149 



The six gentlemen proposed at tlie previous meeting were then ballotted for, 

 and declared duh' elected. 



The Secretary informed the members that a Microscopical Society on a similar 

 basis to their own was being formed at Liverpool. He read the circular announc- 

 ing the plan of the proposed Society, which he had received from a gentleman who 

 had previously asked for information as to the working of the Club. He had 

 subsequently heard that a preliminary meeting had been held, at which 58 

 members were enrolled. 



The following objects for exhibition were announced: — Falces of Garden 

 Spider, by Mr. Martinelli ; Antennae of Japanese Silk^vorm, by Mr. Golding ; 

 Tongue of a Fly, mounted in fluid, by Mr. Hainworth; Selected Diatoms, by 

 Dr. Dempseyand Mr. Hislop. 



Mr. Curties then read a paper by Mr. Tatem, " On a new Melicertian and on 

 Melicerta Ringens." The paper was illustrated by coloured drawings. See 

 page 124. 

 The thanks of the members were voted to Messrs. Tatem and Curties. 

 After the reading of Mr. Tatem's paper, Mr. Heury Davis alluded to Mr. 

 Tatem's reference to a paper read by him some two years ago before the 

 Royal Microscopical Society, which he had unintentionally misquoted in that 

 portion relating to (Ecistes longicornis. A glance at the copy of the paper on 

 the table would show that no such resemblance to Limnias was noted by him. 

 Mr. Tatem's error might be accounted ;.for by the fact that before describing 

 (E. longicornis, he had given a short account of another rotifer, and noted 

 the resemblance of that— and that only— to liimnias. The new rotifer (Lim- 

 nioides myriopliilli) just described, he had very often seen, and considered a 

 variety of Limnias ceratophylli ; it might perhaps be well to register it as a 

 new species, but there appeared no warrant for establishing a new genus for its 

 reception. It resembled Limiiias ceratoithylli in every important particular ; 

 had the same bilobed rotary organs, same sheath and same gizzard ; the only 

 difference was in the mounting of the tactile sets, these in Limnias being on 

 two tubercles— one on each side of the neck ; while in the new rotifer they 

 were placed at the free ends of short processes, exactly like the antennae in 

 Melicerta. He was assuming that the creatures he had seen were the same as 

 those Mr. Tatem described and figured, 



(In reference to the above remarks, Mr. Tatem writes as follows: — "Mr. 

 Davis is certainly in error in supposing that I make any confusion between his 

 two species (Ecistes longicornis and (E. intermedius. To the latter I do not 

 refer at all. Taking it to be merely a variety of Limnias, it was not necessary 

 to my purpose, that of suggesting the establishment of a new genus for the 

 artificial arrangement of Tubicola3 with two syphons and two lobes, and ex- 

 pressing an opinion, well or ill-founded as it may be, of a community of origin 

 amongst them as illustrated by varieties of Melicerta.") 



Mr. Lowne read a paper on " The Proboscis of the Blow Fly," illustrated by 

 coloured drawings. See page 126. 



A cordial vote of thanks was awarded to Mr. Lowne for his paper. 



Mr. Suffolk congratulated Mr. Lowne upon his having cleared up the uncer- 

 tainty which had enveloped this subject for the last 80 years. With one or two 

 exceptions, the writers during that period appeared to have followed descrip- 

 tions of distorted mounted specimens. He had himself been working at the 

 subject for a long time, but Mr. Lowue appeared to have had more advantages, 

 and he congratulated him on his success. At an early meeting of this Society 

 he had conferred with the late Mr. Richard Beck, and showed him a drawing 



