249 



August 25th, 1871 — Chairman, Dr. R. Braithwaite, F.L.S., &c, 



Vice-President. 



The following donations to the Club were announced : — 



" Land and Water" (weekly) from the Editor. 



" The American Naturalist" in exchange. 



The Archives of Science, of Orleans County ... in exchange, J.C.W. 

 Report on Photographing the soft tissues by "\ from the Surgeon- 

 sunlight, &c, by Assistant-Surgeon Wood- f General— Army 

 ward, United States Army, accompanied by C Medical Dept., 

 10 Photographs in illustration ' Washington. 



The thanks of the Club were unanimously voted to the donors. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for and duly elected members of the 

 Club :— Mr. Ralph W. Leftwich, Count Joseph Taverna, of Milan. 



Mr. M. C. Cooke introduced to the meeting Mr. James Ward, of New York, 

 one of the Founders of the Bailey Microscopical Club of that City. 



Mr. Cooke then — having referred to some doubts expressed by a gentleman 

 at the previous meeting of the Club as to whether diatomacese were of vegetable 

 origin, and expressed his willingness to meet that gentleman in argument upon 

 the question — proceeded to lay before the meeting some interesting facts rela- 

 tive to the nuclei in certain fern spores, and their unaccountable disappearance 

 after they had been for some time mounted as microscopical objects. 



The President was sure that all members present would feel with himself, 

 highly indebted to Mr. Cooke for his very interesting communication, although 

 he thought that if Mr. Cooke — who had made fungi a life study — could not ex- 

 plain the reason why these nuclei disappeared, it was hardly likely that any of 

 his audience would be able to do so. He would, however, suggest that possibly 

 it might be a process of growth going on ; the parts being surrounded by a 

 moist medium, might continue to grow, even though separated from the origi- 

 nal mass ; this, however, was merely a suggestion- Before resuming his seat, 

 he desired to call the attention of members to that Multum in Parvo of Mr. 

 Cooke's, his "Handbook of British Fungi," two copies of which had that even- 

 ing been added to the library of the Club. 



Mr. Cooke explained that the spores were found to have nuclei in the ripe, 

 and even in the state approaching to putrefaction ; they were, in fact, never 

 found to be absent at auy period of growth. 



Mr. James Smith observed that in speaking of the spores, Mr. Cooke said 

 they were mounted in glycerine, and it occurred to him that thore was a possi- 

 bility of the glycerine getting in, and so rendering them invisible. He also 

 noted in Mr. Cooke's remarks what seemed to him a very excellent plan for 

 preserving the slides; after doing them over with gum dammar, &c, he covered 

 them over with paper, and this seemed to him to add very greatly indeed to the 

 chances of their preservation. 



The Chairman thought that if the nuclei were always present, glycerine could 

 hardly obscure them. 



Mr. Cooke said he would try to find some of the specimens he had alluded to, 

 and would bring them for members to judge from their own observations. 



The Secretary begged to thank Mr. Cooke very warmly for what he had done 

 by bringing forward so interesting a subject ; he was asked to give them a 

 paper, but he had really given them something much better. 



Mr. S. J. Mclntire said that he had brought with him to the meeting some 



