110 PREPARATION AND MOUNTING 



The acarida, or mites and ticks, are well known; none, 

 perhaps, better than those which are so often found upon 

 cheese. Flour, sugar, figs, and other eatables are much 

 infested by them ; whilst the diseases called the itch in man, 

 and the mange in animals, are produced by creatures 

 belonging to this tribe. These insects are sometimes mounted 

 by simply steeping them in turpentine, and proceeding as 

 with other insects. The Micrographic Dictionary gives 

 the following directions as to mounting parts of these : 

 ''The parts of the mouth and the legs, upon which the 

 characters are usually founded, may be best made out by 

 crushing the animals upon a slide with a thin glass cover, 

 and washing away the exuding substance with water : some- 

 times hot solution of potash is requisite, with the subsequent 

 addition of acetic acid, and further washing. When after- 

 wards dried and immersed in Canada balsam, the various 

 parts become beautifully distinct, and may be permanently 

 preserved." 



Feathers of different kinds of birds are usually mounted 

 in balsam when required to show much of the structure. 

 This is particularly interesting when the feathers are small, 

 as they then show the inner substance, or pith, as it may be 

 termed, with the cells, &c. The " pinnaB," or soft branches 

 of the feathers, will be found of various constructions ; some 

 possessing hooks along one side, whereby they fasten them- 

 selves to their neighbours; others branching out, with 

 straight points somewhat resembling the hairs from certain 

 caterpillars. But, of course, when the metallic-looking 

 gorgeous colours are all that is required to be shown, and 

 reflected light used (as with the feathers of the humming- 

 bird, peacock, &c.), it is much better that they should be 

 mounted dry, as in Chapter III. 



The seeds and pollen of plants are most frequently 

 mounted dry, as mentioned in Chapter III. ; but the more 

 transparent of the former, and the darker kinds of the latter, 

 are perhaps better seen in Canada balsam. There is 

 nothing particular to be observed in the manipulation, except 



