1885.] Microscopy, 1249 
that its position is secured, the box should be held in a vessel o 
cold water, first at the surface (until the paraffine has set), then 
fully submerged. In this way the paraffine is quickly cooled 
sufficiently for removal from the box, which may then be used for 
imbedding a second object. A dozen objects may be thus im- 
bedded in a very short time. If the box is plunged below the 
surface of the water, before the paraffine has become rigid, holes 
will arise in the mass and fill with water. 
Box AND WARM BATH ComBINED.—Selenka! has recently de- 
scribed a simple apparatus for imbedding small objects in a definite 
position. It is made by taking a thin glass tube, and heating 
one side at the middle until it becomes soft enough to bend easily. 
en the mouth is applied to one end while stopping the other 
with the finger, and the air sucked out, causing the softened por- 
tion to bend inward and thus forming a shallow trough, a. 
section of the trough is shown in B. In order to make the bottom 
of the trough flat, it is only necessary to place in the tube, before 
B 
a Dd 
Selenka’s Imbedding Box (reduced ¥%). 
heating, a strip of glass, against which the infolding portion of 
the tube will flatten. 
One end of the cylinder is joined by rubber tubing with a 
T-shaped tube, one arm of which connects with a somewhat 
elevated liter glass of cold water, and the other arm with the hot 
water of the water-bath. The connection with the water reser- 
voirs is through rubber tubing, which can be closed by pinch- 
corks. The other end of the glass cylinder is also provided with 
a rubber tube through which the water flows into a vessel stand- 
ing on the floor. 
The cylinder is fastened (by string or clamp) to the table of a 
_dissecting microscope, with the trough at the centre. The hot 
water is then turned on and allowed to flow slowly. The trough 
is next filled with melted paraffine by the aid of a hot pipette, and 
the object dropped in and oriented with a needle. As soon as 
the object is placed in the desired position, the cold water is 
turned on, which causes an immediate stiffening of the paraffine. 
The hot water is shut off, and after a few moments, the paraffine 
with the imbedded object can be removed from the trough. The 
trough should be washed with absolute alcohol before imbedding. 
1 Zool. Anz., No. 199, p. 419, July, 1885. ; 
