PROCEEDINGS OP SOCIETIES.

DUBLIN MICBOSCSOPICAL CLUB,April 18th, 1872.

Rev. B. O'Meara brought forward a new Navicula to be namedIf. dicurvata, of which, description and figure would hereafterappear.

Dr. Macalister showed a good mounted specimen of his newAdenogleura oompressa, the stibjeet of a communication in aprevious number of this Journal.

Dr. John Barker exhibited an adaptation by him of a one-inch objective to his small microscope as a " searcher," as proposedby Dr. Royston Pigott, which performed in the present instancevery well, giving large amplifying power with great clearness.Dr. Barker's ultimate aim was, however, its adaptation to abinocular microscope, as he conceived two low power objectives(say one-inch) could be brought to bear on the object and theamplifying power attained by the use of the searcher, one in eachbocly.

Dr. Moore showed further specimens of the same little alga(brought forward at the February meeting) from the tanks inBotanic G-arden, which continued flourishing as before, thesespecimens seeming still to sustain the views propounded thereuponon the previous occasion.

Dr. McNab showed sections made through the flattened disc ofthe glandular hairs of Anvpelopsis Veitchii.

Dr. Richardson exhibited some exceedingly beautiful slideselegantly mounted by Mr. C. Baker of the anchors and scales ofSynapta and of the spicules of JHyalonema mirabile, or glass-'rope sponge, the latter showing the cruciform, biclavate, spiral-cylindrical and multihamate spicules. Dr. Richardson also showedsome nice mountings, by Dr. Battersby of various eyes of flies,forming very handsome objects.

Mr. Archer showed a minute alga, very probably the samething as the Oylindrocapsa nuda, Reinsch, in his work ' DieAlgenflora des mittleren Theiles von Franken' (pp. 66, 67, t. vi,f. ii). This was certainly a form he had not before met with;the chief differences in the present examples from Prof. Reinsch'splant consisted in the hyaline investment, wrapping the cellsaround more closely, than that author depicts it, and in thecontents forming a continuous parietal layer, with a central clearspace, not equally diffused, as appears in Reinsch's' figure.

Mr. Archer showed the seemingly rare little animalculeDasydytes goniathrix (Gosse). This he had seen on only a few-previous occasions, but had not before an opportunity to exhibitit at a Club meeting. A casual observer might possibly look atthe present examples and suppose the form common, confoundingit with its relatives in the genus Chfetonotus. If time hadpermitted, Mr. Archer would have sought out and drawn attention

420 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

to some of the more common Chsetonotus forms for comparison, forsome of the gatherings taken on the same occasion presentedChwionotus larus, Mull, (common), Oh. maximus, Ehr. (rathercommon), Oh. gracilis, Q-osse (rather rare); Taplirocampa annulate/,(G-osse) also occurred, but this appears to be verv rare, at leastquite as rare as Dasydytes.

Mr. Archer showed (thanks to Prof. Thiselton Dyer) sectionsmade from a sample of the " Australian Caochouc," an account ofwhich had just appeared, detailing all that is known of thispuzzling substance by Prof. Dyer, in the ' Journal of Botany.'

Mr. Archer brought down to show the Club a copy of a mostvaluable memoir from Sweden by P. M. Lundell, for which muchesteemed gift be had now most heartily to thank not .only theauthor but also the Hon. N. Jocelynfor so courteously becoming thecareful medium of its transmission—this memoir entitled ' DeDesmidiaceis, quje in Suecia inventse sunt, Observationes criticse.'This fine and copious contribution to our knowledge of theDesmidiese, though published in 1871 (so slow is the process ofinterchange of publications between distant scientific societies)had not before met Mr. Archer's observation, and indeed hadonly just, through the author's goodness, reached bis hands.Here was a great mass of the most careful and extraordinarilyexact observations most accurately elucidated. Mr. Archer hadfrom meeting to meeting brought forward several " new" formsobtained from Connemara, and had shown a few drawings of themost striking, but strange to say here they were or nearly alldepicted by Lundell, and not only the very finest of them butseveral others not less interesting but only less striking, whichMr. Archer had not ventured to take up the time of the meetingsby endeavouring to find and exhibit, as, being (some of them)

" scarce, it would be too large a draught on general patience—several of these too. found a place in Lundell's work. It wasalmost as if that author had made a journey to the same Oonnemarasites, and found, of course, the same things! There were still afew (the best, indeed, abstracted!) which as yet have notpresented themselves in their most rich localities to the keeneyes of the Scandinavian workers, but it would take no little timethoroughly to analyse such a large r6sume of exact observation.It is at least highly satisfactory to find observers to take thepains to examine and know the distinctions which hold goodamongst these forms, rather than to " cut the gordian knot," assome would do, simply by adopting the easier plan of ignoringthose differences which exist, all our discussion thereupon not-withstanding. When he had time to compare his own formsmore fully and thoroughly to work up this excellent memoir,perhaps Mr. Archer would have occasion to draw the Club'sattention to some points bearing thereon on some futureoccasion.

