362 



January 25th, 1884. — Ordinary Meeting. 

 Dr. M. C. Cooke, M.A., A. L.S., President, in the Chair. 



The minutes of the preceding meeting were read and confirmed. 

 The following gentlemen were balloted for and duly elected members of 

 the Club :— Mr. T. B. Eosseter and Dr. Alexander C. Macrae. 

 The following additions to the Library were announced : — 



" Proceedings of the Royal Society" From the Society. 



" Proceedings of the Geologists' Association " „ „ 



" Proceedings of the Postal Microscopical") 



Society" ... ... ) 



"Science Gossip" ... ... ... ... Publisher. 



" Science Monthly " In Exchange. 



" The American Naturalist " ... ... ... „ „ 



"The American Monthly Microscopical) 



Journal " ... ... ... ... ) 



" Vignettes from Invisible Life " From the Author. 



" Lindberg's Moss Flora" ... ... ... ,, „ 



" Annals of Natural History " ... ... ... Purchased 



The thanks of the Club were voted to the donors. 



Mr J. A. Ollard exhibited a camera obscura for drawing microscopical ob- 

 jects, which was constructed by Ross for Dr. Millar about 25 years ago, 

 and which he thought was better than the one shown by Mr. Hardy at his 

 recent demonstration, inasmuch as it was fitted with two legs, which enabled 

 it to be used at a convenient angle. It could be used either with light re- 

 flected from a mirror or with a lamp direct. 



Mr. Hardy did not see that the fact of the box of the camera being in- 

 clined was any advantage, because it was likely to be much less rigid than 

 when placed horizontally upon the table, in which position it could be got 

 at very well by sitting upon a low stool. 



The thanks of the meeting were voted to Mr. Ollard for his communi- 

 cation. 



The President said that about 24 hours ago he had received an intima- 

 tion from the Secretary to the effect that a paper was wanted for that 

 evening, and as no one in the meantime had come forward with one, he 

 would spend a few minutes in describing an organism which he thought 

 might be of some interest. Most persons had probably noticed at some 

 time after rainy weather, on the roadside and other places, what appeared 

 at first sight to be a little lump of jelly. On examining it they would pro- 

 bably soon decide that it was of vegetable origin. Some would be disposed 

 to regard it as a fungus, others would call it an alga ; but it was in reality 

 a Nostoc. Of this genus there were about 14 British species, but perhaps 

 the only one of these which most persons were likely to meet with was the 

 common species, the largest of them all ; most of the others being found 

 upon mountains on the dripping face of rocks. One of the rarer kinds he 



