ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICEOSCOPY^ ETC. 1057 



KowALEWSKY, N. — Ueter die Wirkung von Methylenblau auf die Saugethiere. 



(On the action of methyl-blue on mammals.) Centralhl. Med. Wiss., 1888, p. 209. 

 Le TULLE. — Note sur un precede de coloration stable de la matiere amyloide au 



moyen de I'eosine et de la potasse caustique. (Note on a process of stable 



staining of the amyloid matter by means of eosin and caustic potash.) 



Bull. SoG. Anat. Paris, II. (1888) p. 85. 

 Kedfern, J. J. — The Pal-Exner Method of Staining Sections of the Central 



Nervous System. Brit. Med. Joum., 1888, p. 642. 



(5) Mounting-, including Slides, Preservative Fluids, &c. 



Mounting of specimens to be examined with homogeneous-immersion 

 lenses.* — Dr. A. Garbini adopts the following device for preventing any 

 damage to the specimen from the resin or balsam being acted on by 

 cedar oil or other solvents after the examination under homogeneous 

 immersion or during the clearing of the cover-glass. The slide when 

 mounted is baked for some hours at a temperature of 30° C, until the 

 solvent of the resinous medium has been, as far as possible, evaporated. 

 When cool the edge of the cover-glass is ringed round with a thinnish 

 coating of gum. The material best suited for this purpose is sold under 

 the name of Senegaline (Adrien Maurin, Paris). It may be made to 

 take any colour if desired. By this device a cover-glass can be cleaned 

 with xylol or benzol with the greatest ease. 



Preparing Styrax Balsam.f — Dr. Th. Marsson, who recommends 

 styrax f.>r mounting microscopical specimens, prepares it in the following 

 way : — The grey commercial styrax is shaken up every day several times 

 for eight days with an equal quantity of chloroform until two layers 

 have separated out, the lower one of which contains the styrax. The 

 contents of the bottle are then filtered, the filter being moistened with 

 chloroform, and the clear brown styrax solution evaporated to the con- 

 sistence of a thin syrup. This syrupy mass is then placed in a bottle, 

 of which it occupies not more than 1/6 of the space, and petroleum- 

 ether is added little by little. A first a clear brown fluid is formed, but 

 after a time a milky clouding shows that the styrax is beginning to 

 separate out. The petroleum - ether may now be added in larger 

 quantity in order to hasten the precipitation of the balsam, When all 

 the balsam is thrown down the clear fluid is poured away, and then the 

 styrax balsam is purified from all trace of chloroform or petroleum- 

 ether by evaporation in a water-bath, after which the residue forms a 

 thick, clear brown, stringy mass, and after exposure to the air dries quite 

 hard and can be scratched with a needle. As the styrax balsam in this 

 condition is too stiff for manipulation, it is thinned down with a solvent. 

 The solvent used by the author is monobromnaphthalin, which has a 

 higher refractive index than styrax, and diluted with this a perfectly 

 clear solution is formed. It flows very easily under the cover-glass, but 

 dries somewhat slowly. 



Herstellung von flussigem Kitt Oder Gummi. (Preparation of fluid Cement or Gum.) 



[For every .^OO cc. of the cement or gum dissolve 150 gr. of glue or gelatin, 



12-5 gr. borax, and 6-25 gr. soda, in 750 cc. of water, and keep it for some 



hours below the boiling-point. Let it stand, decant and concentrate the fluid 



by evaporation. The solution is fluid at ordinary temperatures.] 



Chem. Ztg., 1888, p. 287 ; Engl. Patent, 1886, Nr. 13,168. 

 Smiley, 0. W.— Einnhock's Slide of Arranged Diatoms, Chirodota wheels, Synapta 

 plates, S3mapta anchors, &c. 



Amer. Mon. Micr. Joum., IX. (1888) pp. 199-200 (1 pi.). 



* Zeitschr f. Wiss. Mikr., v. (1888) pp. 171-2. f Ibid., pp. 346-50. 