May 22nd, 1872.Dr. J. Barker showed several of the most "difficult" diatoms

DUBLIN MIC110SC0PICAL CLUB. 421

under his dark ground illumination (such as Navicula rhomboides,&c), the whole of the striae being brought out with extremelyclear precision.

Mr. Archer exhibited examples of three very "closely allied"and much resembling minute forms of Cosmarium, two of thesein the conjugated condition, pointing out Half's figure of thezygospore of the third (Cosmarium tinctum), for the purpose ofshowing how amongst Desmidiefe, the mature form of certainspecies may so closely resemble each other, but yet possessextremely different zygospores; no doubt, indeed, the converse isnot rarely true, that is, that certain species may offer verytangible and even strong differences inter se, yet possess zygosporesmutually very closely resembling each other. One of the formsnow in question was Cosmarium tinctum (Ealf's), of which he couldnot find a conjugated specimen on the present occasion, Cosmariumtenue (ejus),' Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci.,' N. S., vol. viii, p. 293), andthe third a new species ; of these the first has a sub quadrate, orpolyhedral smooth light-coloured zygospore, the second a largeglobular brown-coloured (when mature) zygospore, the third anirregularly figured variously lobed zygospore, the lobes surmountedby generally a pair of short tapering subacute spine-like processes.The last had thus a zygospore resembling that of Cosmariumlobatosporum (Arch., in 'Quart. Journ. Micro. Sci.,' vol. xv, N. S.,p. 171), but then the mature form is quite dissimilar. It •willnot be assumed that of the three related species now exhibitedthe mature forms were not appreciably distinct, for, when theeye gets accustomed to them, their differences are in reality quiteobservable; still they might be" easily passed over the onefor the other, in the unconjugated state. Neither Cosmariumtenue nor the above-referred-to new one appears to occur in Sweden,but, as to be expected, Lundell includes C. tinctum in his enume-ration.

Eev. E. O'Meara exhibited from Capt. Chimmo'a prolificDiatomaceous gathering from Sulu, a further new Navicula to behereafter named J¥. vertebrata.

Dr. Frazer showed a fine Photograph of scale of Degeeriadomestica executed by Colonel Woodward of the United States(with a Powell's T^), and forwarded by that gentleman.

Dr. Eichardson exhibited some further mountings by Mr. Bakerof London, one of the spicules of Hyalonema mirahile (not as onthe last night of meeting on separate slides, but) showing thethree forms geometrically arranged, in such a way that at eachcorner of the figure there is a multihamate spicule, in the centre ofthe cylindro-cruciform spicules, with densely spiculate shafts, aswell as having the shafts smooth and the ends spiculate. Dr.Richardson also showed Plagiogramma elongatum and ActinocyclusBalfsii, both being exquisite mountings of Mr. Baker's. Dr.Eichardson showed, lastly, a transverse section of the spinal cordof the cat, surrounded by transverse sections of its membranes;the specimen was taken from a piece of the cord hardened accord-iDg to Mr. Lockhart Clarke's method and subsequently stained

422 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

with a strong carmine solution and then clarified in oil of clove,and finally mounted in Klein's Dammar fluid. In this section, aswell as indeed in all taken from this cord, the arrangement of thegray matter and the central canal were very clearly demonstrated.

Professor McNab gave some details of his examination of the" vegetable hair " (brought forward by Dr. Frazer at last night ofmeeting) now much used for the manufacture of " chignons," andforming a beautiful glossy " hair," capable of being dyed any(fashionable) colour; Dr. McNab, however, had arrived at theconclusion that this was produced from the " New Zealand flax,"the fibres being used in the rough, the finer portions not beingeliminated.

Mr. Archer showed, for the first time detected in this country,(Edogoniwm Areschongii (Wittrock), showing both forms offructification nicely developed; he also showed (Edogoniumacrosporum (de Bary) with both forms of fructification now foundin two or three situations in Ireland, but this very siugular formis always seemingly very scanty in its occurrence.

