ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 113 



Studying the Interstitial Cells of the Ovary.* — P. Aime worked 

 with the ovaries of several species of mammals. These were at different 

 stages of development, ranging from the early foetal state to the adult 

 condition. The material was fixed in Bouin's fluid (formol-picro-acetic 

 acid), Fleinming's strong fluid, Tellyesnicky's bichromate-acetic acid 

 mixture, sublimate, sublimate and platinum chloride, and also by 

 Altmann's special method. After a few days' immersion the material 

 was washed. The best results were obtained from pieces which were 

 washed in running water for 12 to 48 hours. 



The paraffin sections were stained with iron-hasmatoxylin and eosin 

 or light-green, Delafield's hgematoxylin, or with iron-hsematoxylin plus 

 picric acid-fuchsin, or eosin and light-green. Sections from pieces fixed 

 with Flemming were stained with the triple safranin, gentian-violet and 

 orange mixture, or with sufranin and light-green. Altmann's method 

 was adopted for showing the granules of the interstitial cells. 



Schouten, S. L. — Methode zur Anfertigung der glasernen Isoliernadeln, ge- 

 horend zu dem Isolierapparat fur Mikroorganismen. 



[A description of the apparatus and method of making the glass needles for 

 the author's isolating apparatus. A full description of the method has 

 previously appeared in this Journal, (1905, pp. 758-60).] 



Zeitschr. wiss. Mikrosk., xxiv. (1907) pp. 258-68 (15 figs.). 



(3) Cutting', including 1 Imbedding "and Microtomes. 



Studying the Structure of Mammalian Ear.f — W. Kolmer gives 

 at considerable length the results of his experiences for examining the 

 auditory apparatus of certain domestic mammals. The difficulties to be 

 overcome are the prevention of distortion of the soft parts and the 

 effective removal of the lime salts from the bone. Injection of the 

 fixative, after washing out the blood, through the carotid, is tedious but 

 gives good results. The best method of decalcification seems to be to 

 imbed the fixed material in celloidin, and then immerse in some decal- 

 cifying medium, nitric acid for choice. Most of the well-known fixatives 

 were tried (Flemming, Hermann, sublimate, sublimate and picric acid, 

 formol-bichromate-acetic). Small objects were imbedded in paraffin, 

 large ones in celloidin. 



The sections were stained with some hematoxylin solution, and 

 contrast-stained with Congo-red or acid-rubin, or by Bielschowski's and 

 Cajal's methods. 



Use of Sulphuric Ether in Imbedding.^ — F. Federici describes 

 methods for using sulphuric ether for imbedding in paraffin, and also in 

 celloidin and paraffin He found that while sulphuric ether at ordinary 

 temperature was a poor solvent of paraffin, its solvent power increased 

 proportionately to the temperature. Recalling Heidenhain's method of 

 paraffin imbedding by the aid of carbon bisulphide, § he removed pieces 

 of tissue from absolute alcohol to ether, and after a few hours trans- 



* Arch. Zool. Exper., vii. (1907) pp. 95-143 (3 pis.). 



t Arch. Mikr. Anat. u. Entwickl., lxx. (1907) pp. 697-706 (3 pis.). 



X Anat. Anzeig., xxxi. (1907) pp. 601-3. 



§ See this Journal, 1902, p. 111. 



Feb. 19th, 1908 r 



