126 MICROSCOPY. 
YY? 
Alicroscopy. 
Mr. SuHarrvs’s Metnop or Movuntinc.—Mr. Sharpus, an amateur 
microscopist, of London, and an esteemed corresponding member of the 
Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society, has lately 
presented to that Society specimens of his microscopical preparations of 
Kchinoderms and other objects. 
All these objects are so remarkable for their exquisite beauty as 
microscopical preparations, that they are valued by the Society as perfect 
models of what such objects should be. Mr. Sharpus has, therefore, 
been asked to give, for the benefit of our readers, an account of the means 
by which such admirable results were obtained, and he has kindly 
acceded to the request. Perhaps the most noticeable for beanty are the 
minute star-fishes, Ophiocoma rosula, O. neglecta, and Asterina gibbosa. 
About these Mr. Sharpus writes:—‘‘It is imperative that they be 
prepared immediately they are taken from the sea. They must be killed 
by being plunged into cold fresh water, and then placed in weak liquor 
potasse. The time for remaining in this varies so much with different 
specimens that it is impossible to say anything more definite than that 
care must be taken to remove them before they show signs of breaking 
up; then wash repeatedly in distilled water, and dry on blotting paper, 
in sunshine if possible. No pressure must be used. Mount either as dry 
opaque objects, or in balsam.” 
As to the Pedicellarize of Uraster rubens, and U. glacialis, the direc- 
tions are:—‘‘ Remove a ray and macerate it in liquor potasse till the 
‘pedes’ leave the skin upon the liquor being agitated; wash in distilled 
water, and select the most perfect specimens for mounting. They can 
be fixed to the slide with gum tragacanth, to which has been added a 
little gum acacia. The pedicellariz and ambulacral discs of Echinus 
may be obtained from a specimen that is dried. Treat with liquor 
potassze, but with extreme care, lest the segments of the calcareous disc 
separate.” Amongst the objects presented were heads of Vanessa, 
Bombyx, &c., which were singularly clear and perfect. Of these Mr. 
Sharpus says :—‘‘ They were boiled in weak liquor potasse until the pig- 
ment in the eyes, and all else that could be dissolved, had disappeared ; 
they were then washed, and boiled in distilled water for five minutes. 
They are mounted in glycerine.” 
‘Palate of Buccinum was placed in liquor potasse for a day, ora 
little more, then washed in distilled water, stroking it with a sable brush, 
in the direction of the teeth, to clean it.” 
Mr. Sharpus assures us that extreme care, great patience, and some 
little experience are the essentials of his success in the mounting of 
these objects, and that with these essentials, and perseverance, equal 
success may be attained by any one. 
It will interest our readers to know that, solong ago as 1875, Mr. 
Sharpus exhibited to the Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical 
Society preparations of Ophiocoma neglecta, which he believed proved that 
that star-fish certainly was viviparous. Mr. Hughes, F.L.8., read before 
the Society, on the 16th February in that year, a paper upon these 
preparations, describing their peculiarities, and pointing out the extra- 
ordinary nature of the fact which these specimens seemed to prove. So 
startling, however, was the assertion that a star-fish could be viviparous, 
that the Society dared not accept it fully from the evidence then laid 
before them. The observations of Sir Wyville Thomson, which have 
since been published, prove that Mr. Sharpus was right in his conclu- 
sions, and that certainly he was one of the discoverers of this astonishing 
fact in the lite-history of Ophiocoma. JosEPH Brace. 
4 
