218 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Aug., 



use clock oil. Never take hold of the tube to move it, always 

 grasp the arm. If out of repair send directly to the manufacturer 

 or to a place where such work is specially done. Do not let any 

 one work upon it who knows nothing about such work. Keep 

 your objectives from direct sunlight and sudden or extreme 

 change of temperature. Have plenty of old, white linen ready 

 for cleaning and wiping slides, lenses, etc. Keep it in a dust- 

 proof box and near at hand. 



Make drawings of every thing not })ermanently mounted. 

 Use the camera lucida, and if you are clever with colors, color 

 them, using water colors. Take notes of everything examined. 

 Let the notes accompany the drawing. Get a })lain unruled 

 book for the purpose. Get a drawing book if you can. Some 

 use very fine pointed or very hard pencils for the drawings and 

 trace with ink afterwards. 



Take a microscopical journal — two or three, if you can afford 

 it. Also get books. I will name a few from which I b.ave 

 derived much good. If you are a beginner, by all means get 

 Microscopy for Amateurs by T. C. White; Manipulation 

 of the Microscope by Bausch ; How to use a Microscope by 

 Phin ; On Mounting Microscopic objects, by Davies. These 

 can be had from the Microscopical Publishing Company, 

 "Washington, D. C. There is a small journal that every one 

 can take. It costs only, $1,00 per year— The Microscope. 

 The American Monthly Microscopical Journal is highly recomen- 

 ded and is within reach of nearly all. Address Microscopical 

 Publishing Company, Washington, D. C. Send to all those who 

 advertise in these periodicals for catalogues. Many hints can 

 be had from them, and the advantages of clearance sales. 



Flower Crystals of Sugar. — Prepare two test tubes of sat- 

 urated solution of sugar; one of alcohol, the other of water. 

 Then mix the two solutions in a third test-tube, and when 

 throughly mixed, place a drop in the center of a slide and let it 

 rest until it becomes a hard homogeneous mass. Then set this 

 slide, thus prepared, on the to}) of a student's lam}) shade. In 

 the course of a short time, the flower crystals begin to develoi)e. 

 Leave the slide in that position until crystals have developed 

 over the whole mass. The crystals are now very hard and per- 

 manent and may be mounted. View it with the polariscope. 