Mr. Archer showedexamplesof the plant he had named Dictyosphas-rium constrictum (' Quart. Journ. Mie. Soc.,' vol. xiv (n. s.), p. 127),though he thought it possible this might really be found to possessa closer relationship to Cosmoeladium (Breb.) than to DietyosphcB-rium (Nag.), though characterised on a single in place of a doublestipes ; this is at least a most marked and constant form thoughrare ; the mode of vegetative growth of the cells is, like that of adesmid, by interposition of a two new halves between the olderand a new stipes appearing for each new cell, thus causing abifurcation of the stipes, but an opportunity to observe thisseldom presents itself.

Mr. Archer Bhowed the conjugated state of a minute diatomwhich Mr. O'Meara identified as Cocconema cynibiforme for thefirst time seemingly seen in that condition, but which, however,presented no novel feature; here were two new frustules twicethe linear dimensions of the empty parent valves, the wholeinvolved in a common mucous envelope.

27*7* June, 1872.Dr. Moore showed Peziza ceruginosa found on decayed oak;

he remarked that wood so infected, on account of its shiningbluish-green colour, was used for inlaying for ornamental pur-poses at Tunbridge Wells.

Rev. E. O'Meara presented from the Sulu material, already sorich in diatomaeeous novelties, a further new Navicula to benamed, in compliment to Dr. Moore, Navicula Mooreana, of whichdue description would subsequently appear.

Mr. Archer exhibited examples of the Cylindrocystis detectedby him some years ago at Upper Lough Bay ('Quart. Journ.Mic. Soc.,' vol. xiv n. s., p. 60), and never yet found elsewhere,the present examples from the same site showing now the con-jugated state, for which, though he had repeatedly searched, hehad not hitherto been successful enough to meet with. There

EAST KENT NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 4 2 3

was, however, not anything very special, the globular zygospore isformed free between the empty parent cells not as in O. J3r6bis-sonii, combined with them ; the same reddish-purple colour whichmarks the unconjugated examples, is found in the zygospore, andis due, not as Mr. Archer had previously supposed, to this colourimbuing the cell wall, but to its belonging to the protoplasmiccontents, through which a longitudinal string of chlorophyllcontents passed, and it is to the predominance of this colour abovethe green that the reddish-purple colour in the mass in the poolis due. The application of potash or acid at once and suddenlydeprives the protoplasmic contents of this colour, which is curiousto watch under the microscope. A central nucleus is a pro-minent feature, but it is not quickly or strikingly made to acquirea bright colour by the application of the carmine solution, ashappens so notably in most Desmidieae. There can be no doubtthat this seemingly singularly local form is a quite distinct one,of which Mr. Archer hoped ere long to publish an appropriatedescription.

Dr. Barker showed Polyphemus pediculus and young, the lattereven still more quaint-looking objects than the mature animal,which had been taken by himself and Mr. A. Andrews in LoughBay. This striking entomostracan had now been taken, on eachoccasion plentifully, in west and east of Ireland.

Dr. McNab exhibited an instructive preparation showingcambium layer in a section from the lime, beautifully stained bycarmine fluid, rendering it very readily examined.

Mr. Keit showed a new JPeziza from the Botanic G-ardens, aswell in its entirety as the asci and spores under the microscope,and an excellent drawing of the details ; the spores are broadlyelliptic and bluntly pointed (or elliptico-fusiform) and distinctlyand finely warted; the form he hoped to make the subject offuture examination and research with a view to publication.

Mr. Archer presented examples of Vasicola ciliata (Tatem), aseemingly rare and withal very pretty infusorian ; of Pamphagusmutabilis (Bailey), of Gomphosphceria aponina (Kiitz), the latterfor the purpose of showing the appearance of the cells during theprogress of self-division, in illustration of this incidental allusion,thereto, in his paper just published bearing on the chroococcaceouagenus Tetrapedia (Reinsch).

EAST KBHT NATUBAL HISTORY SOCIETY.

President, the Rev. John Mitchinson, D.C.L., &c, Oxon.;Honorary Secretary, George Gulliver, F.R.S., &c.

July 4ith, 1872.—Mod of Ndidina.—Colonel Horsley exhibitedsome small and lively species of mud worms, from a freshwater poolin the neighbourhood. They were seen under the microscope feedinggreedily on Volvoxglobator, and numbers of this minute plant thenappeared inside and distinctly through the transparent bodies of theanimals.

