186 The Microscope. 



Add the sulphuric acid and water (after cooling) to the methyl- 

 blue. 



These put up in bottles and marked 1 and 2 can be kept for 

 a long time. 



The cover glass is now immersed in solution No. 1, or the carbol- 

 fuchsin, for three minutes. It is then taken out ; the excess of red 

 washed off in water and immersed in the No. 2, or blue stain, for 

 two minutes ; if at the end of this time it is still tinged with red, it 

 can be put back in the blue for another minute or so ; it can now 

 be washed in water, and examined either in a drop of water or 

 dried and examined in Canada balsam. If the specimen washes 

 off the cover glass it is because it has not been flamed enough,, 

 or the sputum has been deficient in albumen. To find the 

 bacilli, look for small bright red rods. Everything else will be 

 found stained blue. Look at the thinner places and the shores 

 of the blue islands, as it were. When there are but few bacilli 

 in the sputa, seven to ten cover glasses may have to be examined 

 before they can be detected. The fine adjustment should be 

 constantly used so as to bring into focus any bacilli which may 

 be in the field. 



It will 1)6 noticed that in using these stains no heat is needed,, 

 and the whole process takes but very little time. 



Preservative for alg.*:. — After quoting the Hon Nicolas 

 Pike's preservative as published in The Microscope, the Bulletin 

 de la Socike Beige de Microscopie says that M. Ripart employs for the 

 preservation of fresh, water Algis, such as Sph^ogyra, Zjjgnema, solu- 

 tions of the carbolate of soda, 1 part to 1000, and 10 to 1000. 

 The first mentioned serves for the preservation of the plants in 

 bulk; the second for microscopical preparations in glycerine. To 

 obtain a satisfactory result he recommends that the Algae be well 

 washed to free them from extraneous matter, and placed in bot- 

 tles completely filled with the carbolated liquid. 



Stage improvements. — When the stage is perfectly even, the 

 slide will always bear on it with the whole surface, and not 

 move with sufiiicient ease. This can be remedied by copying a 

 feature of the Zentmayer stage, and in some way fixing two 

 rails or narrow strips of metal on which the slides move with 

 remarkable ease. Hans M. Wilder. 



