14 THE AMEEICAN MONTHLY. [January, 



Mounts of algae accompanying its preparation were deposited by Prof. Wood 

 in the Armv and Xavy Medical ]\Iuseum. 



1S74. Reinsch : Contributiones ad Algologiam et Fungologiam. One 

 copy, in the Johns Hopkins Universit}- Library, in Latin : quarto ; including 

 a larger number of marine species than of fresh-water ; with numerous colored 

 figures of poor qualitv ; useful for comparison, and with descriptions of some 

 North American species. 



1SS5. Cooke's British Fresh-water Algae; one (imperfect) copy in Pea- 

 bodv Library. Baltimore ; sold at $23.00 ; with many colored figures ; meas- 

 urements in fractions of a micromillimeter : good descriptions and excellent 

 explanatory notes ; dates of foundation of genera given, a feature other scien- 

 tific works should copy. 



iSS^. A manuscript abstract of the preceding work was exhibited, made 

 by E. S. Burgess in the spring of 1SS5, and. as a synopsis, very helpful in 

 identification and comparison of our species. 



18S5. Wolle's Desmids of the L'nited States; the speaker's copy exhib- 

 ited ; two copies in Fish Commission Library ; a monograph for which praise 

 is almost superfluous ; one of the crowning glories of American science, and 

 made readily useful for identification by the Analytic Key. by Dr. A. C. 

 Stokes, published in The American Microscopical Joi(?-?taI JvineSe^t.., '^6. 



18S5. Preliminary List of Algte Observed in the District of Columbia, by 

 Edw. S. Burgess; MS. exhibited. 



1SS5. AlgcB Exsiccati of the District of Columbia, by Edw. S. Burgess; 

 preliminary volume of card mounts exhibited, displaying the appearance in 

 mass of lOS specimens illustrating 45 of the larger species. 



iSS^-6. Hitchcock's Provisional Key to the 'Classification of th^Fresh- 

 water Algae ; in The American Microscopical Jour?ial. 



1SS7. Wolle's Fresh-water Alg^e of the Laiited States. The speaker ex- 

 hibited his copy, the first copy printed ; commending its admirable descrip- 

 tions, for their number, 1300 species, and numerous measurements in frac- 

 tions of a micromillimeter ; excellent mechanical execution ; admirable 

 illustrations, faithful and explicit ; a number of good synopses of genera ; so 

 great a success that it seems almost ungracious to mention its faults, which are 

 principally the lack of general analytic keys to family and genus characters, 

 and the tendency to suppress or unduly shorten the treatment of unicellular 

 algae. A copy has recently been added to the U. S . National Museum Librt\ry . 



An abundance of unicellular algae is within easy reach of us ; particularly 

 the extensi\e growth of Protococciis viridis on trees and walls, just brightened 

 and vigorous from recent rains, especially on the Smithsonian building. 

 Charts illustrating its growth have been prepared. Specimens of this and 

 of young water-nets, cladophoras, and other algse are shown in bottled masses, 

 and by the microscope. 



MICROSCOPICAL TECHNIQUE. 



Staiuiug of Koch's bacillus.* 



Dr. B. Frankell proposes the following form ulte and methods : — 3 cc. anilin 

 oil are dissolved in 7 cc. alcohol (or i .5 cc. toluidin in 8.5) , and added to 90 cc. 

 of distilled water ; to 100 parts of this, 11 parts of a saturated watery solution 

 of methvl-violet or fuchsin ( Weigert) . To prepare a solution fresh for use 

 Frankell heats about 5 cc. of anilin or toluidin to boiling in a test-tube, and 

 pours it into a watch-glass. To this hot solution the alcoholic solution of 



* Journal 0/ the Royal Microscopical Society ibx 1885, p. 557. 



