Answers to Queries. “77, 
weight that their breeders desire; dogs and other animals have 
been trained to show exceptional cleverness in assisting man, 
but I think no experiments have been made with a view of dis- 
covering how far the reason and intelligence of the dog can be 
developed dy continuing the experiments from generation to gene- 
ration. The conformation of a dog’s mouth and throat would 
probably for ever render Auman speech impossible to him (though 
he can now understand language), but his advancing intellect 
would probably show itself in nice gradations of barks, just as the 
power of barking itself has only come to the dog through civi- 
lisation. The training of monkeys could also be carried on in 
tropical climates with the probability of like satisfactory results, 
the education being always carried on from generation to genera- 
tion and not with isolated individuals. A. BODINGTON. 
399.—Dry Mounting.--To give anything like a concise answer 
to this query would take not only the whole of the pages of this 
month’s Luqguzrer, but the whole of the three volumes now nearly 
complete. I will endeavour to give just a few general rules, 
leaving F. R. B. to study “‘ Davis on Mounting,” 2/6, which to me 
seems the best book on the subject of mounting. The chief 
requisites are :—1st, Dryness in the object to be mounted, which 
in the case of botanical specimens can only be attained by 
being kept between blotting paper in a warm room and under 
moderate pressure. 2nd, I would advise the use of best gold size 
for ringing on cells of size only, for enclosing objects of a very 
thin nature, such as cuticles of plants, pollen, etc., and for fixing 
on cells of tin, which can be obtained of almost any thinness 
and diameter; then I would advise gold size again for 
fixing the covers. In fact, I prefer gold size in nearly every 
case of dry mounting as preferable to any other medium, it 
being less liable to crack upon letting the slide fall, as will some- 
times happen to the most careful. 3rd, That the layers of gold 
size, whether for simple cells of size, or tin cells fixed with size, 
er covers fixed with this medium, each application shculd be 
permitted to dry thoroughly previous to the next application, or 
some dissatisfaction will be experienced by cells moving off under 
the slightest pressure. 4th, Few or many applications of coats of 
size or black varnish by the aid of the turn-table, thereby giving 
the slides a finished appearance. In conclusion, I would warn 
amateurs against the so-called quick method of dry mounting, for 
one’s own common sense will tell him that quick mounted or 
dried specimens do not give the satisfaction which those give 
that have received careful manipulation in drying and preparing, 
even if done slowly. 
