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lay them upon the glass slip, and melt over a flame; when 
thoroughly melted, drop the specimen (the polished surface 
being downwards) into it, and press out the air bubbles, 
When air bubbles appear between the glass and the surface 
of the coal—which they often do, and sometimes prove very 
annoying—they must be got rid of; otherwise it is useless to 
proceed, for long before the specimen is thin enough to show 
structure, the coal over the air-bubble comes away, leaving a 
hole. If they be not present, the preparation may be pro- 
ceeded with, first reduced on sandstone, and then finished by 
pumicestone ; and after scraping away the superfluous marine 
glue, mounting in Canada balsam, and covering in the usual 
way. 
As the preparing goes on, the specimen will be occasion- 
ally viewed under the microscope. The first to appear will 
be the spore cases, and a careful continuance of the grinding 
will finally render the spores visible. 
Spores and spore cases are to be found in every successful 
preparation of coal; but their relative proportions and degree 
of preservation vary considerably ; thus Wigan Canal almost 
entirely consists of spores, very few spore cases. Bradford 
coal, spores and spore cases in nearly equal proportions. 
Silkstone coal, spore cases few, and much compressed spores 
in abundance. Moira coal, Leicestershire, spore cases beau- 
tifully preserved, and in some, spores zz s¢¢tw. Dalkeith coal, 
the same, the spore cases, on the whole, being slightly more 
compressed. Wallsend, spore cases much compressed and 
altered, and mixed up with a quantity of grit and amorphous 
bituminous matter. White coal, of Australia, consists almost 
entirely of spore cases.— Proceedings of Quekett Club, No. 138. 
New Botanical Periodical—Mr. Currie, in ‘ Nature’ (Jan. 
26th) , notices a new botanical periodical, ‘ Beitrage zur Bio- 
logie der Pflanzen, Herausgegeben von Dr. Ferdinand Cohn.’ 
Breslau, 1870. (Contributions to the Biology of Plants.) 
It is established primarily for the publication of the results 
of the observations made at the Botanico-Physiological Insti- 
tute of Breslau. ‘The first part contains five papers on dif- 
ferent microscopic alge and fungi and their pathological 
effects. Three refer to parasites affecting plants, one to a 
fungoid disease affecting caterpillars; and the last to a plant 
discovered by Dr. Cohn in the water of certain wells which 
had the reputation of being unhealthy ; but whether the 
plant in question had any injurious effect on health, Dr. Cohn 
could not say. 
Solution of Acetate of Potash as a Substitute for Glycerin 
in Preserving Animal Tissues.—Professor Max Schultze in a 
