PREFACE, 
Fungi, on Double-Staining, Photo-Micrography, and Section- 
Cutting, have been highly valued as is shewn by the testimony of 
many who have written us to that effect. 
A wish has been also expressed that we should give abstracts of 
Articles from Foreign Journals: we would willingly do this if space 
allowed, but would remind our readers that the improvements we 
have in view must depend upon our Subscription List. 
The Exchange Column for slides and raw material we would 
like to see more frequently used than at present, as it is almost 
the only method by which exchanges between strangers can be 
effected, and there is little doubt that if communications of this 
kind were more frequent between persons at a distance from one 
another, it would conduce to a better style of mounting than at 
present exists among amateurs, and tend to a wider circulation of 
new ideas and improvements in this respect. 
Our Verification Department has been a most decided success. 
When the idea was first suggested to us, we were much opposed to 
it, being of opinion that Microscopists would not care to have 
their objectives “verified.” The number of lenses sent into this 
‘Department has proved to us the fallacy of our supposition, and 
this portion of our pages promises to become one of the most 
interesting. 
In conclusion, we congratulate ourselves upon having collected 
and put upon record much valuable matter that would otherwise 
have remained in obscurity: we thank our subscribers for aiding 
us In attaining to this end, and heartily wish them 
THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON. 
