ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 371 



:acid, 40 grin, of tannic acid, and 1000 grm. of water ; (B) of 2'5 grm. 

 (basic fuchsin, and absolute alcohol 100 c.cm. ; (C) of potassium hydrate 

 1 grm., and distilled water 100 grm. Solutions A and B are mixed 

 together and kept in a tightly corked bottle. When required for stain- 

 ing, solution C is added drop by drop to the AB mixture until a 

 dusty looking precipitate can be seen at the margin. The fluid is then 

 filtered and 4 or 5 drops of the clear filtrate poured over the prepared 

 film. The staining fluid becomes, after a variable time, iridescent, then 

 turbid, and finally deposits a precipitate. When this last stage occurs 



.the flagella are stained. The preparation is then washed with distilled 

 water and dried with blotting-paper. 



Demonstrating Trypanosomata.* — M. Elmassian and E. Migone, 

 when studying the "Mai de Caderas," a disease of South American 

 Equidre, used the following solutions : — (A) Hasmatein ' 5 gr., ammonia 

 alum 5 grm., water 100 c.cm. (B) Magenta red 1 grm., absolute 

 alcohol 10 c.cm., water 100 c.cm. The Trypanosoma blood was spread 



• on slides and fixed first in absolute alcohol for 12 hours, and then in 

 5 p.c. bichromate of potash for 1 to 3 hours. The films having been 



■ carefully washed in tap water, were stained for a quarter of an hour or 

 more in a mixture of the two solutions (5 c.cm. of the first and a drop 

 of the second). Sometimes it was found better to use the staining 

 separately and successively instead of simultaneously. In this way a 

 better hasinatein effect is attained without overstaining with magenta. 

 The addition of 20 to 30 grm. p.c. to the hamiatein solutions was 



•often an improvement. Stained in this way- the nucleus of Trypano 

 soma is violet, the flagellum dark red, the protoplasm dull red, and the 

 membrane bright red. This method also demonstrates the presence 

 towards the blunt end of a spherical body (micronucleus, centrosome) 

 which is of variable size and is invariably connected with the flagelhmi 

 or filament. 



New Glass Staining-Trough.j — J. Schaffer describes a glass trough 

 which he has found useful for staining series of sections on slides of the 

 English or Vienna shape. The measurements are 9 by 8 by 5 cm. 

 The trough is provided with a lid and will accommodate 10 (or 20 

 placed back to back) slides in the long direction and 12 (or 24) in 

 the short. Except in shape and adaptability to two kinds of slides 

 this apparatus does not differ materially from many other staining 

 troughs. 



Method for Staining Bacterial Granules.! — M. Ficker advises the 

 use of a solution composed of methylen-blue (med. pur. Hochst) and 

 lactic acid 2 p.c, for staining bacterial granules. A suspension of 

 bacteria in tap-water is placed on a slide and a drop of the solution is 

 run under the cover-glass in the usual way. This may be repeated 

 several times, with an interval of some minutes between the turns. 



Staining and Preservation of Serial Sections on Paper Strips.§ 

 A. Schoenemann describes the following procedure which he adopts for 



* Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xvii. (1903) pp. 243-4 (1 pi.). 

 t Zeitschr. wise. Mikr., xix. (1903) pp. 297-300 (1 fig.). 

 X Hyg. Rundschau, xii. (1902) p. 1131. 

 § Zeitschr. wiss. Mikr., xix. (1903) pp. 336-6. 



