PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 335 



and absence of air, showing that nitrites in air are essential, and that 

 nitrogen fixation in soil is probably dne to nitrite fixation from the 

 atmosphere. 



The President said that while the commnnication that Professor 

 Moore had made to them was not on the face of it precisely microscopical, 

 yet in all its bearings it touched the roots of all microscopical problems. 

 He had listened to all he had had to say with very great interest. It 

 had a bearing on so many vital processes. His own interest was in the 

 -direction of the action of light on micro-organisms. The hint that was 

 thrown ont as to the formation of formaldehyde being at the bottom of 

 the bacteriocidal action of light was very suggestive. It opened up a 

 very simple explanation of what was supposed to be a complex biological 

 problem. 



Mr. Blood suggested that the patterns on diatoms might liave similar 

 results, forming diffraction gratings, and affecting the quality of the 

 light passing through. 



The Meeting accorded a vote of thanks to Professor Moore for his 

 paper and accompanying experiments. 



In acknowledging the vote of thanks. Professor Moore referred to 

 the germicidal action of light. Fungi growing in direct sunlight had 

 to cover themselves with pigments in order to protect themselves from 

 the light. Green leaves formed a light shade keeping the dangerous 

 ■colour-rays off. The green in the leaf was simply keeping the wrong 

 sort of light off the mechanism underneath. The colour-shades letting 

 ■different wave-lengths of lights through and the colours of flowers 

 might be associated with photo-synthetic phenomena in the petals of 

 flowers connected with the sexual processes going on underneath. 



The paper will appear in the pages of the Journal. 



Mr. E. Heron-Allen, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.Z.S., and Mr. A. Earland 

 gave a lantern demonstration showing photomicrographs, taken by 

 Mr. Pledge, of " Diatom Ooze from Deep Antarctic Waters," as dredged 

 ;{it the " Challenger" Station 215, off the Great Ice Barrier, 63° 59' S., 

 174° 13' AV., from a depth of ISOl fathoms. 



The Society's thanks were accorded to Mr. Heron-Allen and Mr. 

 Earland. 



Mr. D. J. Scourfi,eld, F.Z.S., read a communication by Dr. E. Penard, 



•" A new type of Infusorian, Arachmdiopsis paradoxa."' The organism 

 described, egg-shaped and about ^^q in. in length, has neither cilia nor 

 setae, but its locomotive organs consist of two flexible tentacula which 

 beat the water with great rapidity. The forms described under the 

 genus Arachnidium by Saville Kent were possibly of the same type. 

 ^ The communication appears on pp. "28B-289 of the Journal. 

 The Societv's thanks were accorded to Dr. Penard. 



< The President announced that the next Meeting would be held on 

 October 16. 



