Kansas llNiyERSin Science Bulletin. 



Vol. IV, No. 5. MARCH, 1907. } vo""xilfNo^l'. 



A METHOD OF RECORDINa EMBRYOLOGICAL 



MATERIAL. 



BY RICHARD E. SCAMMON. 



^r^HE cataloguing and arrangement of an erabryological 

 -*- collection of any size offers a problem of some com- 

 plexity. Such a collection made up of embryos, entire and 

 sectioned, separate organs and fetal appendages, does not 

 lend itself at once to a simple classification or an easy sys- 

 tem of arrangement. In the method here presented an at- 

 tempt has been made to avoid complexity as one extreme and 

 incompleteness as the other. The system set forth below was 

 worked out by the author, with suggestions from Dr. C. E. 

 McClung and Mr. R. G. Hoskins for the growing collection 

 of the University of Kansas. Thus far it has proved satis- 

 factory, and rendered the collection far more available. 



This method has for its aim three results : First, to give 

 quickly accurate data concerning any specimen in the collec- 

 tion ; second, to prevent the loss of specimens and slides from 

 the collection ; third, to systematically collect and preserve 

 valuable observations concerning the material in the collec- 

 tion. The means used is a series of records kept on specially 

 devised cards. The method of procedure is as follows : 

 Material for class use and dissection or unprepared for the 

 collection is merely kept in bottles with slips giving all known 

 data. When a specimen is to be sectioned or otherwise pre- 

 pared for the collection it is given an accession number. Two 

 series of accession numbers are kept — one the ordinary series 

 of numerals for entire embryos, whole or sectional ; the other 

 a series with a cipher before the first numeral (example, 02.'S) 



(183) 



