PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 793 



the direction of Dr. Eyre, and that for Pond Life under Mr. Scourfield ; 

 and Fellows intending to join either of these sections should send in 

 their names to either of these gentlemen, and postcards would be sent 

 in due course. 



The Chairman intimated that they would be pleased to answer any 

 questions as to these Meetings, should any Fellow present desire further 

 information. 



The Chairman asked Mr. J. I. Pigg to give a description of two 

 specimens of Coccidas he was exhibiting. 



In reply, Mr. Pigg said, that one specimen of the Coccids (Lecaniurn 

 hemisphairiciivn) was a living gravid female, the other was a dead female 

 after parturition, the chitine shell containing the usual large number of 

 eggs characteristic of their species. 



Mr. C. F. Rousselet shortly described a number of mounted speci- 

 mens of pond life, shown under Microscopes in the room. These were 

 Infusoria, Hydra, Volvox with yellow stellate oospheres from Germany, 

 apparently exceedingly rare in this country, and some fresh-water Medusre 

 and their Hydroid stage, namely : Limnococlium Sowerbyi from the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park (collected about 1890, since dis- 

 appeared) ; Marisia Lyonsi from Lake Qurun in Egypt ; and an on- 

 described Medusa lately received by him from Rhodesia. Mr. Rousselet 

 remarked that it would be very desirable that some of the younger 

 Fellows should devote their energies to the study of the Infusoria and 

 the methods of their preservation ; many forms could be readily killed, 

 extended with osmic acid and mounted in formalin, but the more re- 

 tractile species presented greater difficulties, and a suitable narcotic for 

 these had still to be discovered by experiment. 



The Chairman thought it would be a great advantage if some 

 microscopists, who were not devoting themselves to any particular subject, 

 would take up the study of the Protozoa, as there was still a great deal 

 to be learned as to their life-history: such simple matters as the method 

 of ingesting food in some of the common forms was little understood, 

 and much yet remained to be discovered. 



Mr. A. A. C. E. Merlin's paper " On a Xew Growing Cell for Critical 

 Observations under the Highest Powers," was read by Dr. Hebb; an 

 example being exhibited in the room by Mr. C. L. Curties. 



Mr. Curties mentioned that if the space provided by this cell was not 

 sufficient to accommodate a large specimen, its depth could be easily 

 increased by building up additional thickness with pieces of linen or 

 blotting paper. 



Mr. Rousselet said he noticed that there was no provision made for 

 regulating the thickness of the him, which he thought was a matter of 

 importance. It was necessary first to know how thick the organism was 

 and to regulate the cell accordingly, otherwise it was very likely to be 

 crushed. "Rotifera would not live very long in a cell of this kind, as 



Dec. 16th, 1908 3 Q 



