Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



467 



larvae that were collected over a year ago. In this time they have received a 

 few dried thistle heads, some fragments of cork, bark, and rags. They are very 

 hardy. Some were put with meal into a small tin can, tightly closed for trans- 

 portation, but were misplaced, and not found until three months later. They were 

 unharmed. 



To find the Gregarinidas for demonstration or study, snip off with small 

 scissors both ends of a larva, seize the protruding (white) intestine with forceps, 

 draw it out, and tease a portion in normal salt solution (water will do) on a slide. 

 Cover, find with the low power (minute, oblong, transparent bodies), and study 

 with any higher objective to suit. Now and then one larva, and sometimes sev- 

 eral, may be found that have only a few or none of the parasites, but I do not 

 remember ever to have examined more than three in succession without find- 

 ing hundreds of them. 



The larvae, by the way, serve another purpose ; they are used for feeding 

 certain birds, chameleons, etc., so that in large cities they may be found for sale 

 at bird stores. L. Murbach. 



Detroit, Mich., May, 1899. 



A New Staining Dish. 



A set of Stender dishes or Naples jars for staining sections on the slide 

 occupies an undue amount of space upon the laboratory table, and requires a 

 much larger quantity of the reagents than is demanded by the mere necessities of 

 staining. An ordinary dish of the Stender pattern, large enough to take four or 

 five slides without putting them back to back, requires about 120 cc. of the 

 reagent ; a Naples jar for two slides, placed back to back, requires about 40 cc. 

 It is well known to histologists that in case of many reagents much more is 

 spoiled or wasted than is used, e. g., 40 cc. of gentian-violet in a small Naples jar 

 will last as long, and do as effective work as 120 cc. in a Stender dish, since in 

 either case the stain will probably lose its efficiency on account of spoiling. 

 The same is true of many other stains. There would be an equal saving in 



