1885.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



217 



rule is that subscriptions must be paid 

 before a name is entered on the list ; 

 and as this involves making an entirely 

 new list each year, we cannot, except 

 at the expenditure of much more time 

 than can be well afforded, compare 

 new and old lists to find the delin- 

 quents, and then write to remind them 

 of the matter. 



The list for 1886 is already begun, 

 and we are prepared to enter subscrip- 

 tions as rapidly as they may arrive. 

 o 



New Mounting Media. — A cor- 

 respondent has requested information 

 concerning the stannous chloride used 

 by Professor Smith in his highlv re- 

 fractive medium described on page 

 161. vSince others may also be un- 

 certain concerning the tin compound 

 employed, we may state that stannous 

 chloride is not the bichloride of phar- 

 macists, but is commonly known as 

 the protochloride of tin, the ' salts of 

 tin ' of dyers. Professor Smith uses 

 the chemicalh' pure compound, which 

 costs about sixty cents a pound, and 

 this may be obtained of F. A. Rei- 

 chardt & Co., 96 Liberty street, or of 

 Eimer& Amend. 305 Third avenue. 

 New York. 



A good quality of gelatin should 

 be used, such as is sold for photo- 

 graphic purposes. Professor Smith 

 has been using what is known as 

 boro-glyceride instead of gelatin, 

 which fastens the cover-glass as se- 

 curely as balsam, and is easily cleaned 

 oiV around the cover. 



It is advised to use wax rings for 

 protecting the mounts in this medium, 

 as affording the best and quickest 

 means of finishing the mounts. 

 White sheet-wax is recoinmended, 

 rings being punched from it of the 

 proper size, and attached by careful 

 heating. Colored cements mav then 

 be ai:)plied as a finish, but they are not 

 required. 



We notice an error in the name 

 hydrochloric acid on page 161 , line 15 

 from bottom of second colunm. It 

 is rather remarkable that the proofs 

 should have passed through the hands 



of author, editor, and proof reader, 

 and still such an error remain, but so 

 it is. 



Postal Club Boxes. — Box Cy 

 came to this circuit October 5th, with 

 two of Cole's preparations, one a 

 cross-section t)f cucumber stem, the 

 other a longitudinal section of sun- 

 flower stem. Both are very instruc- 

 tive, and the description makes them 

 far more so than they would be with- 

 out it. 



Box E was received at the same 

 time as the preceding one. The 

 preparations are : — 



I. Pleurosigtna fonnosiiin. Louis 

 H. Noe. 



3. Jaws of water-spiders. T. D. 

 Hodges. 



3. Cluster of eggs of elm-leaf 

 beetle. Prof. S. Lockwood. 



There is an interesting account of 

 the life and habits of the voracious 

 beetle. The cluster of egg-shells is 

 a very pretty object. 



4. Crista ebuniea. E.A.Apgar. 

 A very neat prepai^ation, but, un- 

 fortunately, not a word of explanation 

 accompanies it. The name is not 

 correctly given in the letter accompa- 

 nying the box. The specimen is one 

 of the polyzoa, quite common, grow- 

 ing on seaweeds, etc. 



5. Infant's tongue, section. R.tl. 

 Chase. 



6. Brand of May-apple, Puccinia 

 aculeata. E. A. Rau. The mount- 

 ing medivmi was water, the cement, 

 asphalt ; the natural consequence is 

 a dry preparation. 



Box Cx was received Oct. 13th. 

 with two preparations of Mr. Cole. 



1. Section of nerve. 



2. Ossification of cartilage. 



Box D was received October 23d. 

 with six preparations of interest. 

 Professor Lockwood w^rites that the 

 original letter-package of this box 

 had been lost, and the managers had 

 replaced it by memoranda obtained 

 with some difficulty. He commends 

 the preparations as ' unusually inter- 

 esting.' 



