20 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [January, 



By pipes, pens, pencils, etc., that have been in the mouth of the sick. 



By the hair, whiskers, or clothing of nurse or doctor. 



By wearing clothing that has been worn by the sick. 



By reading a book or letter that has been in the hands of the sick. 



By eating butter or drinking milk from an infected house. 



By drinking water contaminated by sputum which has been thrown 

 into the water or upon the ground whence it has filtei-ed into wells, etc. 



By drinking water contaminated by seepage from cemeteries where 

 those dead from diphtheria have been buried. 



MICROSCOPICAL NEWS. 



The Microscopical Exhibition at Antwerp, which was an- 

 nounced several months ago, was held in September under the man- 

 agement of Dr. Van Heurck, the microscopical inventor and director 

 of the Botanical Garden at Antwerp. Americans do not seem to have 

 taken part therein, even the editor of this Journal who was in Paris at 

 the time not being able to attend. We learn, however, that the most 

 prominent exhibitors were as follows : 



Nachet, Paris. — His microscopes and other instruments. 



Tempere, Paris. — Diatoms in great beauty and profusion. 



Adnet. Paris. — Bacteriological apparatus. 



Moller, Wedel. — 4,026 distinct forms of diatoms. 



Lumiere, Lyon. — Figures of microbes. 



Watson, London.— Van Heurck's magnificent microscope, the Edin- 

 burgh Students' Microscope, and other apparatus shown in their cata- 

 logue. 



Powell & Lealand, London. — Microscope and objectives. 



Hartnack, Potsdam. — Microscopes, object glasses, photo-micrograph- 

 ic apparatus. 



Zeiss, Jena. — Microscopes of all descriptions. A collection illus- 

 trating the production of lenses from crude glass through every stage of 

 grinding. 



To atone for American indiflerence at this exhibit we ought to bear- 

 ranging for a great display at Chicago in 1S93. 



Sharp Practice. — A school teacher returning from Europe this fall 

 brought a microscope for his use in biological study, trusting to sec. 

 686 of the tariff' law, which puts in the free list "professional books, 

 implements, instruments, and tools of trade, occupation, or employ- 

 ment in the actual possession at the time of arriving in the United 

 States." On landing in Boston the customs officers demanded duty 

 and the collector sustained them. Whereupon the instrument was given 

 to the institution where the teacher was employed and so got in free of 

 duty. Perhaps this teacher will feel like taking the trouble to vote 

 next November. 



Diatom Notes.- — ^J. D. Cox proposes to reduce very greatly the 

 number of species. Deby objects and thinks that Cox's "transitory" 

 forms should stand as species. 



Tempere and Peragallo have ready 31 parts of a series of prepara- 

 tions of diatoms of France. Each part contains 12 species. 



M. J. Brun has described a number of new species and established 

 two new genera. (See Mem. Soc. Phys. Genhre, xxxi, part ii.) 



