THE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS 



415 



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RECREATIONS^MICROSCOPE 



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Edited by Dr. V. A. Latham, 1644 Morse Avenue, Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois. 



Recreations with the Microscope. 



The microscope has been brought to 

 perfection. Styles vary a little from 

 year to year, but in the main it will 

 never be essentially improved because 

 there is no room for improvement. It 

 is all that can be desired. It is of un- 

 alloyed usefulness and delight. 



It is this especially secondary phase 

 that The Guide to Nature proposes 

 to emphasize and to make effective in 

 the new department, "Recreations 

 with the Microscope." Dr. Latham, 

 the department editor, is skilled and 

 enthusiastic. The utility phases of the 

 microscope are known in thousands of 

 schools and laboratories. The per- 

 fect instruments are used with skill. 

 Now let all these workers unite in 

 showing especially to the younger gen- 

 eration the recreations with the micro- 

 scope. 



The microscope is now as never be- 

 fore a "magic tube." More and more, 

 so long as there are eyes to see, minds 

 to think and hearts to feel, will there 

 be enjoyment in the very smallest as 

 well as in other aspects of nature. — B. 



A Faithful Microscopist. 



It is with especial interest that we call 

 attention to Mr. C. L. Peticolas's adver- 

 tisement in which he offers his entire 

 outfit in microscopy. Mr. Peticolas is 

 eighty-six years of age. He has done 

 more than any one else in this country 

 to inspire an interest in some of nature's 

 most beautiful, yet quite commonly un- 

 known objects — the wonderful micro- 

 scopic diatoms. To a large number of 

 our readers, the word "diatom" may be 

 meaningless. 



Twenty years ago Mr. Peticolas in- 

 serted an advertisement in a journal 

 edited by the editor of this magazine 

 and it brought liberal cash returns, for 

 many persons were then interested in 



diatoms, lint diatoms are not things of 

 the past. Beautiful fossil forms exist in 

 abundance and in almost every pool, es- 

 pecially in the spring, myriads of these 

 beautiful microscopic plants live and 

 thrive. 



If schools and nature lovers desire to 

 secure beautifully mounted slides of 

 these beautiful objects, here is a good op- 

 portunity and at the same time to assist 

 this aged and deserving micros- 

 copist. — B. 



Double and Single Staining Solutions 

 for Living Infusoria. 



Living infusoria may be stained in 

 very weak solutions of dahlia for the 

 protoplasm (violet) and the nucleus 

 (green) with malachite green if used 

 simultaneously. Any other tar colors 

 can be used if in 1 1500,000 strength so- 

 lution. Anilin black Certes says gives 

 a dark ground effect and they live a 

 long time in the solution. 



To Harden Flies to Give the Best Re- 

 sults in Making Sections. 



Use Henning's solution consisting of 



Nitric acid (C. P.) 16 parts. 



Chromic acid (.5% sol.) 16 parts. 



Bichloride of mercury (saturated in 

 60% alcohol) 24 parts. 



Picric acid (saturated watery solu- 

 tion) 12 parts. 



Absolute alcohol 42 parts. 



When hardened wash out the above 

 solution with iodized alcohol (iodine 

 added to alcohol till sherry color). 

 This fixes and softens chitin. Be care- 

 ful to embed only a short time and 

 against handling the solution with 

 steel or hands. (Excerpt). 



La Nature and the Revue Scienti- 

 fique, which suspended publication in 

 August when their editors went to the 

 front, have resumed. 



