ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 391 



to one end of an ordinary micro-slide by sealing-wax ; a glass-headed 

 pin, about 2 in. long, is inserted through the upper end of the cork, in 

 the direction of the long axis of the slide; on the point of this pin is 

 placed a small rectangular piece of cork which carries the plasticine. 

 By revolving the pin, the object can be rotated and observed through 

 an angle of 18<> ." 



(4) Staining- and Injecting-. 



Arnold, J. — Supra vitale Farbung Mitochondrion ahnlioher Granula in den knor- 

 pelzellen nebst Bemerkungen uber die Morphologie des Xnorpelglykogens. 



Anat. Anzeig., xxxii. (1908) pp. 361-6. 



Be the, A. — 1st die primare Farbbarkeit der Nervenfasera durcn die Amvesenheit 

 einer besenderen substanz bedingt. Tom. cit., pp. 337-45 (1 pi.). 



(5) Mounting-, including- Slides, Preservative Fluids, etc. 



Preserving the Colour of Anatomical Specimens.* — G. Fornario 

 finds that the following method is superior to that of Kaiserling for 

 retaining the colour of museum specimens. The fresh specimens, which 

 may or not be washed in physiological salt solution, are immersed in a 

 4 p.c. solution of commercial formalin for 4S hours, after which they 

 are transferred to 90 p.c. alcohol for not more than 24 hours. The 

 specimen is then placed in fresh DO p.c. alcohol, and to this is added, drop 

 by drop, a variable quantity of the following solution : saturated solution 

 of picric acid 100 c.cm., glacial acetic acid 4 c.cm. The initial colour 

 should reappear in the course of a few minutes. 



The quantity of the picric acid solution varies according to the size 

 of the piece ; it does not exceed 10 c.cm. per litre. In this solution the 

 pieces may remain indefinitely, but a few days suffice. They are then 

 transferred to 90 p.c. alcohol, in which they are permanently preserved. 

 For large pieces it is useful to add a very small quantity of haemoglobin 

 to the picric acid solution. 



(6) Miscellaneous. 



Improved Form of Celloidin Capsule. f — W. H. Harvey employs the 

 following method for making celloidin capsules. The cover and body of 

 a gelatin capsule are separated, and through the bottom of the latter a 

 hole is made to admit a piece of glass tubing of 4-6 mm. external 

 diameter. The capsule being closed again, the glass tube is warmed and 

 passed through the hole until it touches the cover, to the inside of which 

 it will adhere. The capsule and about 3 cm. of the glass tube are now 

 dipped into a specimen tube of melted paraffin ; on withdrawing, the 

 tube is rotated to enable the paraffin to cool in an even layer. The 

 capsule and tube are now dipped twice into a specimen tube containing 

 a 3 p.c. solution of celloidin, and then three or four times into a 9 p.c. 

 solution of celloidin. When the last layer has set, the structure is placed 

 in a test-tube containing chloroform which burdens the celloidin and 

 dissolves the paraffin, leaving the gelatin capsule free in a shell of 

 celloidin. The whole is then placed in a bath of spirit for a few 

 minutes, and then into a beaker of water. The glass tube may now be 



* C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxiv. (.1908) pp. 543-4. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., It" Abt. Orig., xlvi. (1908) p. 285. 



