112 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



them was by removing some of the fluid in a capillary pipette, and 

 then using the dark-ground illumination. Films were made by fixing 

 the smear with osmic acid vapour, and staining with Giemsa's mixture 

 (60 c.cm. of • 5 p.c. glycerin and a few drops of the Giemsa). The mix- 

 ture is used hot, and re-applied. Morphologically the spirochetes bred in 

 this way are indistinguishable from the typical Sp irochseta pallida, but they 

 were not pathogenic to animals. Hence these results suggest (1) that 

 the spirochastes bred are not the true 8. pallida ; (2) that they have 

 lost their virulence ; or (3) that syphilis is not due to S. pallida. 



Collecting Ccelenterata, and Observations on the Ova.* — G. T. 

 Hargitt collected Tubularia crocea in November and Pennaria iiurella 

 in July and August. The male and female colonies were kept in 

 separate dishes. The medusas became free about 7 o'clock in the 

 evening. When a sufficient number of eggs had been discharged, 

 spermatozoa were introduced by adding a pipetteful of water from the 

 dish containing the male colonies. In this way the desired stages were 

 easily obtained. To secure stages earlier than fertilisation medusa; 

 were removed from the colony before the time of maturation. The 

 medusas thus artificially set free were at once fixed, some 15 to 12 hours, 

 others 10 hours, and others at still shorter periods, before liberation. 



The following fluids were used for killing : — -Flemming's stronger 

 mixture, aqueous solution of sublimate and acetic acid, Bouin's picro- 

 formol, Zenker's fluid. For Tubularia the corrosive-acetic gave the 

 best results, and for Pennaria Bouin's fluid was the most satisfactory. 

 For staining, iron-hasmatoxylin followed by Congo red or orange G ; 

 also Conklin's picro-hgematoxylin, Delafield's and Ehrlich's hematoxylin 

 were useful. For purposes of comparison, Mallory's phosphotungstic 

 hematoxylin, iron-Braziliu, and Auerbach's and Erlich-Blindi mixtures 

 of acid-fuchsin and methyl-green. 



Collecting and Preserving Insects.f — N. Banks, in collaboration 

 with other members of the Bureau of Entomology, U.S.A. National 

 Museum, has compiled a small monograph dealing with the collection 

 and preservation of insects. To those interested in entomology it will 

 be found very useful, as full directions are given for every stage, and 

 these are supplemented with a classification of insects and with special 

 directions for different kinds. The volume is freely illustrated, and a 

 good bibliography is appended. 



Modification of the Conradi Medium for Isolating Bacillus 

 typhosus from Excreta.}— H. B. Fawcus recommends a medium of 

 the following composition. To 900 c.cm. of tap water add 5 grm. 

 sodium taurocholate (commercial from ox-bile) ; 30 grm. agar (powder) ; 

 20 grm. peptone (Witte) ; 5 grm. common salt. Dissolve in steamer 

 for 3 hours, clean with white of egg, filter through wadding and bring 

 to a reaction of +15 with normal lactic acid or normal soda as required. 

 Dissolve 10 grm. of lactose in 100 c.cm. of distilled water and add it 

 to the melted agar. Mix well and filter through Chardin paper. To 



* Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., liii. (1909) pp. 161-212 (9 pis.). 



t Smithsonian Inst., Washington, U.S., Bull. 67 (1909) 135 pp. (188 figs.). 



% Journ. Roy. Army Med. Corps, xii. (1909) pp. 147-54. 



