22 The Microscope. 



and can be done. We do not claim that American microscopes are 

 not without their faults; neither are foreign instruments. We object, 

 however, to such a wholesale condemnation of home manufacture as 

 that of the writer in Science, believing that it is not only unjust to 

 American makers and misleading to purchasers, but is a serious 

 obstacle — " a wet-blanket " — on the awakening intex'est shown in this 

 country in microscopy. Nowhere in the world is the microscope 

 used to-day as much as in this country, and to say that — because 

 eveiy user of a lense is not a biologist or histologist — the microscope 

 does not instruct and refine, and in this way make better men and 

 women, is to deny facts which are too potent to be overlooked. We 

 have but superficially stated our belief in home instrument-makers 

 and their desii'e to supply good instruments at a fair price, and we 

 regret, as was said at the beginning, — that space forbids our entering 

 more in detail into the further discussion of this interesting subject. 



The American Postal Microscopical Club is meeting with 

 serious difficulties in mailing its boxes — due to the new postal law. 

 Much delay and annoyance in getting off the first installment of 

 boxes has been experienced, and the managers have finally issued a 

 circular to members detailing the spirit of the law, with directions in 

 regard to mailing. 



We hope that the future helpfulness of this club may not be 

 impeded by this ridiculous postal law. 



The unsightly advertisement on the last page of the index in 

 our December number was a mistake. We attempt to remedy this, 

 by sending in^the present issue, the half page of index defaced, so 

 that subscribers may bind up a clean volume for 1887. 



Acknowledgments. — W^e have received from Rev. J. D. King, 

 of Cottage City, Mass., two slides, prepared with his well-known 

 cements. Although we have many plant- slides in our collection, 

 these late additions are the finest that we have ever seen. We are 

 glad to announce that Mr. King will tell in the pages of The Micros- 

 cope, how he makes these wonderfully beautiful preparations of fei'ns. 

 The work done by Miss M. A. Booth has already been favorably 

 noticed in these pages. We are glad to notice that women are not 

 leaving microscopy entirely to the men, and if the mounts prepared 

 by Miss Booth are a fair sample of what women can do, the sterner 

 sex will look to their laurels. The slides before us, consisting mostly 

 of diatom mounts, would be hard to excel, and are rarely equaled in 

 beautv of arrangfement and finish. 



