139 



Mr. Curties said he should like to ask a question on one point, and that 

 was, whether Dr. Matthews could give them any information as to the form 

 of preparation which should be adopted to make this class of objects into 

 those pretty and instructive slides which they had so often admired ? 



Mr. M. H. Johnson thought Dr. Matthews had expressed the opinion that 

 these creatures had the power of separating carbonate of lime from the 

 water of the ocean. He was not aware that the ocean, at any distance from 

 the land, contained carbonate of lime ; bat he thought it probable that it 

 was separated rather as a sulphate of lime, and that the sulphur served 

 some kind of purpose in the animal economy. 



Dr. Matthews regarded this as an extremely difficult question in animal 

 chemistry, and one which it was not easy to answer without careful con- 

 sideration. He called the attention of the members to a number of speci- 

 mens upon the table, lent in illustration of the subject by Mr. Newton and 

 Mr. Stewart, and expressed his thanks to those gentlemen for the valuable 

 assistance thus rendered. 



Mr. Ingpen wished to say just a few words with respect to two or three 

 remarks which they had heard that evening, H e felt sure that all must be 

 thoroughly aware of the extreme value of such papers as that which they 

 had just listened to ; it was one of a class which could not fail to be most 

 useful, and of which they had already had a specimen in the valuable series 

 of papers by Dr. Braithwaite, on the " Histology of Plants." He hoped, 

 however, that they would not be too ready to adopt the advice of giving up 

 the idea of original research, and letting all such papers drift to the Eoval 

 and other Societies. Any one who looked through their Proceedings would 

 find a number of original communications, some of which were of consider- 

 able value and interest, and he should be very sorry indeed if it w r ere to 

 become an established custom that any of their members who did any 

 original work, or found out anything new, should feel bound to run off with 

 it to some other Society instead of endeavouring to add to the reputation of 

 their own. Whilst, therefore, he valued very highly such papers as that of 

 the evening, he still hoped that those members who were thinking out 

 matters for themselves, or who were making original observations, would 

 none the less give the Club the benefit of them. With regard to the excur- 

 sions, he wished they could have a little more information as to their results 

 reported before the meetings j but it should be borne in mind that objects 

 which had been collected at the excursions were frequently brought to the 

 meetings. It was not very easy to do this at all times ; if, for instance, 

 there were to be an excursion to-morrow, he should like to ask what would 

 be the condition of many of the objects by the time of the next gossip 

 night ? It might be remembered that he stated at one of the meetings the 

 result of an excursion to Hampton Court, and gave a detailed list of the 

 rare and valuable objects then obtained. He was quite sure that those 

 members who brought home specimens were willing to share them with 

 others. 



Announcements of meetings, &c, for the ensuing month were made, 



