1885.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



33 



provement in this respect. We also 

 hope there will be more preparations 

 of real merit, which show care in 

 selection antl mountin*^. There are 

 still a few slides in the circuits which 

 we strongly suspect to be carefully 

 selected from discarded or inferior 

 lots. The club is worthy of one's 

 best work on at least a single slide, 

 eveiy year. 



Box CC, one of Cole's ' Studies,' 

 was received in this circuit January 

 roth. 



Box 28 came into this circuit Janu- 

 ary 19th, containing six preparations 

 by Dr. T. B. Redding. 



1. Alveolar sarcoma. Some doubt 

 being expressed as to the true charac- 

 ter of this growth, Dr. G. N. Krlider 

 verifies the diagnosis, 'sarcoma is 

 round-celled variety.' A drawing in 

 color, with brief description and let- 

 ters of reference, show the special 

 characters of the preparation. 



2. Transverse section through cen- 

 tre of foot of human foetus. 



3. Transverse section through pos- 

 terior part of human tongue. 



4. Human larynx and oesophagus, 

 from foetus. 



5. Section of heel of human foetus.. 

 " 6. Preparation of human stomach. 



These sections are all well cut, 

 stained, injected, and mounted, and 

 must prove of interest to histologists 

 and others. 



Box C^ reached our circuit Febru- 

 ary 3d. It contained the following 

 preparations : — 



1. Diatoms covered with pyrites. 

 H. Carvill LewMS. No further ac- 

 count of these diatoms is given, but 

 it may be assumed they are from the 

 deposit known as the London clav. 

 The preparation would be none the 

 less instructive were it less roughly 

 mounted. Mr. A. C. Cole has 

 mounted some fine specimens of 

 these diatoms. Certain persons in 

 England, not being able to obtain 

 good specimens, started the novel 

 idea that Mr. Cole had electro-plated 

 them ! 



2. Dust from the Krakatoa erup- 



tion. H. C. Lewis. Collected on 

 the barque ' William H. Blase.' The 

 reader m<iy refer to p. loi. Vol. V, 

 for an account of the peculiarities of 

 \olcanic dust. The specimen is an 

 excellent one for study. 



3. This is marked ' Pollinia of.^' 

 It is from Mr. W. H. Walmsley, who 

 seems to have been in a terrible hurr\ 

 when he put it in. 



4. Sections of sassafras wood. K. 

 Pennock. 



5. Comatricha longa. Geo. A. 

 Rex. The thready skeleton of a 

 myxomycetous fungus. A very in- 

 teresting specimen. Owing to defect 

 in the mounting, the following note 

 is attached : — 



' This object has been remounted 

 by the Curator of the club's cabinet 

 in a cell made of wax, covered with 

 gold-size. The Curator would sug- 

 gest to those who have not had inuch 

 experience in mounting, that in order 

 to make a fluid mount secure it is 

 necessary to see that the top of the 

 cell is perfectly even, so as to insure 

 complete contact between the cover 

 and cell all around. Li the present 

 mount the cell was made of a wax 

 ring covered with gold-size, and al- 

 lowed to become hard. The cell was 

 then lightly ground on a piece of fine 

 emery paper attached to an even sur- 

 face of wood until it was perfectly- 

 level. At the time of mounting, the 

 edge of the cell was lightly covered 

 with gold-size, and the mounting 

 medium and specimen placed within. 

 The edge of the cover was then 

 touched with cement and carefully 

 placed in position. Pressure was 

 then made at the edges of the cover 

 only until complete contact was se- 

 cured. The superfluous glycerin was 

 then washed away and a ring of ce- 

 ment run over the edge of cover and 

 cell to the surface of the slide.' 



No doubt the mount is now a per- 

 manent one. The process may do 

 well enough for persons w^ho have 

 time for it. Others had better use 

 the shellac method described several 

 times in these columns. A mount 



