1900] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 297 



difficulty of regulating or even estimating the tempera- 

 ture of an object held over a naked flame, and mischief is 

 often done before the operator is aware of it. A service- 

 able water bath is easily extemporized out of an old fruit 

 can and a small beaker glass. This serves for exposing 

 material and preparations to a temperature lower than 

 that of boiling water. Where slides are to be so heated, 

 the simplest contrivance is a flat tin box, with all the 

 joints (cover and all) tightly soldered. A small tube closed 

 with a cork serves to admit the water. 



Notes on Microscopy. 



F. SHILLINGTON SCALES, F.R.M.S. 



Material for Botanical Study.— The obtaining- of suit- 

 able material for botanical study has been a difficulty that 

 the individual worker has had to contend against equally 

 with those in charge of our laboratories, science schools, 

 and coleges. For some time past zoology has had an ad- 

 vantage over botany in this respect, and we therefore note 

 with great satisfaction a new departure by Messrs. J. Back- 

 house & Son, Limited, 'of the well-known nurseries at York. 

 This firm has for three generations been directed by gen- 

 tlemen of high scientific ability, and during this period they 

 have devoted a large amount of their time to the study of 

 the conditions affecting the naturalization and distribution 

 of plants, especially those fo which are not indigenous to 

 Great Britain. As the result they possess in their York 

 nurseries a larger number of species, representing tropi- 

 cal and sub-tropical as well as Arctic floras, than almost 

 any firm in the country. They have now decided to under- 

 take systamatically the collecting and preparing- of botani- 

 cal material for scientific purposes,and have opened a scien- 

 tific department under the special superintendence of Dr. 

 Arthur H. Burtt, D. Sc, B. Sc. They have further issued 

 an extensive classified catalogue which, though only meant 

 as a preliminary list, covers the whole field very complete- 

 ly. It comprises the Myxomycetes, Schizophyti, Diatoms, 



