1883.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



69 



ical systems are as well developed in 

 an oyster as in a man. But these sys- 

 tems now discussed have their analo- 

 gical functions in the life of a plant. 

 Hence the three groups of organs, 

 taken together, are often called by the 

 physiologist the vegetal system. " 



Mr. J. L. Wall showed the circula- 

 tion of blood in a frog's foot, Mr. W. 

 H. Mead the circulation in the tail of 

 a gold-fish, Mr. Mitchell cyclosis in 

 Nifc//a, Mr. Hitchcock the blood 

 flowing through the yolk-sac of a 

 young fish, Mr. Van Brunt a boquet of 

 insect scales, Dr. Schoney showed the 

 Bacillus tuberculosis, and Mr. Balen 

 had some fine living objects from 

 ponds in New Jersev. Taken as a 

 whole the exhibition of objects was 

 exceedingly fine, and the Society is to 

 be congratulated upon the success of 

 its efforts to make the public acquaint- 

 ed with some of the wonders revealed 

 by the microscope. 



A Method of Preserving and 

 Coloring Protozoa.* 



BY DR. HENRI BLANC. 



The following method has been sat- 

 isfactorilv employed by the author for 

 a year and a half. Kleinenberg's 

 liquid, picro-sulphunc acid, has been 

 recommended. It is this acid that is 

 used by the author, composed as fol- 

 lows: — 



Concentrated picric acid, 100 vols. 

 Sulphuric acid, 2 " 



Distilled water, 600 " 



To this solution, which is used for 

 preserving the larvae of echinoderms, 

 medusjE, and sponges, there is added, 

 specially for the rhizopods and infuso- 

 ria, about one per cent of acetic acid ; 

 two or three drops to 15 cubic centim- 

 etres of the liquid. The addition of 

 this acid is to preserve the nuclei and 

 nucleoli. 



Thus prepared, the solution is pre- 



* Condensed from Zool. Anzeiger. 



ferable to osmic acid, for the organ- 

 isms are perfectly well fixed, and it 

 permits of a more certain coloration. 



After fixing, the picrc-sulphuric acid 

 is removed by alcohol of Scy^,, which 

 is renewed until the yellow coloration 

 has entirely disappeared. It is then 

 replaced by alcohol of 96^^, and final- 

 ly by absolute alcohol. 



The organisms are then stained 

 either by picro-carmine, or by an alco- 

 holic solution of safranin, 5 grains dis- 

 solved in 15 c.c. of absolute alcohol, 

 and in a few days filtered and diluted 

 with half its volume of water. This so- 

 lution is preferred to the picro-carmine. 



This method is recommended not 

 only for the preservation of protozoa, 

 but for other microscopic animals — in 

 particular for marine nematodes. 



Vibratile Cilia and Ciliary 

 Motion. 



BY CHAS. S. DOLLEY, M.D. 



Summary: Historical. — Distril)ution of 

 vibratile cilia among animals. — General ap- 

 pearance of vibratile cilia. — Ciliary motion, 

 — Effects of temperature changes, electricity, 

 and various reagents upon ciliary motion. — 

 Vibratile cilia and ciliary motion in the vege- 

 table kingdom. — Ciliary motion as accom- 

 panying a sexual reproduction in crypto- 

 gams — Ciliary motion as accompanying 

 sexual reproduction in cryptogams. — Vibra- 

 tile cilia in plants other than spermatozoids 

 and zoospores. — Rationale and function of 

 ciliary motion. 



Historical. — Glancing hastily over 

 the bibliography of our subject, we 

 find first in the field that great 

 pioneer of microscopy Anton Leeu- 

 wenhoek announcing in enthusi- 

 astic letters to the Royal Society of 

 Sciences of London, the discovery of 

 little animals (thierchen) possessing 

 vibratile tails and existing in human 

 semen ; which discovery he accredits 

 to Johannes Ham, of Arnhem, as hav- 

 ing been made as early as 1677. 

 Leeuwenhoek soon followed this an- 

 nouncement by those observations in 

 which he opened up that richest of 



