Ta, KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 
modia for the observation of protoplasmic currents may be obtained 
by putting pieces of sclerotia in a hanging drop of water or some 
nutrient fluid enclosed in a cell, by transferring a piece of the liv- 
ing plasmodium to the cell, or by placing a large cover glass on a 
plasmodium and transferring it to a cell after the plasmodium has 
run over it. These small plasmodia will adhere to cover glasses 
and may be put into fixing and staining solutions without removing 
them. I have had good success in obtaining swarm spores of 
Myxomycetes by sowing large numbers of spores in vials of water. 
The germination of the spores cannot be followed so well as in 
drop cultures, perhaps, but large quantities of swarm spores may 
be obtained for class use. ; 
In the study of the zodspores and early stages of some Alge I 
have used drop cultures prepared as follows: Incisions are made 
with a sharp knife in a piece of cork, and large cover glasses are 
fitted edgewise into the cuts in such a way that, when the cork is 
floated on water, some cover glasses are entirely submerged, others 
only partially. If the apparatus be placed in culture dish or pool 
containing Algz, zodspores of some kinds will fasten to these cover 
glasses and grow. The cover glasses, with germinating spores and 
young plants, may then be mounted over cells and studied. This 
method shows well the formation of zodspores by young plants, as 
occurs in Oedogonium, and the way by which the plants fasten to 
their support. In the half submerged cover glasses the organisms 
which grow at the very surface of the water may be obtained, since 
the cover glasses, fixed to a floating object, remain at the same 
depth. 
Few fungi are more favorable for the study of the formation of 
zodspores than the Saprolegniew. Their rapid development and 
the ease with which they may be mounted and observed make them 
good material for the study of the growth of hyphe also, and the 
formation of odgonia, odspores and antheridia. An abundance of 
this material may be obtained, as is well known, by throwing in- 
sects or pieces of other organic material into water brought from a 
pond or stream; but difficulties often come from the too great mul- 
tiplication of Bacteria in the culture dishes. 1 have had very good 
success in avoiding this trouble, by keeping a liberal supply of 
water plants, especially such as Elodea and Myriophyllum in the 
cultures. I find that when these plants are used there is no need 
of changing the water, and several insects may be put into a crys- 
tallizing dish of average size without the cultures becoming foul, 
especially if the room is not too warm. I have found spiders 
