2 
hunter: the C0CCII)/E OE KANSAS. 
Another means used was to soften the specimens in warm water 
then transfer to fifty per cent alcohol, then to ninetj'-five per cent 
alcohol, from here through the clearing mixture into balsam. This 
I found better, in that it insured the retention of the plates present 
but it had the objection of not rendering old and heavily chitinized 
scales transparent. 
For a new bleaching agent, chloral hydrate, saturated solution, 
boiling specimens in this under cover for a few moments and also 
by leaving in the fluid under cover for twelve to twenty-four hours. 
The latter method leaving in for a day or less — gave the best re- 
sults, rendered the specimens transparent and kept them reason- 
ably firm. It did not appear to affect the plates and spines; did 
not leave any undesirable substances upon the specimens. From 
the chloral hydrate they were taken into the water and then through 
the process previously described. 
In experimenting with the action of xjdol upon the plates it was 
found that it rendered them very brittle and left them undesirably 
transparent, so that in some specimens mounted in xylol-balsam I 
noticed a tendency to render the plates of the same refractive index 
as the balsam. Glycerine as a mounting medium was tried, and 
it was found that specimens could be more readily taken from a 
chloral solution into glycerine than by any other method used. 
The objection to the glycerine is, of course, that permanent mounts 
require to be incased in cement. Glycerine jelly, I think, will 
largely overcome this difficulty, and I expect to test it in my sub- 
sequent work. 
Having the mounts ready for study I found daylight not always 
the most satisfactory light for revealing the points desired, so that 
the light of the Welsbach burner passed through a liter balloon 
flask, filled with a solution of copper sulphate, rendered the de- 
sired clearness by the addition of ammonia (NHj), the test being 
a white light thrown upon the reflector. This illuminating apparatus 
is spoken of in liolanischcs Practictmi, Strasburger, ihgy, and Micro- 
scope and Microscopical Accessories, Zeiss, No. 30, 1895. Mr. Mc- 
Clung, of the department of Zoology, in his work tried the ad- 
dition of a drop or two of saturated alcoholic solution of saffron to 
the fluid in the flask. This I consider advantageous; enough be- 
ing added to give the light a tinge of pink, which gives good con- 
trasts with the yellow subject. 1 had endeavored to find a stain 
that would hold in firmly chitinized specimens, but met with little 
success. This pink light, showing the necessary contrast, as it 
does, served the same purpose at a great saving of time and labor. 
