12
Further Experiments: Try out the above proce-
dure with other salts such as Epsom and
Rochelle. Sugar will also crystallize, but you will
need to let it dry overnight for the crystals to
form.
Preparing a Mount
Dip your spatula (
C, Fig. 1) in some clean water
and make a smear across a clean slide. Use
your tweezers (
A, Fig. 1) to place a portion of an
insect—a wing, a leg, or an antenna—on the
slide. Attach a cover slip (
I, Fig. 1) over the spec-
imen and place the slide on the microscope
stage.
Obtain a piece of hair from your head or from
your pet and place it on a wet slide. Try this
again with more than one type of hair on a slide
and compare how they differ. Also try a piece of
fern (or other plant) and pollen and compare
them as well.
To save your slides, put gum media on a clean
dry slide and then position your specimen in the
media. Place a cover slip over the media and
attach a label.
Creating Smears
Using your scalpel (
B, Fig. 1), gently scrape off
small shavings from the surface of a freshly cut
potato.
Smear the shavings onto a clean slide (see
Figs.
6 and 7). Clean the scalpel by swishing it in the
flush water. Draw up some water using your eye-
dropper from the cup labeled clean and put one
drop onto the slide. Attach a cover slip to the
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
