ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 827 



these can be fastened in the wooden slips by covering one side with 

 paper, with of course, the necessary hole cut a smaller size than the 

 hole in the wood slip, and while the gum is wet dropping the glass 

 in place ; then when dry covering the other side. 



Mr. Briant has found immense advantage in being able to reverse 

 the preparation in this way, many difficult points being easily solved 

 upon examining both sides. 



Hinman's Device for Mounting.* — G. C. Hinman's device con- 

 sists of a perforated plate with the edges turned up so as to receive a 

 glass slip, and hold it with the centre over the centre of the perfora- 

 tion, thus enabling the object to be placed centrally without difficulty. 

 When the object is mounted this plate is placed upon another under 

 a spring having three points in a plane parallel with the surface of 

 the slip, which can be pressed down upon the cover-glass with any 

 desired force, and thus bring the cover-glass into a plane parallel 

 with the slip. 



Mr. J. H. Pillsbury considers this by far the most convenient 

 instrument for holding the cover-glass in place which he has ever 

 seen. 



Preparing Schultze's Solution.t — Prof. W. Hillhouse describes 

 the following method of preparing Schultze's solution, a modification 

 of that of Radlkofer. Pure granulated zinc is dissolved in hydro- 

 chloric acid at an ordinary temperature ; the solution is evaporated 

 at a temperature of about 70° or 80° C. and under contact with 

 metallic zinc, to a syrup which does not get muddy on addition of 

 much water, and has the specific gravity 2 • This syrup is poured 

 off and diluted with water to specific gravity 1"8 — that is, twelve 

 parts of water are added to every hundred of the syrup. In 100 

 parts of the resulting fluid dissolve at a gentle heat six parts of 

 potassium iodide, and then dissolve in the whole as much iodine as 

 it will take up. The solution will now have the consistence of 

 concentrated sulphuric acid, is perfectly clear, of a bright golden- 

 brown colour, slowly becoming somewhat darker on exposure to 

 light. It can be brought to various degrees of dilution, as its 

 action varies according to the strength. It is best kept in the 

 dark. 



Styrax and Liquidambar.J — Dr. H. van Heurck has a further 

 note on these substances, in which, after referring to the commenda- 

 tions of Cole, Dippel, Grunow, and Kitton, he quotes that of Stras- 

 burger in his ' Das Botanische Practicum,' who recommends it for 

 making visible the details of the nucleus of plant-cells previously 

 stained with haematoxylin. The cytoplasm is invisible, while the 

 details of the nucleus are seen with the greatest clearness. 



A " new quality " of styrax Dr. van Heurck finds to be, as men- 

 tioned ante p. 655, that instead of becoming coloured by time and 



* Amer. Mod. Micr. Joum., v. (1884) p. 140. 

 t Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc, iv. (1883) p. 399. 

 X Bull. Soc. Hclg. Micr., x. (1881) pp. 178-82. 



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