236 SUMMARY OF CUKRENT KESEAKGHES KELATING TO 



prevent entrance of contaminating germs. Arrived on board, the point 

 at a is filed off, and the arrangement shown in fig. 44 is attached ; the 

 upper end is then filed through at d, the hends are rejected, and a tube 

 filled with cotton wool at one end is fitted on at d c. On loosening the 

 pinchcock, the contents of A are removed to vessels filled with cultivation 

 media. 



New Cultivation Medium for Bacteria.* — Uyeda finds that niannan 

 makes an excellent medium for cultivating bacteria. In Konjaku 

 plants {ConophaUus ko/ijak) it occurs in considerable quantity, and is 

 obtained by boiling the roots, when it forms a jelly of the consistence 

 of stiff starch paste. In Japan it is a commercial article and is sold in 

 sheets. For laboratory purposes it is used like ordinary gelatin, i.e. by 

 itself, or to aid in stiffening other media. Bacteria show characteristic 

 growth, liquefaction and pigment formation when cultivated on this 

 medium. 



Collecting and Preserving Relict Crustaceans.f — W. Samter and 

 W. "Weltner used drag-nets and push-nets of different shapes for captur- 

 ing 3It/sis reJida. One drag-net was 12(i cm. long, and the iron collar 

 was shaped like an isosceles triangle, one side being SO cm. the others 

 50 cm. each. Another triangular net was equilateral, the length of the 

 bars being 50 cm., and the length of the net sac 70 cm. The third 

 drag-net was rectangular, the long sides measuring 65 cm. and the 

 short 18 cm. ; the length of the bag, which was triangular in shape, 

 was 107 cm. The push-net or scraper was much like a hay-fork, the 

 prongs of which are joined by a bar 25 cm. long. 



The animals were fixed and preserved in alcohol and formalin. The 

 latter (1 part commercial formalin to 10 parts of water) gave the best 

 results. 



Volvox for Laboratory Use.:[ — B. G. Smith has found that Volvox 

 can l)e kept for weeks by means of the following procedure. The water 

 containing Volvox should be brought in in considerable quantity, to- 

 gether with a small amount of vegetable material, such as duckweed, 

 Biccia, etc., and placed in shallow glass dishes. The dishes are placed 

 near windows and covered with glass plates, except when exposed to 

 direct sunlight. In that case it is advisable to leave room for circula- 

 tion of air between the cover and the dish, to prevent rise of temperature 

 beyond the optimum. The water need not be changed. Should there 

 be"^ too many inimical organisms present the Volvox may be removed to 

 another vessel, filled with water which has been freed from Crustacea, etc., 

 by filtering it through bolting cloth. A moderate amount of decaying 

 plant or animal matter seems necessary for the existence of Volvox, and 

 they are more easily kept alive in cool than in warm weather. 



Abundant material in the sexual stage w^as obtained in the spring 

 and fall, and it was noted that when in this condition they often remain 

 hidden in the ooze at the bottom of the dish. 



* Bull. Imp. Centr. Agric. Exp. Stat. Japan, i. (1906) p. 59. See also Centralbl. 

 Bakt., Ite Abt. Ref., xxxix. (1907) p. .300. 



t Arch. f. Natur., i. (1906), pp. .311-22 (2 pis.). 

 X Amer. Naturalist, xli. (1907) pp. 31-1. 



