293 



Mr. W. H. Gilburt read a paper " On the Absence of Stomata from 

 Certain Ferns." 



The Chairman said he had seen some of the specimens prepared by Mr. 

 Gilburt, and they certainly appeared to bear out all that he had stated ; 

 but he should like to call attention to them again, because this plan of 

 differentiation by diverse staining did wonders in enabling the structure of 

 vegetable tissues to be made out in a manner which no other process would 

 do. In the present case, however, the elimination of all colour had done 

 more even than staining. It would be remembered that some very beautiful 

 specimens were lately exhibited in that room which had been brought by 

 Mr. Crouch from America, and prepared by Dr. Hunt. 



Mr. Ingpen said that Mr. Gilburt had brought with him some specimens 

 of these preparations for exhibition under his microscope. 



The Secretary called the attention of members to the arrangements in 

 progress for their forthcoming Soiree, which he was very anxious should be 

 made a great success. They would have placed at their disposal the usual 

 amount of accommodation, with the addition of the South Library. Mr. 

 Charles E. White would take the names of any members present who would 

 exhibit objects, and he should himself be very glad to receive communica- 

 tions or suggestions from any persons as to the arrangements, and also 

 anything that could be suggested in the way of additional attractions. 



Mr. T. 0. White communicated to the meeting the results of observations 

 upon a curious organ found attached to a species of Marine Cyclops. He 

 said that doubtless many of the members might remember that upon 

 several evenings he had exhibited an Entomostracan, having a brown ring- 

 like appendage attached to the under surface of its body at the juncture of 

 the sixth and seventh rings. He had never seen any similar organ in any 

 of the Entomostraca, either freshwater or marine, that had come under his 

 notice in something like twenty years' experience; neither was it figured 

 in Baird's " Entomostraca." He had submitted it to several members and 

 to a few naturalists outside the Club, but could get no light thrown on its 

 nature and office. He had found a great number of Entomostraca in his 

 marine aquarium, and believed them to be a species of Canthocamptus, the 

 majority having this organ attached. When first seen the appendage was 

 slightly brown in colour, having no visible contents, but lately the ring-like 

 tube was filled for about four-fifths of its extent by a substance that was of 

 a granular character. He therefore placed it under a £ objective, and by 

 pressure ruptured it, when spermatozoa flowed from it and filled the field 

 with their active movements, proving, without doubt, that it was a sperma- 

 tophore. The exhibition of this organ having excited much curiosity and 

 discussion at the previous conversational evenings, he thought that having 

 determined its nature he needed no apology for bringing it forward as a 

 casual communication that evening.* 



The Chairman was sure that the members must have felt greatly 

 interested by the communication which Mr. White had made ; for his own 



* See plate xxviii., upper part. 