4 2 4 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

New Fossil Fish.—Mr. James Reid laid on the table and gave ashort and very interesting account of a fossil fish which he hadobtained two or three years ago from the Gault, near Folkstone.Dr. Giinther, having examined the specimen, stated that it is quitenew, and belongs to the Clupeoidei, and he has named it ThrissopaterSalmoneus; a very valuable addition to our fossil fauna.

Ammoccetes brancliialis.—Mr. George G-ulliver (of PembrokeCollege, Oxford) showed under the microscope sections of thislarval fish, made by hardening in chromic acid and staining withcarmine. Though the eyes do not appear externally, perfect eyesand their chambers and crystalline lens were seen in the sectidns ;the auditory sac and its coarsely ciliated epithelium were shown,as were also the ovaries, well developed in this immature fish, withnumerous ova presenting the germinal vesicle and spot; and theinfolding of the inner coats of the gut, like an intestine within anintestine, was well displayed. All these points are easily seenunder the microscope by this method of preparation.

JSggs of Argas refiexus and Ixodes Dugesii.—Some females ofthese Acarina having been confined in boxes kept in Mr. Gulliver'slibrary, and at Mr. Fullagar's, during May and June, continued livelywithout food up to the beginning of July, about which time theywere found to have laid many eggs. Of Argas these were spherical,generally about ^ t h of an inch in diameter, of a dull grayishcolour, and slightly rough on the surface; a few of them were of asuboval shape. Thug, these eggs differ from those of Ixodes Dugesiiin size and shape, for of this last species the eggs are regularlyoval, about -j^th of an inch long and s^th broad, very smooth and ofa shining chocolate colour ; in both species the egg-shells are com-posed of chitine.

July 18tfA, 1872.—Excursion.—This took place in the neighbour-hood, and the party was hospitably entertained by the Vice-Pre-sident of the Society, Colonel Horsley, at his residence, St. Stephen'sLodge, near Canterbury.

Raphides of Onagracecs.—The botanical specimens brought infrom the excursion, with several other contributions by Mrs. Dean,were the following:—Epilobium parviflorum, Torilis antbriscus,Lathyrus pratensis, Scrophularia aquatica, Ranunculus scleratus,Eryngium rnaritimum, Hyoscyamus niger, Salsola kali, Trifoliumfragiferum, Lactuca saligna, Artemesia maritima, Cynoglossum offi-cinale, Oarex vulpina, and Poa pratensis. This miscellaneous andrandom collection affording a good opportunity for trials of thevalue of the raphidian character, these were carefully made. Theresult was that in no plant were any raphides found except in theEpilobiuvi, in which they were, as they regularly are in the orderto which it belongs, very plain and abundant. And thus in ourflora the diagnosis was maintained, as formerly shown, of Ona-graceae—Oalyeifloral exogens abounding in raphides. Yet thisshort diagnosis, so easily demonstrable and eminently natural, hasnot yet found its place in our books of systematic botany.

Auditory Capsule of Mollusca.—In the little bivalve Gyclascornea, so common in our ditches, the auditory vesicle and its

EAST KENT NATURAL IIISTOEY SOCIEXY. 425

vibrating otolith ave so very beautiful and easily found that it mustbecome a favorite microscopic object. Mr. Fullagar, after twoor three trials, by tearing asunder with needles portions near thebase of the creature's foot, succeeded perfectly in showing thevesicle and its oscillating otolith, much to the admiration of themeeting. Figures of the auditory vesicles of several molluscs aregiven in the ' Journal of Anatomy,' vol. iv.

August 1st, 1872.—Skeleton of Lumna cornubica.—The Hon.Sec. gave a detailed account of the preparation and completion ofthis remarkable skeleton at the College of Surgeons, of which fullreports have appeared in the ' Kentish Gazette,' August 6th,' Land and Water,' August 17th, 1872, and several other periodicals.The skeleton'is seven feet nine inches in length, and, owing to thejudicious preparation, has lost only four inches in drying. Thereare no ribs. The vertebrce number 152, of which sixty belong tothe tail, and these last turn upwards along the superior border ofthe caudal fin, while in some other Selachians, as Scylliwm, thecaudal vertebra? end in a straight line with the trunk. Theclaspers are bony, each composed of three pieces, the terminal piecebeing a curious spine, as if for intromission.

Progression of Arachnids in opposition to gravity.—Referring toobservations at the meeting of July 6th, the walking of Ixodeson the under and polished side of glass was shown to be dueto the effect of atmospheric pressure on the elastic pedal caruucleaof the creature, and that this is also the case with the greatTiger Spider of Ceylon had been clearly proved by Dr. Davy, inhis ' Physiological Researches,' p. 336, 8vo, Lond., 1863.

