188 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct- 



Elmira, N. Y. — The society formerly existing- in Elmira 

 is now the Updegraff Microscopical Section of the Elmira 

 Academy of Sciences. 



Opticians. — On October 10th the American Association 

 of Opticians was organized in New York City. It does 

 not appear that microscopy will be covered at all by the 

 new organization. 



Osprey Plumes. — The feathers are stripped from birds 

 in the breeding season, involving their death and the 

 starvation of their young. Sir John Lubbock has secured 

 their abolition from the British army. 



Objective. — Leitz has made a 1-10 inch oil immersion 

 objective with a numerical aperture of 1.3 the price of 

 which is $18.50 only and it is pronounced superb by. 

 highest authority. It is the first of the kind made for a 

 long tube. Semi-apochromatic lenses have been brought 

 up to almost equal apochromatic. The difference in 

 aperture is in proportion of 13 to 14. Many of the more 

 difficult objects can be resolved by them. 



Reynolds and Branson's Microtome. — The instrument 

 is arranged to slide on a glass plate with a circular rough- 

 ened ring, the substance to be cut being imbeded and tixed 

 on that plate. Sections of any degree of thickness ma}' 

 then be cut by simply raising- or lowering the screw. The 

 microtome is so arranged that any razor may be clamped 

 to it, and it will be found extremely useful to students in 

 physiology, botany etc. The price of the microtome, with 

 glass plate, is only 4s., and razors are supplied at Is. and 

 2s. each. Write to Reynolds and Branson, Leeds, England 

 for full description. 



Paraffin Imbedding Table. — It is made of a triangle of 

 sheet copper, with a base of six inches and a perpendicular 

 height of fourteen inches. The edges of the triangle 

 are turned under and inward, giving tothetable a smoothly 

 rounded margin. In height, the main part of the table 

 measures two inches, arid it is four inches high under the 

 apex of the triangle, where is- placed the heating flame, 

 which may be gas, or oil, or alcohol lamp. 



