ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 511 



to twenty-four hours, according to its size and the degree of hardness 

 required. The whole transaction must be carried out in the dark, other- 

 wise the salts will be precipitated. The objects are then placed in strong 

 spirit for twelve to twenty-four hours, after which they may be sectioned 

 in auy of the usual ways. With regard to the preservation of material 

 the author rejects alcohol and chromic acid and its salts on account of 

 the changes induced by these reagents, and advises ether, xylol, toluol, 

 or any substance which does not act upon albuminous matter. 



Isolating Lower Algae.* — The isolation of some Chytridiacea?, 

 Saprolegnias, and monads from different waters is easily effected by 

 catching them with the aid of pollen-grains, fern-spores, or fungi spores 

 which are disseminated in the water and then allowing them to develope 

 until they fructify. For this purpose, says Dr. W. Zopf, the pollen- 

 grains of Conifers are very suitable. By this method Lagenidium 

 pygmseum, JRluzoplddium pollinis, and Olpidium luxurians can be isolated 

 with almost unfailing certainty. Under favourable circumstances alga? 

 with sporangia can often be obtained in 15 to 30 hours after depositing 

 the pollen-grains. 



Curtis, C. — The Tapeworm: methods of preparation. 



[Reports finding in Trans. Linn. Soc, II. 1794, a paper by A. Carlisle, which 

 presents the snme methods and elucidates the same fact regarding the valves " 

 as the paper of J. M. Stedman, ante, p. 148.] 



The Microscope, VIII. (18SS) pp. 102-4. 

 Entomologists, Young, Microscopic Work for. 



[" A few simple directions to the beginner who wants to know how to mount 

 the hard parts of common insects."] 



Scientif. News, I. (1SS8) p. 316. 

 Latham, V. A. — To prepare the Head of a Flea. Mounting Tongues of Flies. 



Scientif. Enquirer, III. (1888) pp. 10 and 13. 

 „ „ Preparing Sections of Buds. 



[" Take a small piece of a twig — say, linden — having a bud at its upper end ; 

 fix well in section-cutter, wet with alcohol, cut with a sharp knife into thin 

 slices, keep flooding the knife with strong alcohol to keep the sections floating, 

 and to keep them from falling apart. Do not let a drop of water touch the 

 section, or it will cause it to fall to pieces. Now place in alcohol faintly 

 coloured with iodine-green ; let them remain for several hours until the 

 coloirr disappears from the alcohol. Again put them into alcohol, this time 

 coloured a little more deeply with eosin in place of green. Let them remain 

 there till they are all pink. Then wash in two alcohols of 95 per cent., drop 

 into clove oil for a few moments only, and mount in Canada balsam. They 

 are thus very instructive."] 



Scientif. Enquirer, III. (1888) p. 69. 

 Schwebdoff.— TJntersuchungsmethode friihzeitiger Studien der Entwickelung von 

 Saugetiereiern. (Method of investigation for the earlier stages of the develop- 

 ment of mammalian ova.) 



Arbeit. Versamml. Russ. Aerzte Moskau, I. (1887) 1/2 p. (Russian). 

 Van Gibson, J. — A resume of recent Technical Methods for the Nervous System. 



Journ. Nerv. and Met. Diseases, XIV. (1887) p. 310. 



(3) Cutting, including: Imbedding-. 



Imbedding Plant Tissues. — We referred at p. 680 of the last volume 

 to Dr. S. Schonland's method of imbedding delicate plant tissues in 

 paraffin, so that unshrunken serial sections may be cut by the ribbon 

 method. The author then described the results which can be attained 

 as almost incredible. In serial sections of leaves one can not infrequently 



* Abh. Naturf. Gesellsch. Halle, xvii. (1887) 31 pp. (2 pis.). 



