PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 595 



In conclusion, he said that in exhibitions of this kind there should 

 evidently be some reciprocity, and he therefore trusted that those who 

 specialized on groups other than those before them that evening would 

 insist upon organizing similar exhibitions of their own favourite organ- 

 isms, when he was sure they could rely on the same generous help that 

 he and Mr. Rousselet had received on that occasion. 



The Chairman called upon Mr. Rousselet to make a few remarks on 

 the subject of the Rotifera brought to their notice that evening. 



Mr. Rousselet said that he had tried to bring together a collection 

 of Rotifera from the ponds for purposes of exhibition that evening, but 

 it had been exceedingly difficult to find good specimens owing to the 

 long continued very dry weather. He had, however, brought about 

 twenty different species of well known forms, and a number of slides 

 of Australian Rotifera. There was also one specimen from China. He 

 would like to acknowledge his gratitude to Fellows for having so kindly 

 brought their Microscopes for the purpose of exhibiting these various 

 forms. 



The very hearty thanks of the Society were accorded to Messrs. 

 Scourfield and Rousselet for their very interesting exhibition and 

 communications. 



The Chairman said he wished to take this opportunity of bringing 

 to the notice of the Society two very noteworthy books, with a view to 

 their occurrence being recorded in the Journal. It was a subject which 

 was perhaps of interest mainly to Bibliographers of Microscopical 

 Science, as the books were of extremely early date, but as he had become 

 the fortunate possessor of the two books, one of which was apparently 

 unique, and the other being one of only two known existing copies, he 

 thought it would be interesting to record them in the Journal. 



Both these books referred to the subject in which he and Mr. Earland 

 were particularly interested, namely the Foraminifera. The first was a 

 work by Walker and W. Boys, entitled "Testacea minuta rariora, 

 nuperrime detecta in Arena Littoris Sandvicensis a Gul. Boys Arm. 

 S.A.S. Multa addidit et omnium figuras ope Microscopii ampliatas 

 accurate delineavit Geo. Walker." London, 4to, by no means a rare 

 book per se, as there were a considerable number of copies extant, but 

 "■bese copies merely had the legend upon the title page " Printed for the 

 Author " without anv date. In a copy of the work in the library of the 

 British Museum, there was a letter from the author, William Boys, to 

 Sir Joseph Banks, stating that lie was sending him a copy of his book, 

 with the usual complimentary observations, and bearing date the 2nd 

 May, 1784.* A little time ago he (the speaker) had secured a copy of 

 this work from a scientific bookseller to send to a friend in Germany 

 who had never seen it, and on looking at the title page he found in- 

 scribed there, instead of the usual legend " Printed for the Author " a 



* See W. K. Parker and T. .Rupert Jones, " On the Nomenclature of the 

 Foraminifera," Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, iv. (1859) p. 334. 



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