1895.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURT^AL 397 



stoppered vials. In using it it is necessary to let the sections 

 to be stained lie for a few moments in alcohol of 70°, and then 

 transfer them directly into the stain. It acts most energeti- 

 cally upon the nuclei and especially upon the cellular mem- 

 branes, and is rapid in direct proportion to their richness and 

 pectic compound. It has no action on the ligneous and suberi- 

 fic parts. The best results require about ten minutes contact, but 

 super-coloration is not to be feared with even much longer con- 

 tact. After removal of the sections from the stain, wash them 

 in alcohol of 70°, dehydrate and mount in any anhydrous 

 medium. By this method all precipitation of coloring matter 

 within the cells is avoided. 



Stain for Blood-Corpusles. — Toison, in the Prager medi- 

 zinische Wochenschrift, recommends the following solution for 

 staining blood-corpuscles: 



Sodinm sulphate 8 gm. 



Sodium chloride , 1 gm. 



Methyl violet 25 mgm. 



Glycerin 30 ccm. 



Distilled water 160 ccm. 



Mix the glycerin and water, dissolve in the mixture the 

 sodium salts, and finally the methyl violet, and filter. The red 

 cells preserve their shape excellently, and the white cells (which 

 are also stained) are sharply defined, making differentiation 

 very easy. According to Marschner, who has used the stain 

 extensively, it is most excellently adapted for use in counting 

 the red corpuscles, but he does not recommend it for counting 

 the white cells. 



Staining Agent for the Milk Vessels. — O Chimani 

 (Archiv der Pharmacie) states that in alkaninacetic acid he has 

 found an effective agent for staining the contents of the milk 

 vessels of plants. The following is his method of procedure : 

 Ordinary alkanet extract is purified of the brown coloring 

 matter with which it is contaminated, by means of ether which 

 takes up the alkanin. After evaporation of the liquid, the 

 residual mass is exhausted by acetic acid (45 per cent glacial). 

 This liquid is concentrated somewhat further by evaporation 

 in the water-bath, and is ready for use. It acts not only upon 



