Microscopical Society of Victoria. 
51 
easily mix with the acid, if held for a few minutes over the spirit- 
lamp. The acid will then be less likely to crystalize, and the small 
quantity of spirit used will not affect the process. Should there be • 
any difficulty in procuring stock of perfectly clear acid, the ordinary 
coloured acid of the shops, if in crystals, may be used without fear. 
As will be noticed presently, we drive off all the carbolic acid 
used, replacing by clear balsam or dammar, therefore the coloured 
acid can do no harm. Perfectly clear acid soon becomes discoloured 
by exposure to light, and heat has a similar effect; when we boil 
objects in acid and allow them to remain for a few days, the acid 
will then have changed to a rich brown, but as this does not affect 
the objects steeped therein, it need not trouble us further. 
The advantages claimed for this process are, that objects need 
never be allowed to dry before mounting in balsam or dammar; 
that the operation, from first to last, is simple and cleanly ; while, 
compared with the old turpentine process, this is wonderfully 
rapid. A tiny insect may be caught alive, boiled, cleared, mounted 
in balsam, the slide finished off and put away in the cabinet, all 
within half-an-hour. 
Objects saturated with water should be drained as well as 
possible without allowing all the water to run off, as in that case 
air might be admitted, then transferred to a clean test tube, 
covered with carbolic acid from the working bottle, and boiled for 
a few minutes over a spirit lamp. Corked tightly, a test tube full 
of objects in acid may be put aside for any length of time before 
mounting. When we desire to mount one of these objects we 
transfer it to a clean slide, put on a thin glass cover, and with the 
aid of a small pipette allow enough clean carbolic acid to run in 
to flood the object. Having examined under the microscope, and 
arranged it to our liking, we warm the slide over a spirit-lamp, 
and place sufficient balsam or dammar on the slide close to the 
cover ; liquified by the heat, either medium will at once run in 
and drive the acid out at the other side. This will be greatly 
facilitated by inclining the slide and holding a small piece of 
blotting paper under the thumb close to the lower edge of the 
thin cover. When all the acid has been drawn off, the slide is 
then placed on a hot plate to harden, and afterwards finished in 
the usual manner by scraping off' the superfluous balsam, wiping 
