BRIEFER ARTICLES 



THE MOUNTING OF ALGAE 



•nmrmini ration from the well-known 



fessor G. S. West 



an outline of a method of fixing, mounting, and preserving algae which, 

 as he tells me, has not been given the attention that it perhaps deserves. 

 The fluid used serves at the same time as a killing, fixing, preserving, and 



forms 



structures 



It has the advantage, moreover, 



that it keeps the natural coloring of the green algae, something which the 



instructor in elementary laboratory work will appreciate better than anyone 



else. The fluid is a 2 per cent, solution of potassium acetate, just made 



' ' e with a small amount of copper acetate. The substance reduces 



The algae can be put into 



blu 



FiaMuuiysis ot the cell contents to a mimmum 

 the solution and kept in it. If a permanent mc 



of the material is put on a rather thick slide and sealed with old gold size 

 several times after each drying. The mounts are permanent, but it is 

 usually necessary to take great care in sealing, and to this end to use a thick 



slide. 



awe. A thin slide will bend considerably in handling, ana me swu-g 

 may be separated in this way from the slide, so that the preparation will 



dry 



For some reason the fluid presents considerable difficulty with Vauche- 

 na > and plasmolysis is hard to avoid. I have found that the best way 

 to treat Yaucheria, especially the zoospores before or just after germination, 

 When the Plant is particularly delicate, is to kill it rapidly with 3 or 4 per 



formalin. The formalin 

 or the Preparation will t 



formalin 



Fixing for half an hour in 



,vp the formalin by 



— »^*-» ** »- W W M. X 1 11V7 W K*f V-f A A A U Vil ^"K*T **m-*-* w — - 



repeated washing with water. If the Vaucheria thus treated is rapidly 



will 



thymol 



• , , e as Perfectly green as when alive, and will 

 "Mefinitelv. ti,« a— « _.. , ^._j_j ^ -n , 



forms 



the —«- liverworts, fern 



r ° get the material into glycerin, add first a considerable quantity ot 



and put the dish near but not on a 



[Botanical Gazette, vol. 47 



5 or 10 



2 37l 



water 



