Journal of the 
54 
useful cell, having a neat appearance, is by no means an easy thing 
to make, especially if required of a great depth. Of course there 
are plans adopted by individuals which they recommend, and may 
be successfully adopted by some, though often failures in the hands 
of others. 
We are advised to make cells of paper, card, tinfoil, and tea lead, 
by punching holes through and cementing to the glass slip. Rings 
of gold size, black japan, and a variety of varnishes made on 
purpose and applied by means of the turn table coat after coat till 
of a sufficient thickness ; these all prove very frequently difficult 
to make and unsatisfactory. They are sometimes so brittle, they 
will hardly bear a touch ; another time, perhaps, so soft that you 
must be careful how you handle them for a long time. Glass 
cells which, though made with some risk of breakage, are 
not difficult to make with a sharp file wetted with turpentine; 
also metal and Indian-rubber rings, fastened by cement to the 
slips • and writers in late periodicals have been advising the use of 
a metal ring, as a curtain ring, in which a disc of wax nearly the 
same size is placed and melted, which, when allowed to cool, forms 
a cell with a concave surface, which is more or less objectionable. 
With all these there is the same difficulty of fixing the covers. 
The process which I now confidently bring under your notice is 
one which I have never seen mentioned, and may yet bear some 
improvement. It is making the cells of bees 7 wax, white wax, 
parafine, or stearine, or a mixture of these substances. 
Years ago I tried to make cells by puncturing holes in sheets of 
wax and stearine, but always had a difficulty in removing the cells 
from the punch without pulling them out of shape or spoiling the 
face of the ring. 
My present process is thus : — I take a small piece of wax, 
according to the size and depth of the cell required, place it in the 
middle of the glass slip, warm it thoroughly over a spirit lamp 
then press it upon the slide perfectly flat and even with a smooth 
surface. This is easily done by means of what I call a gauge, made 
thus — on each end of a slip of glass, cement with balsam small 
pieces of paper, card, or glass of the thickness of the required cell, 
moisten the underside, and press upon the warm wax till down as 
far as the end pieces will allow; by moving this gauge about a 
