232     NEW  FLUID  FOR  PRESERVING  NAT.  HIST.  SPECIMENS. 
Professor  Guibourt,  which  had  occurred  in  France.  I  do  not, 
of  course,  mean  to  say  that  the  stamens  of  Crocus  have  not  been 
before  noticed  in  specimens  of  saffron,  for  occasionally  a  few 
anthers  may  be  detected  in  them ;  but  as  these  are  found  of 
their  natural  pale-yellow  color,  and  untwisted,  no  attempt  hav- 
ing been  made  to  dye  and  otherwise  alter  their  appearance, 
their  presence  is  evidently  accidental,  and  due  to  carelessness 
in  collecting  saffron. 
Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  examined  various  speci- 
mens of  saffron  obtained  from  different  quarters,  in  two  of  which 
I  have  detected  the  same  fraudulent  admixture  of  stamens  with 
the  genuine  drug.  In  both  these  instances,  however,  the  ad- 
mixture of  stamens  with  the  genuine  saffron  occurred  to  a  far 
]ess  extent  than  in  the  specimen  I  have  particularly  described 
in  this  paper.  One  of  these  specimens  was  certainly  twenty 
years  old,  and  was  marked  "  adulterated  saffron ;  "  and  the 
other  was  a  specimen  of  saffron  exhibited  as  genuine  at  the 
Great  International  Exhibition  held  in  London  in  1862.  Such 
being  the  result  of  my  examination  in  so  short  a  period,  I  think 
it  will  soon  be  found  that  the  adulteration  of  saffron  with  the 
stamens,  etc.,  of  Crocus  is  by  no  means  rare  in  this  country  and 
elsewhere. — London  Pharm  Jour.,  March,  1866. 
NEW  FLUID  FOR  PRESERVING  NATURAL  HISTORY 
SPECIMENS. 
By  A.  E.  Yerrill. 
In  consequence  of  the  high  price  of  alcohol,  a  series  of  experi- 
ments were  undertaken  by  me  last  year,  with  the  view  of  finding 
a  substitute  for  it  in  preserving  the  soft  parts  of  animals.  Among 
the  various  solutions  and  liquids  tested  were  nearly  all  that  have 
ever  been  recommended,  besides  many  new  ones.  Chloride  of 
zinc,  carbolic  acid,  glycerin,  chloride  of  calcium,  acetate  of 
alumina,  arsenious  acid,  Goa'dby's  solutions,  and  various  com- 
binations of  these  and  other  preparations  were  carefully  tried, 
and  the  results  made  comparative  by  placing  the  same  kind  of 
objects  in  each,  at  the  same  time.  Although  each  of  these, 
under  certain  circumstances,  have  more  or  less  preservative  quali- 
