108 SUMMARY OF CL'RRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Lemco Litmus Broth.* — M. H. Gordon, in an investigation of the 

 biochemical characters of Sta/pkijlococcus epidermidis albus, used the 

 following medium as a test for acid production. The medium is of 

 constant composition, but by the addition or omission of certain ingre- 

 dients may be found suitable for other purposes. The chief advantage 

 is the substitution of lemco for beef broth. Lemco 1 p.c, pepton 1 p.c, 

 sodium bicarbonate 0*1 p.c, carbohydrate or polyatomic alcohol 1 p.c, 

 10 com, per cent, aqueous sohition of ordinary solid litmus, and 1 p.c 

 maltose. 



ViGuiER, C- Nouvel Appareil pour la Recherche et la Recolte rapide du Plankton. 



Ardtiv. Zool. Expi^r et gin.. Notes ct Bevuc, v. (1906) 



pp. xlix.-lviii (6 figs.). 



(2) Preparing: Objects. 



Examining the Thymus of Birds. t — C. Ciaccio fixed the thymus of 

 fowls and pigeons in Bouin's tluid (formol-picro-acetic acid) and in 

 Ciaccio's mixture (formol-chromo-acetic acid). The sections were stained 

 with — (1) Heidenhain's iron-hfematoxylin ; (2) Apathy's hasmatein I A, 

 or Mayer's ha^malum — both these stains were followed by eosin or picro- 

 fuchsin ; (8) eosin and thionin or toluidin-blue. 



Studying the Spermatogenesis of Pyrrhocoris apterus.J — J. Gross 

 examined both the larvae and imagines of Pyrrhocoris aj^terus, collected 

 at various times of the year. The fixatives used were Flemming's 

 mixture and vom Rath's fluid, with and without osmic acid. The sections 

 were stained with iron-haematoxylin, and occasionally counterstained with 

 eosin. As controls to the iron-ha^matoxylin, alum-carmine and bleu-de- 

 Lyon and Flemming's triple stain were used. The sections were from 

 7 -'5-5 IX. 



Fixing and Staining the (Enocytes of Torymus nigricornis.§ — 

 R. Weissenberg first benumbed the animals with chloroform, and then 

 immersed them for about 45 seconds in water at about Ifi". The 

 cuticula was then ruptured with a needle or scissors, after which the 

 animal was immersed in Carnoy's alcohol-chloroform-acetic acid fluid, or 

 in Petrunkewitsch's modification of Gilson's mixture. Heat, however, 

 was employed in connection with the latter fixative. Staining was 

 effected with Delafield's hsematoxylin. It was found better to overstain 

 and decolorise with acid-alcohol, and differentiate with ammonia or 

 lithium carbonate. 



Fresh preparations were examined in physiological salt solution, or 

 in the juices of the animal itself. For sectioning, the mastix-collodion 

 method was used. 



Studying the Larvae of the Dragon-Fly.|| — Caroline McGill, when 

 studying the behaviour of the nucleoli during oogenesis of the dragon- 



* Rep. Local Gov. Board, 1906, Appendix B. pp. 388-9. 

 t Anat. Anzeig., xxix. (1906) pp. 597-600 (3 figs.). 

 X Zool. Jahrb., xxiii. (1906) pp. 269-336 (2 pis.). 

 § Tom. cit., pp. 231- 68 (1 pL). 

 II Tom. cit., pp. 207-30 (5 pis.). 



