The MicRoscopfi. 59 



V)f hardened eelloidin, is placed in the desired position on the 

 cork, and fastened to it with eelloidin. After drying in the air 

 until a layer is formed on the outer surftice firm enough to 

 retain the shape, the cork is dropped into 50 per cent, alcohok 

 Usually the object is ready to cut after remaining in the alcohol 

 one hour. 



This method of preparing a bed of eelloidin has been employ- 

 ed with Very satisfactory results in obtaining sections of embryo 

 chicks. Blastoderms of the earlier periods of incubation have 

 been successfully sectioned. B}' arranging the embryo on the bed 

 of hardened eelloidin, it has been possible to get large symmet* 

 rical sections of the blastoderm. Celloidin contracts during the 

 drying process, but by the exercise of due care in arranging the 

 blastoderm, distortion may be avoided. 



This method of embedding has given good results in studying 

 Hydra, and the preparation of the celloidin bed may be resorted 

 to in almost every case where delicate objects are to be sectioned^ 



AN EXPERIENCE WITH BENZOLE, 



MISS M. A. BOOTH, F. R. M. S. 



It may be familiar to the readers of The Microscope, but it 

 Was new to me. I may say, by way of preface, that I have used 

 more benzole in my work than most preparers. Possible this 

 may have been an idiosyncracy. That no amount of painstak- 

 ing will atone for poor chemicals and produce good work, is 

 self-evident. Whether or not "get the best," is a rule for uni- 

 versal practice, it is an imperative necessity in microscopical 

 work, and with no one article have I had so much trouble as 

 with benzole. Indeed, how to obtain pure benzole suitable for 

 microscopical work, has been to me until recently, an unsolved 

 and unsolvable problem. 



If I ordered a bottle of benzole from a dealer in microscopist's 

 supplies, its price was doubled by expressage, and quite as likely 

 as not the benzole was worthless. Or, if in a moment of econo- 

 my, I ordered by the quantity to save expressage, quite possibly 

 I lost both benzole and expressage, and in both cases, perhaps, 

 after valuable time had been wasted in waiting for the dealer' 

 stock to arrive from Europe. In this wa}'' my laboratory store^ 

 room _ became a veritable infirmary. 



I was discouraged, and when told that a local druggist could 



