706 SUMMAKY OF CUREENT EESEAECHES RELATING TO 



ordinary objects, prepared in this way. By comparing this process 

 with that described at p. 706 of vol. i. (1881) of this Journal, it 

 be seen that Dr. Kiehm's is essentially the same as that of Prof. C. 

 Semper. This gentleman asserts * his claim to the credit of having 

 first made it public, and mentions three other scientific men who 

 have published similar accounts. He disputes Dr. Eiehm's explana- 

 tion of the action of the turpentine, stating that the prepara- 

 tions are readily softened by water. The expense, also, in time and 

 material is not small. Although the white colour seems to be an 

 advantage, it may sometimes be necessary to restore as nearly as 

 possible the colours of life, and this may be done by immersion in a 

 mixture of glycerine and solution of sugar, and then drying ; or the 

 white objects may be painted either with honey or oil colours. 



Preserving Infusoria, t — E. Maupas, referring to M. Certes' view 

 that the exposure of the Infusoria to the action of the vapour of 

 osmic acid should last from 10 to 30 minutes, says that this time 

 appears to him much too long. He obtains a result much more rapid 

 in the following way. Deposit the drop of water containing the 

 Infusoria so that it shall spread as little as possible -on the slide, and 

 then invert it over the neck of the bottle containing the osmic acid 

 (1 per cent.) having an opening sufficiently large so that the drop 

 shall not touch the sides. By this plan the Infusoria never resist 

 more than half a minute. 



Mounting- Mosses and Hepaticae. % — M. Delogne recommends 

 glycerine-gelatine which is specially valuable for the study of the 

 stipules of the Hepaticae, organs which are ordinarily very difficult to 

 see. A special advantage is that it renders a cell unnecessary. 



Preparing 1 Bacteria of Tuberculosis. § — Dr. E. Van Ermengem, 

 referring to Ehrlich's improvement of Koch's method, || describes some 

 modifications of his own which makes it absolutely sure in its 

 results. 



Instead of making a solution of the aniline in water, which only 

 takes up 1 part in 30, an alcoholic solution is made, 4 grammes of 

 liquid aniline in 20 grammes of alcohol at 40°, adding an equal quan- 

 tity of distilled water, and filtering before use. The most stable 

 coloring agents the author finds to be sulphate of rosaniline and 

 methyl-violet B B B B B. The preparations, after having been 

 decolorized by dilute nitric acid, are well washed in distilled water. 



Baumgarten also recommends ^[ the following as more simple and 

 expeditious than any others. After having spread the tuberculous 

 matter on the cover-glass, it is placed in a watch-glass and covered 

 with distilled water, to which is added some drops of a 33 per cent. 



* Zool. Anzeig., v. (1882) pp. 144-6. 



t Arch, de Zool. Exper. et Gen., ix. (1881) p. 360. See this Journal, ii. (1879) 

 p. 331. 



X Bull. Soc. Belg. Micr., vii. (1882) p. cl. 

 § Ibid., vii. (1882) pp. cli.-iii. 

 || See this Journal, ante, p. 572. 

 If Centralbl. f. cl. Med. Wiss., 24th June, 1882. 



