SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



assume that the object has received a final soak- 

 ing in turpentine. Having carefully cleaned both 

 slip and cover-glass, the latter is taken up in a 

 pair of forceps, and, the slide having been breathed 

 upon to slightly moisten it, the cover-glass is 

 placed on the slide and pressed there to make it 

 stay in position. The slide is then placed on the 

 table and the lamp lighted and put beneath. In 

 less than half a minute the plate will be sufficiently 

 warm — the heat should be no greater than will 

 allow of the finger being placed on the end of the 

 slide. A drop or two of balsam is then placed on 

 the cover-glass which is on the slide, care being 

 taken that it does not overrun the margin of the 

 former. Into this the object is then lowered or slid 

 by means of a section-lifter (a cover-glass held in 

 a pair of forceps may serve) and a needle set in a 

 handle. Care should be taken to get the object 

 right down under the balsam and close to the 

 cover-glass. The object should then be examined 

 with a pocket-lens to make sure that its position 

 is satisfactory, and to see that no air-bubbles are 

 visible in or around it It is then placed under a 

 watch-glass or other cover to protect it from dust-, 

 and put aside for twelve hours to harden. It will 

 be found that the balsam skins over very rapidly 

 on exposure to the air, and no time, therefore, must 

 be lost. The warming of the slide partly ob- 

 viates this. After hardening for twelve hours 

 it is as well to make an examination under 

 the lowest power of the microscope before proceed- 

 ing further, to make sure that the object itself is 

 properly in position and free from air-bubbles or 

 contained air. The slide is then again placed on 

 the mounting-table, and the insertion of a needle 

 will readily release the cover-glass. Warm as 

 before, apply a fresh drop to the centre of the 

 hardened balsam, lift with a pair of forceps, reverse 

 quickly, and lower gently down upon the slide, 

 pressing down carefully so as to squeeze out the 

 excess of balsam and to carry any air-bubbles with 

 it. The cover should now lie flat on the slide. It 

 is better to have a slight excess of balsam rather 

 than a deficiency. In case of the latter a drop 

 must be put against the cover-glass, when it will 

 quickly run in by capillary attraction. Small 

 bubbles, other than any embedded in the object 

 itself, may be neglected, one of the advantages of 

 Canada balsam being the readiness with which it 

 will absorb these. There are certain objects, how- 

 ever, which are most difficult to free from larger 

 bubbles than the balsam can absorb. In such 

 cases it is advisable to again heat the mounting- 

 table, whilst holding the cover steadity, but not too 

 heavily, in position by pressing on its centre with 

 the handle of a dissectin°--needle, until the balsam 

 is seen to boil. At once remove the lamp, but hold 

 the cover -glass stead}' until the balsam seems to 

 have set again. By this means, though it needs 

 caution, the bubbles will be driven clear of the 

 cover-glass by the ebullition of the balsam. Wire 

 spring clips can be obtained for a penny each, and 

 it is advisable to slip one of these on before putting 

 the slide on one side to harden. This may take 

 twenty-four hours, or it may take a week, accord- 

 ing to the amount of balsam used or exuded. 

 Under any circumstances it is well not to hurry 

 matters. The excess can then be removed with a 

 sharp knife nearly up to the cover-glass, and the 

 remainder cleaned up nicely with a rag dipped in 

 turpentine, methylated spirit, or benzole. 



{To he continued.') 



The death of Professor Pierce Adolphus Simpson, 

 M.A., M.D., of the Glasgow University, removes an 

 eminent teacher of medicine and a skilled botanist. 

 He died on August 11th at the age of sixty-three. 



By the death of Dr. John Anderson, M.D., 

 LL.D., F.R.S , etc., there passes away, at the age of 

 sixty-six, a well-known zoologist and a former 

 Superintendent of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 

 Dr. Anderson published some important literature 

 upon science and travel in Asia. 



Doubtless some of our readers have kept ants, 

 bees, and wasps for scientific observation. It is 

 well thsy should know, in regard to bees at least, 

 the County Court judge at Basingstoke has decided 

 that any person suffering through the stings of bees- 

 kept by another person has right of action for 

 damages against the owner of the bees, who ac- 

 cordingly in a case brought before him, gave 

 judgment for damages. 



The reports of British Consuls often form, 

 interesting reading. A recent one by Mr. Car- 

 michael, in the Consular service at Leghorn, deals 

 with the so-called briar-root industry. The briar- 

 root pipes, as probably most of our readers are 

 aware, are made from the root of Erica arborea, 

 which flourishes on the mountain slopes of the 

 Northern Mediteranean and its islands. "Briar" 

 is, of course, a corruption of the French orvyere, 

 heath or broom. Although it is not likely this 

 heath will be exterminated by the industry, it is 

 one that will probably exhaust itself through lack 

 of material within another decade. 



Writing to the Times on August 13th last, Dr. 

 Mortimer Granville draws attention to a statement 

 which has been going the rounds of the press 

 relating to the alleged recent " discovery of 

 causative relations between filaria and ele- 

 phantiasis." He points out that as far back as- 

 1878 the late Dr. Spencer Cobbold read a paper 

 summarising what was then known on the 

 subject to the Medical Society of London. Dr. 

 Granville does not consider that the recently pub- 

 lished information adds anything to what he and 

 others placed before the Medical Society, the 

 Quekett Club, and other scientific bodies more than 

 twenty years ago. 



With that aptitude, so usual among our American 

 cousins, of turning to advantage the excitement of 

 a passing event, Nature has been made to contri- 

 bute to the amusing side of the forthcoming 

 Presidential election. This will turn upon the 

 silver and gold standards of currency question, 

 the former being represented by Mr. Bryan and 

 the latter by Mr. McKinley. We have received 

 a packet of literature from the Jumping Bean 

 Company, who have introduced these well-known 

 seeds into the controversy. Some have been gilded 

 and others silvered. One each of these are sold 

 with a race track for ten cents. The amusement 

 is obtained by watching whether the silver or- 

 the 2-old bean wins the course. 



