ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
421 
rations were mounted in pure glycerin, in acidulated glycerin, or in 
glycerin to which 1 per cent, of picrate of ammonia solution had been 
added. 
Examining Spermatozoa of Insecta.* * * § — Herr E. Ballowitz used male 
beetles, the vas deferens of which was quite full of spermatozoa. The 
living spermatozoa were fixed with osmic acid vapour, and usually 
stained with gentian-violet. 
Maceration specimens showing a fibrillation of the flagellum were 
obtained by removing the wings and upper abdominal wall and then 
immersing in very dilute sodium chloride solution for some days. A 
piece of vas deferens was then cut out, carefully washed, and then 
teased out on a slide in 0 • 8 per cent, salt solution. A drop of this fluid 
was covered over with a cover-glass, and after the lapse of one to three 
days stained with some anilin dye. Movements of the spermatozoa 
were shown on Schulze’s hot stage, the optimum temperature being from 
30° to 35° C. 
Demonstrating Structure and Termination of Muscular Nerves in 
(Edipoda fasciata.f — Sig. V. Mazzoni employs the following modifi- 
cation of the gold chloride method for staining nerve-endings. Pieces 
of muscle, 1 to 2 mm. in size, are placed for half an hour in a watery 
solution of 1/3 formic acid. When quite transparent they are transferred 
to gold chloride solution (1 : 100), wherein they remain for 7 or 8 
minutes. After this they are left in the dark for 12 hours in the formic 
acid solution, and then mounted in glycerin. 
Mounting Acarina.ij: — M. E. L. Trouessart finds that dried material 
containing mites makes better preparations than can be obtained from 
fresh specimens. The material is placed in a large drop of glycerin on 
a slide, but is not covered. The preparation is then carefully and slowly 
warmed over a spirit-lamp. By this the animals are cleared up and 
freed from air-bubbles and any adherent impurities. For imbedding, 
glycerin-gelatin is recommended, but if it is desired to keep the animals 
this may be done in alcohol or Hantsch’s fluid. 
Preparing Eggs of Pycnogonids.§ — Mr. T. H. Morgan found the 
best way of hardening the eggs of Pycnogonids was to put them into 
alcoholic picro-sulphuric acid for several hours, and then to gradually 
carry them through different grades of alcohol of increasing strength. 
After an hour in absolute alcohol, two to four hours in turpentine, one 
hour of soft and one to two hours of hard paraffin, the eggs were cut 
in paraffin, and fixed to the slide w r ith albumen fixative. Again, they 
were passed through turpentine, absolute alcohol, 95, 80, 70 per cent, 
alcohols to Kleinenberg’s haematoxvlin, where they remained for from 
twelve to forty-eight hours. They were then washed in acid alcohol for 
fifteen minutes, and passed through the alcohols and turpentine into 
balsam. Very excellent results were obtained. 
* Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Zool., 1. (1890) pp. 317-407 (4 pis.). See Zeitschr. f. Wiss. 
Mikr., vii. (1891) pp. 503-4. 
f Memorie R. Accad. Scienze Bologna, ix. (1889) pp. 547-50 (1 pi.). See 
Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Mikr., vii. (1891) pp. 504-5. 
t CR. Se'ances Congres Internat. Zoologie Paris 1889, pp. 164-75. See Zeitschr. 
f. Wiss. Mikr., vii. (1891) p. 502. 
§ Studies Biol. Lab. John Hopkins Univ., v. (1891) p. 3. 
