1886.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



17 



of Mastodon giganteus. A. Water- 

 house. These are from the masto- 

 don found near Jamestown, N. Y., 

 of which about a bushel were found. 

 ' L. B. H.,' who is rather critical 

 concerning the preparations in this 

 box, says, ' a specimen (better pre- 

 pared) should be in every geological 

 cabinet.' This is not a bad prepara- 

 tion of the kind, although when we 

 see sections made intentionally thicker 

 at one part than at others we are in- 

 clined to take it cum grano salis. 

 ' N. L. B.,' desires to know, 'what 

 wood is it?' This question he is 

 doubtless quite as able to answer as 

 any other member of the Club. 



2. A Sertularian from Oregon. 

 W. C. J. Hall. The preparer de- 

 sires to know the name of the speci- 

 men. Such questions as this should 

 receive answer in the letter-packet, 

 although, for the information of the 

 inquirer, the answers will be of little 

 value, except through the medium of 

 these notices. Certainly some mem- 

 ber of the Club can answer almost 

 any such question as this that is 

 likely to be proposed. If those who 

 are able would spare the time to 

 name specimens it would be of great 

 advantage to the members, and, 

 since those who once receive a box 

 are not likely to see it again, these 

 columns ai'e always open for replies 

 to such inquiries. 



3. Cuticle oi Eqitiset/tnihyeniale. 

 Samuel Briggs. ' L. B. H.' says it 

 should be cleaned from other tissues — 

 try nitric acid or burning. 



4. Micro-photograph of Ex-Gov- 

 ernor R. E. Fenton. SerenoAyres, 

 the preparer, says he does ' not pre- 

 sent this as a superior specimen of 

 the art, but as one of the first efforts 

 by a process quite different from the 

 ordinary photograph process.' He 

 then reminds the members that some 

 time ago he asked for information 

 about the process of micro-photogra- 

 phy and failed to obtain any informa- 

 tion from the Club, and states that ^ I 

 have since discovered the process by 

 which the enclosed was produced.' 



All this is interesting enough, but it 

 occurs to us that the preparer has 

 received about as much information 

 from the Club as he has given to the 

 Club about this subject. The result 

 is not bad, and no doubt it would 

 interest the members of the Club to 

 know the process. We should say 

 it is an albumen picture, and if 

 application had been made to the 

 Journal the inquiry would not have 

 remained unanswered. As the appa- 

 ratus required is very easily made, 

 we shall describe the process of mak- 

 ing micro-photographs in these col- 

 umns at some future tmie. 



V Longitudinal and transverse sec- 

 tions of mistletoe. R. R. Rogers. 

 ' L. B. H.' says the specimen was 

 ' evidently crushed in the cutting.' 

 It is too thick to shov^ anything satis- 

 factorily. 



6. Alga, Ce II t I'oce ras. S. G. 

 Love. Mounted dry, showing fruc- 

 tification. It will be difficult to 

 recognize the fruit, however, unless 

 one knows just what to look for, and 

 where to find it. ' L. B. H.' says it 

 should be mounted in glycerin. 

 Soniebody has called it a ' second- 

 class mummy.' 



Box X- came to hand December 



I. Cocoa-nut shell. D. C. Baer. 

 An interesting section, showing well 

 the structure of the shell. 



3. Mite from the ground-beetle. 

 T. B. Jennings. A good prepara- 

 tion. 



3. Grammatophora marina. J. A. 

 Close. 



4. This is a mount of an insect 

 that had passed through its larval 

 stage in a jar, but being unable to 

 escape from the water it died, and 

 Mr. Jennings states that the contents 

 of the body were then devoured, af- 

 ter which the body was filled with 

 eggs of daphnias. Mr. F. Ritchie 

 suggests that there must be an error 

 about this, since in the ' water-flea 

 ( Camptocercus) . . . the eggs 

 and young are fully developed within 

 the parent.' 



