DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 101 
Intestinal Glands of Mouse.—Mr. B. Wills Richardson exhibited 
a doubly stained piece of the intestine of a mouse, and observed 
that in recently making some nitrate of silver and carmine stainings 
of both the (so-called) endothelium and epithelium to be found in 
the abdominal cavity of that animal, some of which stainings he had 
brought before the Club at its last meeting, he found that its in- 
testine, when successfully stained and laid open longitudinally and 
carefully pencilled out with a sable brush, afforded some very 
instructive specimens illustrative of its glandular supply. In the 
specimen now shown the walls of the alveoli for the little intestinal 
glands, which walls were chiefly formed of connective tissue, were 
stained slightly brown by nitrate of silver, the glands themselves 
being well coloured by the carmine fluid. Here and there in the 
specimen a gland had been pencilled out of its alveolus, which, of 
course, was empty. Since he had mounted the specimen under 
exhibition he had succeeded in separating the muscular wall from 
the mucous membrane of the remainder of the stained piece of 
the intestine. This wall is composed of two distinct membranous 
layers of organic muscle, the fibres of one layer running in a circular, 
and of the other in a longitudinal, direction. It might be of some 
use if he mentioned that nitrate of silver staining is liable to be 
obliterated by the ammonia of the ordinary carmine stain, and, there- 
fore, it would be advisable, in staining tissues with nitrate of silver 
and carmine stains, to substitute potash for the ammonia of the 
earmine fluid. He had tried the potash, and found that it answered 
the purpose admirably. The potash, he reminded the Club, had 
a tendency to soften many structures, and, therefore, delicate 
objects should not be left too long in this potash-carmine fluid. 
This softening property, however, had its advantages, for owing, 
probably, to it, he was enabled to peel the muscular off the mucous 
coat with the assistance of a sable paint brush. 
A Spirogyra with an Oscillatoria inside its Joints, presenting 
a curious appearance.—Dr. John Barker brought for exhibition a 
large (unconjugated) Spirogyra-furm, having within several of its 
joints aminute Oscdllatoria in considerable quantity, often densely 
crowded and always forming a spiral coil, the turns more closely 
set towards the ends of the joints. No visible openings were 
perceptible by which the Oscdllatoria, which was the same as a form 
abounding in the gathering, could have entered, but such must 
have been present. 
Abnormal Head of Trifolium pratense, exhibited. — Mr. 
Greenwood Pim, jun., drew attention to an abnormal clover head 
(Trifolium pratense), presenting the following aberrant charac- 
teristics. ‘The vexillum was green and leaf-like, the calyx was 
normal, whilst the corolla (vexillum excepted) was reduced to mere 
scales ; within was a whorl of small, but perfect flowers, elevated 
on a slight prolongation of the axis. The original flower appeared 
to have no pistil, and as the secondary flowers were nine in number, 
they appeared to replace the stamens; the tenth stamen appeared 
as a wart on the vexillum. 
