64 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[April, 



The use of shades of some kind is 

 very desirable, saving the eyes from 

 strain, and in warm weather greatly 

 lessening the annoyance caused by 

 nocturnal moths and insects, which 

 are attracted indoors by the faintest 

 gleam of light. 



Mr. Morrison states that his shade 

 can be made by any tin-smith, and 

 it should not cost more than fifty cents. 

 His address is Moorestown, N. J. 



Labeling Slides. 



Let me give the readers of the 

 Journal a little device which I have 

 found of much service in labeling 

 slides. It often happens that the 

 label does not afford room enough to 

 contain the facts which should ac- 

 company the specimen. In such 

 cases I write all I can on the back of 

 the label with a medium hard pencil, 

 and then, with a mucilage made of 

 gum arable one part and gum traga- 

 canth four parts, I attach the label to 

 the slide in the usual way. As soon 

 as dry, I finish the labeling by writing 

 the rest in ink on the upper, or face 

 ■side, of the label. The pencil writing 

 on the back can be easily read 

 through the slide, simply on turning 

 it over. In this way I utilize both 

 sides of the label. 



Samuel Lockwood. 



Freehold, N. J. 



Curious Process of Division of 

 Hydra. 



I enclose drawings of a Hydra as 

 •seen on February ist, 2d and 3d. 

 Fig. 15 fl! is its condition on the ist: 

 when observed I immediately iso- 

 lated it to more readily watch it. On 

 the morning of the 2d there appeared 



a gathering of substance at one side, 

 as seen in b. On the evening of the 

 same clay there was a division in the 

 center longitudinally as shown in c. 

 On the 30! it appeared as represented 



Fig. 15. 



in d. All the authorities at my com 

 mand state that the Hydra increases 

 by budding ; this is certainly an ex- 

 ception. T. B. Jennings. 

 Springfield, 111. 



New York Microscopical Society. 



The fifth annual reception of the 

 New York Microscopical Society was 

 held on the evening of the 8th of 

 March, at Lyric Hall. It was, in 

 some respects, the most successful 

 and enjoyable of all that have been 

 given by the Society. Between four 

 and five hundred persons attended, 

 and great interest was manifested in 

 the objects exhibited, which had been 

 briefly described on printed circulars. 



