43 



qnartz ? Because if so, it became interesting to know how the quartz 

 became collected. A piece of nitella growing in perfectly pure water had 

 the power somehow of secreting mineral matters, so that they might find 

 within its structure not only the usual calcareous secretion, but also nodules 

 of what he supposed was carbonate of lime, which had been secreted by 

 the plant, and it seemed an interesting question whether quartz had been 

 secreted in some similar way. 



Mr. Waller said the fracture gave the granules the appearance of small 

 particles of qnartz sand. 



Dr. Matthews said it was a well-known fact that JEquisetum and the 

 grasses secreted silex, and that in the bamboo small nodules of secreted 

 silex were found. These were collected by the natives of the districts in 

 which it grows, under the belief that they possessed great medicinal pro- 

 perties. 



Mr. T. C. White said he had a lot of conferva? some time ago which were 

 corked up in a bottle j after a while, the colour all went out of the confervae, 

 and they became surrounded by crystals similar to those of the slide. These 

 were not silicious, and as they dissolved in acid he assumed them to be 

 calcareons. 



Mr. Ingpen, referring to the new mounting medium introduced by 

 Professor Smith, said that he did not think he had ever seen a slide of 

 Ampliipleura so well shown as the one which Mr, Nelson exhibited, which 

 was mounted by Professor Smith. No doubt the objective and the manner 

 of showing it had something to do with the matter, but there was also no 

 doubt that something was due to the medium. He could only say that 

 probably the exhibition had never been surpassed or equalled, and the fact 

 was to be recorded as an era in the history of resolution. 



Mr B. W. Priest read a paper " On the Hexactinellidse," which he illus- 

 trated by numerous diagrams. 



Mr J. G. "Waller thought that Mr. Priest was to be thanked for having 

 brought this subject before them, and for having compiled it in a very easy 

 and familiar manner. 



A hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Priest for his j:>aper was proposed by 

 the President, and carried unanimously. 



The President said he had two or three small matters with regard to 

 the excursions, to bring before the notice of the Club, some of which 

 related to the past, and others to the future. He wished to say, First, that 

 the plan which had been adopted of placing in the hands of members blank 

 forms to be filled up with the particulars of specimens found, and to be 

 posted to the Secretary of the Excursions Committee during the week, had 

 been eminently successful, not only in identifying and preserving a record 

 of the objects, but also in stimulating those concerned to exert themselves 

 to know something of the objects which have been found. Secondly, at 

 each of the gossip nights the Secretary proposes to bring down the papers 

 relating to the previous excursions for the members to look over. 



The President then read lists of the objects found at the excursions to 

 the Botanic Gardens and to Chingford, and expressed a hope that a larger 



