90 



THE MUSEUM. 



across the Big creek country and the 

 only birds observed were two or three 

 each of the Downy, Hairy and Red- 

 belKed Woodpecker, a half dozen 

 Black-capped Chickadees, two pairs 

 of Cardinals, a few Tree Sparrows, 

 five or six Crows and about a dozen 

 Horned Larks. Another trip of seven 

 or eight miles on New Year's day was 

 almost a blank. A few Chickadees 

 and Sparrows, two Cardinals, a Hairy 

 Woodpecker, a Flicker, a Rough-leg- 

 ged Hawk and a Barred Owl. How- 

 ever on each [of these trips a good 

 many specimens of the smaller mol- 

 lusks were obtained under old logs, 

 such as the zonites, polygyraes and 

 hirsutas. W. S. Strode. 



Mounting Objects for the Micros- 

 cope in Canada Balsam. 



Every one after having prepared his 

 objects or sections, is desirous of pre- 

 serving them in a permanent form in 

 as neat a manner as possible and that 

 with the least trouble. The following 

 manner of proceeding will assist in ob- 

 taining good results. 



Turn a circle on the back of the slide 

 in ink with a pen, being careful that 

 the circle is rather smaller than the 

 thin glass it is intended to employ, so 

 that the refraction of the balsam at the 

 edges of the glass do not interfere with 

 placing it true in the center; the best 

 turn-tabl° to employ is the concentric 

 turn-table, made by Alyward, of Man- 

 chester, Eng. The slides must al- 

 ways return absolutely to the same 

 center. 



When the ink is dry, wipe the front 

 of the slide well with a clean cloth, 

 and press or drop two or three drops 

 of balsam or balsam dissolved in ben- 

 zole in the center of the glass slide. 



take your object out of the turpentine 

 it is soaked in, with a small pair of 

 pliers, and place it in the balsam with 

 the hollow curved side of the prepara- 

 tion down if it is not quite flat. Then 

 turn it over on the other side to re- 

 lease any air bubbles that may be 

 enclosed underneath, then adjust it 

 well in the center with a needle point, 

 put a drop of balsam on the top, and 

 place the slide on one side protected 

 from the dust for 24 hours. 



Clean a cover-glass the size you 

 wish to use, see that the preparation 

 is well centered. If it is not right it 

 can be moved by the needle point, the 

 balsam not being hard enough to pre- 

 vent it, but if the preparation is very 

 delicate, it will be necessary to warni 

 the slide on the hot table to soften the 

 balsam before attempting to disturb 

 it; when everything is right, place a 

 drop of balsam on the top. This is to 

 fill up any hollow that may form in 

 the center of the balsam, which would 

 hold the air when the cover is put on 

 it. Place the cover gently in the mid- 

 dle of the slide, letting it sink down by 

 its own weight at first, press gently 

 with the needle, being careful to have 

 the cover properly in the center. If 

 not quite centered, shift it with the 

 needle point till it is quite true. The 

 preparation will not move in the bal- 

 sam for some time till the fresh balsam 

 has penetrated through the dried bal- 

 sam put on the day before. If jou 

 find that the object has moved out of 

 the center then comes the difficulty of 

 getting it back again without begin- 

 ning the whole process over again. 

 Have two needles by 30U, as one is 

 sure to get messed with balsam which 

 will get on the front of the cover-glass 

 and bother you in centering the object. 



