1895.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 361 



scope with 1-5 inch objective during locomotion on board ship 

 in iny berth, on u boat in a pond, using a white handkerchief 

 placed at my feet for an illumination, at picnics when young 

 ladies' white dresses gave the light. Doing away with the mir- 

 ror gives more light and far less trouble in manipulation. I 

 wonder it is not used more. Why use two articles when one is 

 so much better? — E. Cutter. 



Formula of the Wickesheimer Preparation for Pre- 

 serving Objects of Natural History. — Ihe preparation of 

 Wickesheimer, preparator ol the Berlin University, for preserv- 

 ing animal substances for an indefinite period of time in their 

 natural condition, has been purchased by the Prussian Govern- 

 ment for free use throughout the Empire. It is used both by 

 injection and immersion of the object, and is prepared as fol- 

 lows : 



Take of Alum 100 grains avoir. 



Common Salt 25 " " 



Saltpetre 12 " " 



Potash 60 " 



(Common arsenic) Arsenious Acid 20 " " 



Dissolve these in IJ gills of boiling water. The liquid is 

 then to be cooled and filtered; and for each 5 gills add 2 gills of 

 glycerine and 2 gill of alcohol. 



For small objects it is sufficient to immerse them from 6 to 

 12 days in the solution ; larger ones are better pr- served by in- 

 jection. 



Microscopical Preparations of Algae. — M. A. Lemaire re. 

 commends the following process for permanent preparations of 

 green algae : — Fix in a saturated solution of uranium acetate 

 with 0'3 per cent chrome-alum ; leave for six to twelve hours 

 in the solution, and then wash thoroughly ; place on the slide 

 in 2 or 3 drops of a 10 per cent solution of glycerin ; concentrate 

 the glycerin under a bell glass by means of calcium chloride, 

 and finally mount in Kaiser's glycerin gelatin, or Behren's gly- 

 cerinated ichthyocol. — /. R. M. S. 



Studying Marine Planarians. — Dr. Wlieeler {Journ. Morph., 

 ix., 2), gives a few notes on methods he employed in the study 

 of Planocera inquiliiia. The Biondi-Ehrlich stain proved to be 

 useful in making the rhabdites conspicuous. Remarkably clear 



