i8S3.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



219 



cies has been named J^/u'zofiydra JJain- 

 tiiicta. It was found in Upper Klamath 

 Lake, .Oregon, growing in masses as hxrge 

 as the fist. 



— In cases where it is desirable to 

 stain sections on the slide the)' may be 

 attached to the slide by spreading a layer 

 of one part of collodion solution and | 

 parts of oil of cloves over the slide. The 

 sections are arranged on this layer where 

 the oil of cloves is driven off by gentle 

 heat. The sections are then fixed to the 

 slide, and may be treated by various rea- 

 gents and stained in the usual manner. 



— In some expeiiments on pathogenic 

 bacteria, by A. Chauveau, it was found 

 that at a temperature of 47° c. the bacte- 

 ria of cattle distemper entirely lost their 

 infectious properties, although their 

 growth was not apparently interfered with. 



— Hyacinths are subject to two dis- 

 tinct diseases due to the attacks of fungi, 

 one is a so-called "yellow disease," in 

 which, in the autumn the vascular bun- 

 dles of the bulbs are permeated by a 

 yellow slime which swarms with a bac- 

 terium that has been named Bacterium 

 hyacinihi, although it closely resembles 

 B. teniio. In the spring the bacteria 

 also infest the vascular bundles of the 

 leaves. The other disease is known as 

 the "black smut." This is due to an 

 ascomycetous fungus resembling that 

 parasitic on clover, the Peziza ciborioides. 

 It- may be obtained with the asci by 

 placing the infected bulbs in a pot and 

 watering them freely. 



— Dr. Wallich announces the discov- 

 ery of polycvstina among the loose, fos- 

 silized contents of nodular flints from the 

 gravel pits of Surrey. Indications of 

 polycystina have been frequently observed 

 in sections of flints, but the remains have 

 not been sufficiently well preserved to 

 to establish their identity. The nodular 

 cavities examined by Dr. WaUich con- 

 tained species distinct enough for identi- 

 fication. The genera Astro/nma, Hali- 

 of/ifiia, and Podocystis were observed, 

 with some others. Foraminifera of the 

 genera Globigerina^ Textularia and Re- 

 talia were also found in the same cavities. 

 We have thus a further confirmation of 

 the evidence which indicates that the 

 chalk is continuous with the beds of cal- 

 careous deposits now forming on the sea- 

 bottom. 



— N. Pringsheim maintains that the 

 fertilization of Achlya and Sapj-olegnia 



is effected by " spermamoeba " Avhich are 

 peculiar bodies developed witliin the an- 

 theridium, during the period of fertiliza- 

 tion. These enter the oogonia and 

 fertilize the oospores. 



— Heretofore it has been supposed 

 that the yeast used in bread-making was 

 the sole cause of the fermentative action 

 in the dough. Mr. G. Chicandard thinks 

 the function of the yeast is far less im- 

 portant than is supposed. He maintains 

 that the starch is only modified by heat- 

 ing, and is not transformed into a soluble 

 constituent by the fermentation. In his 

 opinion the first step in making bread is 

 the transformation of some of tlie albu- 

 menoids of the gluten into soluble pro- 

 ducts and then into peptones. The active 

 agent in this action is, he believes, a bac- 

 terium normally developed in the dough. 

 Whether this view is the true one remains 

 to be seen. 



— A writer in Auitiire has advised a 

 method of freeing objects from air pre- 

 paratory to mounting in glycerin jelly, 

 etc., which was used by us years ago to 

 free the stalks of zoophytes, polyzoa and 

 other specimens from air, and which, we 

 believe, has been already published in 

 this Journal. The sections are simply 

 placed in thoroughly boiled water. Boil- 

 ing expels the air dissolved in the water, 

 and by placing the sections in such water 

 the air is more or less taken up by the 

 water. The process is rather a long one 

 when any considerable quantity of air 

 has to be removed. 



— Mr. F. Von Hohmel, referring to the 

 structure of silk fibres, mentions that 

 each raw cocoon thread consists of two 

 separate fibres enclosed in a smooth case 

 known as silk-gelatin or bast, which con- 

 nects the two threads of the raw silk 

 fibre. This gelatin case is readily soluble 

 in soap solution, dilute potash-lye, and 

 weak chromic acid, these substances 

 effecting a separation of the originally 

 combined threads. The single fibre freed 

 from the gelatin case consists essentially 

 of fibroin, whilst the bast contains sericin. 

 The silk from Bombyx fnori and Satiir- 

 nia spini has a homogeneous, hyaline, 

 formless fibroin-thread, rarely exhibiting 

 signs of striation. The fibre of exotic 

 silks, now largely used on account of 

 their cheapness, has a different constitu- 

 tion. It consists of a substance in which 

 the so-called fibrils are enclosed. These 

 are circular threads 0-0003 to o'ooi5 mm. 

 in diameter. Real silk is easily distin- 



