1902] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 133 
Notes on Microscopy. 
M. I. CROSS. 
» 
POND-LIFE COLLECTING IN JuLY.—Collecting in July 
is usually not so profitable as one would expect, because 
as a rule most of the shallow ponds are dried up by this 
time, or have been reduced to a muddy swamp, and in the 
others the Crustaceans, Cladocera and Cyclops, have mul- 
tiplied to such an extent as to leave little room for the 
more interesting forms of pond-life. 
Pedalion mirum should be looked for in large and 
small lakes, as it will probably have greatly increased in 
numbers. The somewhat rare and very large Asplanch- 
na amphora and ebbesborni, as well as Asplanchnopus 
myrmelo, are summer forms which occur at this season. 
Other Rotifers that appear in warm weather are : Dinops 
longipes, Tribyllus lacustris, Notops clavulatus, Scari- 
dium eudactilotum, and longicaudum, then the free-swim- 
ming Lacinularia natans and Conochilus volvox, also the 
fixed Lacinularia socialis and Megalotrocha, which are 
found attached to submerged water plants. All these are 
very beautiful objects under the microscope, but by no 
means common. Volvox globator will certainly be found 
now, in abundance, in secluded ponds, and inside of the 
green spheres the little parasitic Rotifer, Proales para- 
sitica, should be looked for. 
Hints ON SEcTionN Currine.—Success in microtome 
section cutting, no matter what microtome be used, can 
only be properly attained by dexterity in free-hand sec- 
_ tion cutting. A few directions which will indicate the 
manner in which this desirable facility may be secured 
may, therefore, be of value. Itcalls for patience, care, 
and some practice. It is well to select botanical subjects 
of small diameter and not too hard in substance to exper- 
iment upon. Bear in mind that the smaller the diameter 
of the material the easie will it be to cut good sections. 
