1884.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



53 



EDITORIAL. 



Publisher's Notices.— All communications, re- 

 mittances, exchanges, etc., should be addressed to the 

 Editor, P. O. Box 630, Washington, D. C. 



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 with the January number. After April ist the sub- 

 scription-price will be $1.50. 



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Special Notice. — We would call 

 special attention to the fact that this 

 month is the last during which sub- 

 scriptions for the current year will be 

 received at one dollar. After the 

 first of April no orders will be taken 

 for less than one dollar and a half. 



Collecting Specimens. — Mr. J. 

 Levick, President of the Birmingham 

 Natural History and Microscopical 

 Society, in his presidential address, 

 recently delivered, described a meth- 

 od of collecting microscopic objects 

 which is somewhat novel. He uses 

 a net and a small copper grapnel or 

 four-pronged hook, which he throws 

 out fifty or sixty yards into a pond, 

 and draws in by means of a strong 

 plaited cotton or flaxen line. The 

 grapnel is made of soft copper wire, 

 known as No. 9, B. W. G., cast to- 

 gether with solder. If the hook 

 catches upon any obstacle, the line is 

 strong enough to sti'aighten the soft 

 wire, and thus bring it ashore. The 

 net is of fine French canvas, or, for 

 the more minute specimens, a finer 

 muslin net is used. 



Mr. Levick claims great results 

 from the use of such an apparatus. 

 The net, passing through such a dis- 

 tance in the water, is likely to collect 

 something even from w^aters where 

 but little life is found. 



Mr. Levick recommends a garden 

 pond instead of indoor aquaria for 

 those who wish to study microscopic 

 life. He has one 8 feet in diameter, 

 2 feet 6 inches deep, with a good 

 slope inside. It is made of brick, 

 lined with asphalt, and stands 18 

 inches above the level of the srround. 



The water can be replenished if nec- 

 essary, but thus far the supply has 

 been maintained by the rain-fall. 

 o 



Postal-Club Boxes. — Box R 

 came into this circuit February 4th, 

 with only four slides. 



No. I. Mica, containing crystals of 

 hematite. H. B. Hargreaves. 



No. 2. A parasitic wasp. Rev. J. 

 L. Zabriskie. Neatly mounted with- 

 out pressure in a cell made of white 

 wax, sealed with shellac, and finished 

 with white zinc cement. We should 

 think this plan would insure good 

 cells. This one has a bubble in it, 

 but that niay have been purposely left 

 by the preparer. 



No. 3. Section of stein of fossil 

 crinoid. Dr. F. L. Bardeen. The 

 preparer rightly declares that the sec- 

 tion is "too thick." The concen- 

 trated radiance of an electric light 

 would not penetrate it, nor reveal the 

 hidden beauties of its structure. 



No. 5. Deposit from urine from a 

 horse. Geo. C. Faville. This may 

 prove of interest to medical gentle- 

 men. 



The Structure of Diatoms. — 

 The readers of this Journal are 

 aware that Messrs. W. Prinz and E. 

 Van Ermengem have been for some 

 time engaged in the study of sections 

 of diatoms, with the view to eluci- 

 date the structure of the frustules. 

 The question has long been debated 

 among microscopists whether the 

 punctate appearance of certain dia- 

 toms is due to elevations or depres- 

 sions on the surface of the frustules. 

 Another question has also arisen, 

 whether the silicious coverings of the 

 diatoms are continuous or perforated 

 with minute apertures. In the, last 

 edition of Dr. Carpenter's book, 

 "Revelations of the Microscope," 

 will be found a good summary of the 

 various arguments and experiments 

 relating to the subject up to the time 

 the book w^as written. Since then 

 there have been several articles pub- 

 lished in these colums about the more 



