64 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Apr, 



beat the sliores where the lakes now flow. Tlie diatom is 

 light and frequently floats on the surface. 



Cetraria Islandica. — This is a striking lichen from 

 the fact that the margin of the thallus is beset with 

 pretty little spines. It is found in arctic and mountain- 

 ous regions. It is commonly known as Iceland moss and 

 the arctic plant is sold in all drug stores. It is gener- 

 ally found in fruit. It has been found in shady glens in 

 Ohio and in New England, but away from its native 

 home in a sterile condition. The fact of its presence in 

 Ohio is a proof of the ancient glacier which once covered 

 a large portion of Northern Ohio and brought this lichen 

 with, it to grow as a present monument of the distant 

 past. The color of the plant is olivaceous-chestnut and 

 the disk is dark-chestnnt. The spores are simple, small, 

 and colorless. The spinules are interesting as they con- 

 tain the spermogones. 



EDITORIAL. 



General Index. — We can still supply copies of the g"en- 

 eral index (16 years) to this journal to those who have use 

 for them. 



Apparatus. — The micromotoscope is a combination of 

 the microscope and the vitascope. It is an invention of 

 Dr. R. S. Watkins, and by its aid bacilli can be unerring-ly 

 discovered. 



Insurance. — At leng-th the insurance companies, which 

 have always made medical examinations of applicants for 

 insurance, have begun to make microscopical examinations 

 of sputum and urine as aids to determining the health con- 

 ditions of applicants. They have, however, found it diffi- 

 cult to get satisfactory service in this respect from ordi- 

 nary medical examiners. They can perhaps waive it 

 where the amount of money bet on one's life is small, but 