August 15th, 1872.—Ichneumonidcs.—Mr. Fullagar exhibitedliving specimens from his vivarium of these hymenopterous insects,hatched out of the chrysalis of the Red Admiral butterfly, andread a paper on their habits and economy.

Palate of the Gyprinoids.—This soft structure, so well known inthe Carps, has commonly been regarded as a gland analogous to thepancreas. Mr. George Gulliver, having made preparations of thisso-called palate, by hardening it in chromic acid and then stainingfine sections with carmine, exhibited them under the microscopeat the meeting. The tissue of the part presented a large propor-tion of transversely striped muscular fibres ; and the mucous surfacewas beset by large papilla?, so as to present rather the characterof a tactile organ than of a gland.

Neuronaia Lampetrce.—Referring to the notices in the ' Proceed-ings of the Zoological Society,' Dec. 6th, 1870, and ' Quart. Journ.Mic. Science,' Jan., 1872, concerning this entozoon, preserved speci-mens were shown under the microscope to be entirely devoid of thespines near the mouth and on the surface of the body which eharafr-terise the allied Neuronaia Monroii of Goodsir. When magnified,Neuronaia Lampetra somewhat resembles Yarrell's figures, of thenatural size, of Tristoma coccvnewm, which occurs on the skin andbranchiae of the sun-fish.

Eggs and newly hatched Broods of Ixodes Dugesii and Arga»reflexus.—Referring to the description of these eggs at the meet-

4 2 6 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.

ing on the 4th July, Mr. George Gulliver now exhibited the newlyhatched young of hoth these species. Swarms of the young broodswere found on £he 1st of August free from the eggs (the hatchingcontinued up to the last day of observation, on the 15th) and runningactively about, trying to escape from their prisons. These youngof the two species were miniatures of their parents ; only, asalready known of some other immature Acarina, they had six legs,and these so crowded that no room appears, before a moult, for thewanting fourth pair, except posteriorly. Besides, in Argas thebody of the young was fringed, especially at its hind part, withhyaline hairs; and these little creatures are so transparent that theurinary sacs near the anus were seen to be filled with the granulesof guanine described at the meeting on June 6th, 1872,'and reportedin the ' Quart. Journ. Mic. Science' of the following month. Thus, thedart-like mandibles, with recurved teeth and the articulated palps,were much produced in the young of both species, especially ofArgas. Ixodes is so very prolific that one female confined in apill-box laid no less than 143 eggs, all of which, except six, werehatched. Having thus discovered the time and manner of breed-ing, and how easily these creatures may be bred for observation inconfinement, we may already perceive some practical applications.Thus, the usual attempts of flockmasters to relieve their sufferingsheep by picking off the parasites and throwing them on theground is simply sowing the vermin broadcast, for all these bloatedIxodes are pregnant females, ready to lay their eggs to be hatchedspontaneously. The ravages of this arachnid on sheep and pheasantshave been dreadful this season in the neighbourhood of Canterbury.

September 5th, 1872.—Excursion to Whitstable. — ColonelHorsley, Mr. Sibert Saunders, and Mr. Fullagar, collected severalCampanularidse, Tubularidje, Annelida, and Ascidise, and exhibitedthem in different marine aquariums, giving at the same time veryinstructive demonstrations of the various living animals under themicroscope. Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Fullagar exhibited and illus-trated the habits and economy of Pagurus in living specimens.Mrs. Dean collected and named numerous phaenogamous plants,among which was Hippophao rhamnoides; and Mrs. Fairbrassarranged a bouquet of wild flowers so as to prove how effectivelythey may be used for graceful decoration.

September 19^/J, 1872.—Blood-disks of Gadidce.—The meetingwas chiefly occupied in the examination of plants lately collectednear Canterbury by Mrs. Dean; in microscopic demonstrations ofthe wings of Ephemerinse and diurnal Lepidoptera by ColonelHorsley and Mr. Fullagar; and in the determination of some speciesof fishes collected a few days since at Hastings by Mr. GeorgeGulliver. Of the fishes, it was shown that the red blood-corpusclesof the little Motella are as large as those of other and big membersof the Gadidae; and thus that the relation of size between thespecies and its blood-disks, long since proved by the Hon. Sec. inmammals and birds, is not maintained in fishes, nor is it in reptiles ;and the facts are of much physiological significance.