

 most expeditious ways is to shake the material in a cloth immersed 

 in water. This quickly washes out the mud and leaves the Forami- 

 nifera with more or less sand, fine shells, and like objects. Such 

 material when dried is easily examined, and the Foraminifera desired 

 may be picked out with the tip of a needle moistened slightly or with 

 a fine brush. 



For the mounting of the Foraminifera for permanent preservation 

 nothing better seems to be available than the wooden slides men- 

 tioned by Dr. James M. Flint. These are of wood with a concave 

 boring in the middle of one side. The slides themselves are 3 

 inches long and one inch wide. Some of them as used in the 

 present study have been made thin enough to fit into an ordinary 

 slide box, and have a small concave portion, while another lot 

 has been used nearly twice as thick, but cut at the ends so as to 

 slide into the grooves of a slide box. These latter are drilled with 

 a larger and deeper concavity and are used for the arenaceous 

 and other large species. The bottom of the concavity is blackened 

 with drop black, and the cover is made of a slip of mica held 

 in place by a spring made of a thin strip of brass bent to con- 

 form to the two sides of the slide with enough spring in the strip to 

 make it act as a clamp to hold the piece of mica securely. This clamp 

 may be easily slipped off when the specimen is to be critically exam- 

 ined, or with a hand lens the specimen may be studied directly 

 through the mica. The specimens are dropped into the cavity and 

 not fastened in any way, and are therefore available at any time for 

 studying from any side simply by removing the cover and turning 

 the specimen to the desired position. (See figure.) 



For photographing, the specimens have been fastened to the bot- 

 tom by a little glue, and if desired can be easily removed for study. 



Great care should be taken in the making up of the slides to keep 

 distinct the material from various stations, even though it may 

 appear as all one species from widely separated localities. If previous 

 collectors and workers had been more exact in some of these details 

 it would now be easier to separate the various species and varieties. 



In many of the families the necessity of studying sections of speci- 

 mens is very great. This method, given by many writers, is the best 

 to follow: The specimen is placed in position and fastened by a 

 small drop of glue. When this has hardened the specimen is covered 

 with balsam and heated until the balsam has penetrated into the 

 chambers. After allowing the specimen to become hardened, it may 

 be ground down on an ordinary hone, frequent observations being 

 made to determine the plane of cutting. When the desired plane has 

 been reached the specimen may be removed by dissolving the balsam 



