118 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Apr 



to state, to those not knowing- your habit, whether the speci- 

 men or the cover is measured ; thus a certain point of a sec- 

 tion may be at 9, 3 of the section but at 3, 1 of the circle 

 (cover-glass or ring). (3). If unable to find what is desired, 

 try a reversal of one or both of the above rules, and see 

 if it has been recorded in that way. — R. H. Ward. 



Mounting Fish Scales. — I used to pay 50c. each for un- 

 stained mounts of fish scales, but have found a new way 

 of making them to suit my taste much better than "store 

 slides." Procure a piece of the skin of a fish (sole), and 

 macerate in liquor potassae until the skin is quite soft. The 

 scales can then be separated and washed in several changes 

 of water, dehydrated in alcohol, stained in alcoholic solu- 

 tion of eosin, washed in alcohol,cleared in xylokand mount- 

 ed in xylol balsam. This makes a very fine object for po- 

 lariscope, easily and cheaply made, and finer and better than 

 nine-tenths of those purchased. — Thomas J. Bray. 



Insects Mounted in Balsam, from Alcohol. — The speci- 

 mens on this slide, while rather poorly mounted, show well 

 the changes mentioned. Had they been put into carbolic 

 acid (pure and liquified by heat) instead of into alcohol, 

 they would have been cleared and made transparent while 

 remaining soft and flexible, and could with the greatest 

 ease have been arrang-ed so as to display all their external 

 members for convenient examination. The specimen, of 

 which a photograph (by a 2-inch objective) has been made, 

 was prepared by this method. — C. M. V. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



Quekett Microscopical Club. — The 376 meeting was held 

 on March 16, at 20, Hanover Square, W. ; Mr. Ueorge Mas- 

 see, F. L. S., President in the chair. After the usual for- 

 mal business, Mr. H. Morland exhibited and described a 

 simple device for storing and protecting from dust select- 

 ed diatoms fixed on cover-glasses until they were ready 

 for mounting. A paper on "The Tracheae of Insects, &c." 

 by Mr. A. A. Merlin, was, in the author's absence, read by 

 the secretary. Mr. Merlin contends that the well-known 



