ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 845 



The great mistake generally made in cleaning marine muds is that not 

 enough care is taken in the first washings with water. The author's method 

 is to remove all sand possible before shaking is commenced, for the violent 

 agitation of a mixture of sand and diatoms is prejudicial to the latter. Only 

 as much raw material should be placed in the bottle or jar as will settle in ten 

 minutes, and this should be repeatedly washed until the water will settle 

 clear in a few minutes. The jar should not be shaken, but rotated, and the 

 sand removed after each settling. 



Preservation of recent Pathological Specimens.* — Prof. E. Lund 

 preserves recent pathological specimens by placing them in an air-tight 

 vessel filled with the vapour of sulphuric ether, chloroform, or ether and 

 creosote previously mixed with alcohol. Several thick folds of lint, 

 saturated with one of these solutions, are put at the bottom of the vessel, 

 and the specimens are arranged in trays over it, so that the vapour can have 

 free access to each of the specimens. In this way the specimens are always 

 ready for examination, without being softened or decolorized by immersion in 

 weak spirit and water or other preservative fluids. The cover of the vessel 

 can be made air-tight by a vulcanized indiarubber ring, on which the edge 

 of the lid is firmly pressed, or by allowing it to dip into a groove around 

 the top of the vessel, which can be filled with vaseline, or, better still, with 

 liquid mercury, if the vessel is not to be much moved about from place to 

 place. 



CouBBOtJX, E. S.— On the washing and cleansing of diatomaceous deposits. 



Sdentif. Enquirer, II. (1887) pp. 144-7. 

 QuiMBT, B. F. — Insect Preparations. I. 



[Collecting. Fluids. iDiplements (including a mounting and dissecting box, 

 illuminated by a mirror set at 45°). Preparation.] 



Microscope, VII. (1887) pp. 197-202. 

 Stoss. — Notizen iiber Anfertigung mikroskopischer Parasitenpraparate. (Notes on 

 making microscopical preparations of parasites.) 



Deutsche Zeitschr. /. Thiermed., XIII. (1887) pp. 202-5. 



(3) Cutting, including Imbedding: and Microtomes. 



Celloidin-ParaflSn Imbedding.^ — In order to obviate the difficulties and 

 inconveniences inherent in the methods of imbedding in celloidin and 

 paraffin, Dr. Kultschizky has devised a combination of these two media 

 which are manipulated as follows : — The object, taken from spirit, is placed 

 for some hours in a mixture of equal parts of ether and alcohol. It is then 

 removed to a solution of celloidin of any strength ; herein it remains for 

 twenty-four hours. From the celloidin the object is transferred to origanum 

 oil, and then to a mixture of paraffin and origanum oil which has been 

 heated to 40°, and finally to melted paraffin. The time which the object 

 remains in the origanum oil, the paraffin solution, and in the melted paraffin, 

 must be determined by trial, as it depends on the characteristics of the 

 imbedded objects. 



The chief advantages claimed for this method are that very fragile 

 objects can be imbedded ; that very thin sections, owing to the celloidin, do 

 not break up, even though the paraffin has given way ; that it is not neces- 

 sary to use an alcoholic drip while cutting ; and that sections of the same 

 tenuity as those from paraffin in imbedding can be obtained. 



Water-bath for Paraffin Imbedding.^ — Dr. P. Mayer has in conjunction 

 with Dr. W. Giesbrecht and Dr. G. C. J. Vosmaer, devised a convenient 



• Scientif. Enquirer, ii. (1887) p. 148. 

 t Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Mikr., iv. (1887) pp. 48-9. 

 : Internat. Monatschr. f, Anat. u. Physiol., iv. (1887) Helt 2, 1 fig. 

 1887. 3 K 



