38 



piece of tin foil, and put into the staining fluid — either hematoxylin or carmine 

 very much diluted — and after this they should be transferred to methylated 

 spirit. If the specimen was successful, it might then be put into clean alcohol, 

 and, when all the water was gone, it could be lifted out and placed in a drop of 

 oil of cloves upon a clean glass slide; it should then be slightly warmed, and 

 Laving teazed away the wax with a fine needle, and got rid of it by a sudden tilt, 

 the section would be ready for mounting in balsam. This should be done 

 directly, but the cover must on no account be touched for fear of disturbing tbe 

 object. He had found the eyes of flies to be the easiest to prepare— those of 

 beetles were more difficult because of the harder and more horny nature of the 

 outside covering, and he found that it was necessary to know the proper angle 

 at which to cut each different insect's eye. Mr. Stewart was of opinion that 

 the brittleness complained of might be got rid of by soaking in glycerine. 



The President thought that a machine with a revolving cutter would be 

 peculiarly applicable to the horny eyes of the Coleoptera. He felt sure that all 

 present must have heard the paper with pleasure, and no one could examine 

 the machine without admiring it — there was only one thing wanted to make it 

 complete, and this was so easily added that he was sure Mr. Williams would soon 

 do it. 



A vote of thanks to Mr. Williams for his paper was then unanimously passed. 

 Dr. Daniel Moore read a paper " On the Generative processes of the Oyster, 

 Mussel, and Cockle," and illustrated the subject by numerous coloured 

 diagrams, and by preparations exhibited under microscopes in the room. 



The President thought that the Club was peculiarly fortunate in having two 

 such papers brought before them in one evening as those they had just listened 

 to. It was not everyone who bad the opportunity of so carefully going into this 

 subject as Dr. Moore had done. He would like to ask whether Dr. Moore had 

 ever observed the spermatozoa gain access to the ovum, and, if so, what change 

 resulted. 

 Dr. Moore said he had not actually seen this take place. 

 The thanks of the Club were then voted to Dr. Moore for his interesting 

 paper. 



The President called attention to a side reflector for illuminating opaqu'e 

 objects ; it was merely the substage reflector mounted upon a separate stand. 

 He had proposed the idea to Mr. Wenham some time ago, but found that he 

 had already carried it out. He mentioned it, and had brought it with him to 

 the meeting, because he thought it would suggest the idea that by utilizing their 

 own apparatus they might often save it from being unnecessarily multiplied. 



The President announced that he had brought with him to the meeting a 

 further supply of Barbadoes earth for distribution amongst the members. He 

 had also some mounted specimens prepared by himself, and some which had 

 been prepared by Mr. Topping. 



The proceedings then terminated with a conversazione, at which the following 

 objects were exhibited : — 



Lung of Boa Constrictor (injected) by Mr. J. W. Goodinge. 



Larva of Bot-fly (GEstrus) in the egg Mr. Hainworth. 



Volvox Globator (alive) Mr. Martinelli. 



A Series of preparations illustrating the generative | ^ jj oorei 



process of the Oyster, Mussel, and Cockle j 

 Jiaphiodesma lingua— showing clusters of anchorate ") ^ T -g y^ Priest. 



spicula ... ... ... ) 



Feather of a Foreign duck (polar) Mr. J. C. Sigsworth. 



