CHAPTER XIII. 

 THE PREPARATION AND MOUNTING OF OBJECTS. 



WE have now described most of the processes incidental to 

 microscopical research, and which should be applied to 

 specimens in order to gain some insight into their peculi- 

 arities or their structure. No doubt many students will 

 think that we have delayed unnecessarily the preparation 

 of objects for mounting, and the subsequent process whereby 

 they may become permanent objects of interest, and that 

 we have taken pains to describe in detail processes much 

 more difficult than mounting. 



We do not think this. It may be thought an easy opera- 

 tion to place a piece of sea-weed in Canada balsam, and 

 cover it with a circle of thin glass ; or to soak an insect in 

 potash, to squeeze out the internal organs, finally mounting 

 in balsam and benzol ; but this is not the style or class of 

 mounting which we wish to see become general. 



Dr. Pelletan, in a letter to the ' Journal de Micrographie ' 

 (iii., No. 3, p. 139), speaks very strongly of the scientific 

 value of microscopical preparations. In speaking of the 

 method of mounting insects he says : " Others, more in- 

 genious, mount large insects or immense spiders entire after 

 having emptied them of their contents, and these prepara- 

 tions have really a magnificent appearance. But alas ! the 

 integument is all that has been preserved, and the little 

 that remains of the internal organs is represented by a 

 uniform transparent mass, in which the microscopist finds 

 nothing to study." He also adds further on : "I would 



