1886.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



197 



the particles of protoplasm with which it 

 comes in contact, and then accumulates 

 in canals which radiate from the vacuoles. 

 These canals have been observed in Pa}'-- 

 amecium aurelia and other infusoria. 

 From the canals it flows into the vacuoles, 

 and is expelled by the contraction of the 

 surrounding protoplasm. — H. 



— A new hardening fluid has been 

 proposed by Dr. Joseph Heinrich List, 

 who has found it superior to any other 

 for hardening the exceedingly soft parts 

 of Coccidae, while leaving the other parts 

 in a good condition for examination. It 

 consists of a half-saturated solution of 

 corrosive sublimate with a drop of picro- 

 sulphuric acid added to each cubic cen- 

 timetre. From what the author says of 

 it we are inclined to think the solution 

 worthy of a trial for very soft tissues 

 intended for dissection. — H. 



— Some interesting observations on the 

 origin of the ferment fungus of the grape 

 have recently been made by G. Cuboni. 

 He finds that in the sap of the vine, in 

 March and April, oval cells which seem to 

 be identical with Saccharoinyces ellipsoi- 

 dens. These are derived from the fungus, 

 Cladosporiiitn herbarum, which is always 

 found on the vine. The conclusion is 

 that the Saccharoinyces is the torula con- 

 dition of Cladospormm. — H. 



— The German Gesellschaft fur An- 

 thropologic has appointed a ' Hair Com- 

 mission ' for the study of hair in its 

 anthropological relations. The examina- 

 tion of hair for this purpose involves 

 considerable labor, but it is important 

 work which may be carried on by any 

 microscopist who will take the trouble to 

 collect the hair of different races of men. 

 The particular features to be considered, 

 macroscopic and microscopic, are given 

 in the Societies' publication. — H. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



To THE Editor : — I have a copy of 

 Ouekett's ' Treatise ott Use of Microscope,"'' 

 2d edition, 1852. I find in it no allusion 

 to Spencer's objectives nor to the Navic- 

 iila Spcficerii. 



Joseph LeConte. 

 Berkeley, Gal., Aug. 27, 1886. 



To the Editor : — As the originator of 

 the discussion concerning certain matters 

 supposed to be contained in some edition 

 of Quekett's treatise on the microscope, 



* Referred to in your August number. 



I may, perhaps, be allowed space in which 

 to say that Mr. Brooks need spend no 

 time in searching for such a work as 

 Tucketf s, for so far as I know there is no 

 such book, and the use of the word arose 

 from a misreading on the part of the com- 

 positor. My copy of Ouekett is the second 

 edition, and the name of Mr. Charles 

 Spencer is not mentioned in the book so 

 far as 1 have been able to find. The only 

 Spencer referred to is a gentleman who 

 had invented a lamp which is described. 



A. L. Woodward. 

 53 Lansing St., Utica, N. Y. 



To the Editor : — On further exami- 

 nation 1 find that the facts stated by me in 

 the September number are substantially 

 correct, but I find my memory at fault in 

 regard to the edition of Ouekett. This 

 should have been 'Ca.^ first, not the second. 

 As covering the whole ground, and at the 

 same time pertinent to the tenor of my 

 article, I annex the following editorial by 

 Mr. Phin, taken from ' The Young Scien- 

 tist,' vol. iv, No. II, Nov., 1881, on the 

 death of Charles A. Spencer : 



' Thirty years ago the scientific world 

 was thrown into a ferment by the an- 

 nouncement that " an object-glass, con- 

 structed by a young artist of the tianie of 

 Spencer, living in the back-woods, had 

 shown three sets of lines on a very delicate 

 diatom, when other glasses of equal power, 

 made by the first English opticians, had 

 entirely failed to define them." This pas- 

 sage, which marks an era in the history 

 of the microscope, occurs in the first edi- 

 tion of Ouekett's work on the microscope, 

 but has been expunged from subsecjuent 

 editions. At that time Ross had declared 

 that an angle of aperture of 135° was as 

 great as could be given to the object- 

 glass of a microscope. Spencer, with a 

 true American unbelief in the impossible, 

 went to work, and in a short time suc- 

 ceeded in making glasses having an angle 

 of aperture of 172°, and since that time 

 the angle has gone on increasing; its in- 

 crease being an accurate indication of the 

 advancement of microscopy. Spencer 

 was an entirely self-taught optician, and 

 his talents and success made American 

 microscopes known all over the world. 

 He died at Geneva, N. Y., on the 28th day 

 of September, 1881, at the age of 68 years. 

 A fine portrait of Mr. Spencer, together 

 with a lengthy biography, will appear in 

 the forthcoming numloer of the "Ameri- 

 can Journal of Microscopy." ' 



Chr. C. Brooks. Ph.D. 

 393 E. Eager St., Baltimore, Md. 



