STAINING AND MOUNTING. Igt 
which may be mounted in handles; slides, cover- 
glasses, and balsam. 
A section is to be removed from the bowl of water in 
which it is floating by means of one of the strips of 
paper; this must be inserted under it, and the section 
“pinned” in place upon by one of the needles. A 
special section-lifter may be used, but is not so good. 
It is then transferred to the watch-glass containing the 
hematoxylin solution, and the staining process is 
allowed to go on for a minute or two, a fresh section 
being manipulated whilst it is taking place. The first 
section is then removed in the same way as before and 
placed in the water containing the ammonia; it soon 
turns blue, and when this is the case it is ready to be 
transferred to the eosin, then into the dilute alcohol, 
the absolute alcohol (where it should remain for a 
minute or more) and finally into the oil of cloves. It is 
then ready to be mounted in balsam. A convenient 
way in which a section can be transferred to a slide is 
as follows :—The section is carefully spread out whilst 
in the oil of cloves, two needles being used for the pur- 
pose, and a slip of paper insinuated beneath it. This 
strip of paper is then drawn slowly out of the liquid, 
and any folds or creases which may be in the section 
straightened out with the needles, the excess of the oil 
of cloves being allowed to drop off whilst this is taking 
place. The strip of paper is then inverted (the section 
remaining adherent to the under surface) and placed 
upon a clean slide and pressed firmly upon it; the 
pressure squeezes out the greater part of the oil so that 
the section adheres to the slide and the paper can be 
stripped cautiously from it. A drop of balsam is then 
applied, the section covered with a cover-glass, and 
examined under the microscope. 
