SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



CONDUCTED BY F. SHILLINGTON SCALES, F.R.M.S. 



Postal Microscopical Society.— During the 

 summer of 1873 a letter appeared in Scienoe- 

 Gossip suggesting that if twelve gentlemen could 

 be found willing to co-operate in forming a little 

 club for the circulation of microscopic slides, and 

 notes thereupon, it might lead to a very pleasant 

 and profitable interchange of thought and study. 

 This letter was replied to by the late Mr. Alfred 

 Allen, of Bath. The scheme met from the very first 

 with much more support than had been anticipated, 

 a code of rules was quickly drawn up, and in 

 September of that year the Society came into 

 existence with a roll of 36 members. Mr. A. 

 Atkinson, of Brigg, the writer of the original letter 

 in Science-Gossip, was fittingly made the first 

 President, and was succeeded in due course by the 

 late Mr. Tuffen West, with whose name every 

 microscopist is familiar. By that time the Society 

 numbered, we believe, over 100 members, and the 

 membership subsequently increased in an even 

 greater degree. The leading spirit of the Society 

 was, however, Mr. Allen himself, and in 1882 he 

 added largely to the usefulness and status of the 

 Society by publishing at monthly and quarterly 

 intervals the well-known " International Journal 

 of Microscopy and Natural Science," which, besides 

 acting as the Society's medium, contained many 

 valuable scientific papers. It is understood that 

 the journal was not self-supporting, but Mr. Allen 

 himself willingly undertook its publication until 

 failing health obliged him to discontinue its issue 

 in 1897, after fifteen years of labour thereon. Mr. 

 Allen's death in the following year (March 24, 

 1898) was a severe blow to the Society, and it was 

 for a time, we believe, practically in abeyance, 

 until the appointment of a new Hon. Secretary, 

 Miss Florence Phillips, commenced what we hope 

 will prove to be a new lease of life. Unfortunately, 

 since Mr. Allen's death and the cessation of his 

 journal, the Society has had no recognised medium 

 for publishing the many interesting notes that are 

 entered in MS. memorandum-books that have circu- 

 lated with the slides sent round amongst the 

 members. In consequence, the Editor of SciENCE- 

 Gossip communicated with the Secretary and 

 President of the Society, and offered to place at 

 its disposal a portion of the space in this journal 

 for the publication of such notes. This suggestion 

 has met with approval, and it is intended to occupy 

 at least one page monthly, in the section set apart 

 for microscopy, for notes extracted from the Postal 

 Microscopical Society's memoranda. It is hoped 

 that these will contain information as interesting 

 to our readers as to the members of the Society, 

 and will lead to profitable discussion in our columns. 

 Before closing this announcement we desire to 

 draw the attention of our readers, who are workers 

 in the field of microscopy, to the many advantages 

 accruing to membership of the Postal Microscopical 

 Society. Full particulars may be obtained from 



the Honorary Secretary, Miss Florence Phillips, 

 " Hafod Euryn," Colwyn Bay, North Wales. 



Method op Preserving and Mounting 

 Kotifera.— The following is Mr. Kousselet's 

 method, communicated to the Manchester Micro- 

 scopical Society by Mr. Mark L. Sykes, F.E.M^S. : 

 " Eotifera cannot be killed suddenly by any known 

 process without contracting violently and losing 

 all their natural appearance. To kill and preserve 

 them with their cilia fully expanded and in their 

 natural condition, the animals should first be 

 narcotised with a solution consisting of 2 per cent, 

 solution of hydrochlorate of cocain, 3 parts ; methy- 

 lated spirit, 1 part ; water, 6 parts. The rotifers 

 should first be isolated in a watch-glass and clean 

 water, and a drop, or two drops, of the solution 

 added at first. After five or ten minutes another 

 drop should be added, and afterwards drop by 

 drop and very slowly, until the animals are com- 

 pletely narcotised. They may then be killed and 

 fixed by adding one drop of a ^ per cent, to \ per 

 cent, solution of osmic acid. To clear from the 

 solution they must be washed several times in 

 clean water, until all the acid is completely re- 

 moved. The rotifers must then be transferred to 

 a 2| per cent, solution of formaldehyde (2\ per 

 cent, of commercial, 1 60 per cent, formalin, and 

 37 J per cent, of distilled water), and should be 

 mounted in this fluid in hollow-ground glass slips. 

 The cells must be well secured after mounting by 

 several coats of cement. The process requires a 

 little practice, and great care should be taken that 

 the animals are always in fluid, and not allowed to 

 become dry in the process of mounting ; but the 

 results are excellent, the objects having all the 

 appearance of living animals, the colours, internal 

 structure, and outward form being beautifully pre- 

 served in situ." 



Baker's Plantation Microscope. — This is a 

 cheap microscope designed for use by planters, 

 missionaries, and others who have no practical 

 acquaintance with the microscope, for the detection 

 of the ova of intestinal parasites so common in 

 men and animals in the tropics. It is accordingly 

 simplified to the last degree ; there is one objective 

 and eyepiece, giving a total magnification of 150 

 diameters, and the focussing is done by rotating 



Baker's Plantation Microscope in Case. 



the optical tube, which gives a vertical movement 

 by means of a spiral slot and pin. There is a 

 mirror, but no draw-tube, fine adjustment, or 

 condenser, and the stand is a plain non-inclinable 

 one. It fits into a tin case 9 x 2| x 2^ inches, 

 which contains also a supply of glass slips and 

 covers, together with a sheet of printed instruc- 



