SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



9i 



Mounting Uncinulas. — The quickest and best 

 way to mount these beautiful fungi, says Mr. 

 L. A. "Wilson, of Cleveland, is to preserve them 

 unstained in glycerine jelly. They show best when 

 temporarily examined in a drop of water, but jelly 

 is the next best thing. Few prettier specimens can 

 be found for a cabinet. Though generally unknown 

 and unseen, it is almost impossible to pass through 

 the woods without trampling them under foot. 

 They are found on the leaves of grape, Virginia 

 creepers, maple and elm. 



Preserving Media. — For diatoms : potassium, 

 mecuric iodide, glycerine. Dissolve the salt in 

 concentrated anhydrous glycerine. The refraction 

 index of this medium is 178 to 180. For prepar- 

 ing mosses for the herbarium use lactophenol gum : 

 a strong solution of gum arabic in water (1), 

 glucose (2) and lactophenol. For desmids : lacto- 

 phenol copper solution. Crystallized copper 

 chloride, 02 parts ; crystallized acetate of copper, 

 02 parts; distilled water, 95-0 parts; lactophenol, 

 5-0 parts. This preserves the chlorophyll. For 

 fungi, mosses and algae : carbolic acid, 20 parts ; 

 lactic acid, 20 parts ; glycerine, 40 parts ; distilled 

 water, 20 parts. 



Animal Life Cycles. — Now that the ponds and 

 lakes teem with aquatic life, our young micro- 

 scopists should lose no opportunity of making 

 themselves acquainted with the life cycles of the 

 minute organisms they contain. To what end ? 

 Because they afford material for the study of those 

 processes in the multiplication of small aquatic 

 organisms which is so essential a condition for the 

 renewal and reinvigoration of higher forms of 

 life. For example, the Infusoria, which are bred 

 in the muddy sediment of ponds and streams, 

 furnish food for the Crustacea, which in their turn 

 are devoured by fishes. Considering that in places 

 far removed from the sea, as is the case, for 

 instance, in some parts of Germany, freshwater 

 fish are held in great esteem by the people, we may 

 construct a chain of living beings, starting with the 

 tiny protozoon of the mud, and passing on from 

 water-fleas to fishes, and finally to man, in which 

 each depends for its existence largely on the 

 individual next below it in the scale. The study 

 affords food for thought. 



Current Literature. — The current issue of 

 "The Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society" 

 contains an illustrated article, by Mr. F. W. Millett, 

 on " The Recent Foraminifera of the Malay Archi- 

 pelago." Dr. T. Chartres White continues " A 

 Few Notes on Micro-Crystallography," in the 

 course of which he details his experiences in 

 crystal making with hippuric acid, hydroquinone, 

 picric acid and an aqueous solution of bichromate 

 of potassium crystallized in a tolerably thick emul- 

 sion of gum arabic. Mr. H. G. Madin has been 

 experimenting with the object of finding some 

 cement having the same index of refraction as 

 Iceland-spar for the ordinary ray (viz., 166) and 

 therefore suitable for use in certain forms of 

 polarizing prisms made of that material. He has 

 not yet obtained an entirely satisfactory material, 

 but publishes the results of his efforts in the hopes 

 that others will take up the subject. M. Jules 

 Richards has been studying the freshwater fauna 

 of the Canary Islands. His list embraces examples 

 of the Phyllopoda, Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostra- 

 coda, Polyzoa and Rotifera. As the islands are 

 volcanic, the freshwater animals must have been 

 borne thither by winds and birds. 



A Killing Liquid for Nematodes. — The 

 following solution will be found effective : corrosive 

 sublimate, alcohol seventy per cent, and a few 

 drops of acetic acid heated to fifty degrees C. 



Multiplication of Bacteria. — At a lecture 

 recently delivered at Mason College, Birmingham, 

 Professor Percy Frankland gave some tables 

 illustrating the extraordinary powers of repro- 

 duction possessed by bacteria. From these it was 

 shown that this increase took place from one in 

 o hours to 280,000,000,000,000 in forty-eight hours. 

 The form and appearance of these minute living 

 organisms were such that they could only be 

 ascertained with the aid of the most powerful 

 microscopes. Viewed in their isolated condition 

 these bacteria looked harmless and insignificant 

 enough, but they presented a far more menacing 

 appearance when seen engaged in their nefarious 

 work, attacking in their millions the vital tissues 

 of their victims, in which they elaborated those 

 poisons which caused disease and death. 



Alfred Allen. — The death of the late Mr. 

 Alfred Allen, of Bath, on the 24th March last, after 

 a painful illness, has removed from an extensive 

 circle of microscopists one who for more than 

 twenty-five years did excellent work, especially in 

 the microscopical field. He was one of the founders 

 of the Postal Micro-cabinet Club through corre- 

 sponding with Mr. A. Atkinson, of Brigg, who had 

 inserted a letter in Science-Gossip, 1873, calling the 

 attention of its readers to the desirability of form- 

 ing such an association for microscopists, especially 

 those who resided away from the various towns, 

 and who would like an opportunity to be drawn 

 more closely together. By the enterprise of Mr. 

 Allen, the club was formed that year, and within 

 six years more than 100 members had been en- 

 rolled. Its name was then changed to the Postal 

 Microscopical Society. Mr. Allen removed from 

 Essex to Bath, and devoted his leisure time to the 

 interests of the Society ; and until his death his 

 self-denying labours maintained it in a very useful 

 career. In 1882, as Secretary, he added to the 

 utility of its work by publishing at monthly 

 and quarterly intervals the journal which not 

 only contained the records of the Society, but 

 some very valuable scientific papers. This 

 journal, although not financially remunerative, 

 was to him a labour of love, and only on the 

 failure of his health in 1897 was he obliged 

 to relinquish his editorial duties. After fifteen 

 years of literary effort, the last volume of " The 

 International Journal of Microscopy and Natural 

 Science " was issued. Mr. Allen was for many 

 years a member of the Bath Microscopical Society, 

 which has now ceased to exist. He filled the 

 office of President, and contributed many valuable 

 papers on entomological researches. We are glad 

 to know that the friends of the late Mr. Allen are 

 hopeful that someone connected with the Postal 

 Microscopical Society is willing to become its 

 Secretary and to carry on the very useful work 

 which the late Secretary so ably prosecuted. — 

 Richard H. Moon, Bath; July 18th, 1898. 



[The Editor of Science - Gossip offers the 

 hospitality of its columns to the members of the 

 Postal Microscopical Society, and Mr. Cooke, who 

 conducts the Section of Microscopy, will welcome 

 contributions from its members. There appears to 

 be no reason why the office of this journal should 

 not become the headquarters of that Society. Ed. 

 Science-Gossip.] 



