Preparation and Mownting of Vegetable Tissues 183 



Sporangia and Spores of Fern. — Place leaves of a fern 

 with sporangia in methylated spirit for a few days to remove 

 the air. Then soak in water for several hours. Warm a 

 slide, and place a few drops of glycerine jelly on its surface, 

 scrape off some sporangia, and place them in the jelly ; now 

 apply the cover-glass very carefully to avoid scattering the 

 sporangia. The object is to keep them in a heap in the 

 centre until the cover is flat ; then press on the surface of 

 the cover with the points of the forceps, and, if possible, 

 give the cover a little twisting motion. This will spread 

 the specimens ; it will also rupture some of the sporangia 

 and let out the spores. 



Isolating Antheridia and Oogonia from Fucijs. — 

 Take some conceptacles that have been hardened in 

 methylated spirit, and make thick sections by h'and only 

 with a sharp knife. Place these in a strong solution of 

 acid aniline green in spirit, and let them stand for two or 

 three hours. Now place in water for a few minutes, and 

 they will at once swell up like a mass of mucus. Place 

 this on a slide and put another slide on top of it, press 

 down the upper slide — this will squeeze out the contents 

 of the conceptacles in little round masses. Separate the 

 glasses, pick up one of the little lumps of antheridia or 

 oogonia, place it in a few drops of glycerine jelly on a 

 slide, then apply the cover-glass, which must be pressed 

 down to spread the specimens. 



Digestive Glands in Pitcher Plant. — Harden some 

 strips of a pitcher in methylated spirit for a week. Then 

 place in water and soak for a few hours. Then lay the 

 tissue with the glandular surface next to the glass, and 

 with a scalpel scrape away the outer wall. Now bleach the 

 glandular portion in chlorinated soda, then wash well with 

 water, stain in aqueous solution of acid aniline green, 

 wash again in water to remove excess of colour, soak for 

 several hours in dilute glycerine, and mount in glycerine 



jelly. 



Aleurone. — Take the endosperm of a castor-oil seed, 



