} The Microscope. 311 



that puts the flame under the complete and undisputed control 

 of the microscopist. 



The lamp is praiseworthj' ; it can scarcel}' be excelled for 

 Diatom'work, and I take pleasure in having Mr. Taylor's per- 

 mission to refer to it in this public way, and in commending it 

 to the student of the Diatoms who needs a pure, white and 

 exceedingly intense illumination. This lamp will give him such 

 a flame, and it will show him a crisp, sharp and exquisite resolu- 

 tion of the most diflicult tests that it will do his soul good to 

 think about. 



1 know nothing of its cost, but it is certain that a single one 

 would be much more expensive than if a quantity could be 

 manufactured at one time. As Mr. Taylor has said, to soothe 

 my meanings and expressions of longing, if the microscopist 

 possess the machinery of an old and discarded Hitchcock lamp, 

 which never came into general use and never could, he can 

 readily make the other parts of the contrivance, since only 

 an air passage is then needed to lead the draught around the 

 oil reservoir to the flame within the cap. The lamp has been 

 described, I believe, before the American Society of Micro- 

 scopists, but its merits for the special work it is intended to do 

 gives it claims on the attention of every progressive investi- 

 gator and upon some enterprising dealer in microscopical sup- 

 plies that can see his way clear toward placing it in the market. 



In the November number of The Microscope will appear the 

 first installment of a series of papers on Elementary Microscop- 

 ical Mounting. The chapters are written by Dr. A. M. Webster, 

 who describes the various processes in a way that is exceedingly 

 explicit, giving reasons for every step and for every opinion, 

 doing so in a very pleasant manner. The chapters will be espe- 

 cially gratifying to the " beginning microscopist," of whom so 

 much is heard. Indeed, no one can ask for help that shall be 

 more comprehensive and more explanatory than that contained 

 in these interesting papers by Dr. Webster. He and "An Ama- 

 teur " discuss the thin cover and the slip ; there will therefore 

 appear a slight repetition of facts, but it has been thought best 

 that this should be so, rather than to submit one or the other 

 writer to the blue pencil, and thus make one series somewhat 

 incomplete. 



