ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
249 
oxalates (Na, K, NH 4 ) it was also found possible to stain the stroma. A 
great many other solutions were tried, but for these the original should 
be consulted. In performing the manipulation it is necessary that the 
blood should flow freely, and in all cases it must be ascertained that the 
platelets are distributed uniformly over the field of th£ Microscope, and 
that they do not form groups or clumps. The results the authors 
obtained are that the ratio of the platelets to red corpuscles is as 1 to 
85, or 635,300 per cubic mm. 
Cleansing of Slides and Cover-Glasses.* — Dr. Emma L. Billstein 
advocates the use of acid alcohol for cleaning slides and cover-glasses. 
The mixture recommended consists of alcohol 70 per cent. 99 ccm., and 
hydrochloric acid 1 ccm. ; in this the glasses should be immersed for 
about 5 minutes, transferred to plain alcohol, and then dried. 
For removing anilin stains the authoress uses “ silver ends,” a fossil 
earth, sold in the form of a greyish-white powder. This mixed with 
water makes a turbid solution, alkaline on reaction and soapy to the 
touch, which cleans quickly and imparts a brilliant polish. The glasses 
should be afterwards washed in water or spirit, to prevent the possibility 
of any of the microscopic fossils adhering to the surface. 
Cleaning Used Slides.! — Herr A. Zielina cleans used slides in the 
following way. After the cover-glasses have been removed, the slides are 
left until the balsam is dry, and they are then placed in water for a 
few days. The balsam is then scraped off with a smooth piece of wood, 
and the slides washed and dried with a cloth. 
Glass-Blowing and Working.^ — This little volume by Mr. T. Bolas 
is intended for amateurs, experimentalists, and technicians, and is based 
on a course of lecture-demonstrations delivered by the author, whose aim 
has been to make the present work a laboratory and workshop guide to 
the various phases of glass-working at the blowpipe. Amongst those 
who will find the instructions useful is the Microscopist. In the little 
volume will be found descriptions of the necessary tools and utensils 
and how to work them, the various methods of making glass of different 
composition so as to be suitable for special purposes, the methods for 
working and blowing glass, how to colour and modify materials, &c., and 
remarks on the disintegration and decay of glass. 
The volume concludes with a chapter on the bibliography of glass ; 
and this contains a short list of works which are of interest either from 
intrinsic or historical importance or from their ready accessibility. 
* Micr. Bulletin, xiv. (1897) p. 45. 
t Zeitsckr. f. wiss. Mikr., xiv. (1897) pp. 368-9. 
% Dawbarn & Ward, London, 1898, 212 pp. and 104 figs. 
