343 



ing. If, therefore, Mr. Buffham could give them a few hints as to preserva- 

 tion he was sure that all would be glad to hear them. 



Mr. Buftham said the matter was simple enough, though he could quite 

 believe what their Secretary had said with regard to the character of many 

 of the slides which had been made from these objects. There was really no 

 great difficulty about their preservation, and when one was at the shore it 

 would soon be found out what was the best medium for the purpose. Most 

 things would keep very well if well washed in sea water, and then put into the 

 best glycerine, but too many should not be put into the same bottle, other- 

 wise there would be perhaps too much water mixed with the glycerine. 

 Other kinds which would not bear the glycerine should, after washing, be 

 put into a saturated solution of common salt, and to prevent mycelium from 

 forming, the cork should be well benzoled, so as to kill any spores which 

 might be hanging about. Polysiphonia and allied species did best in a 

 solution of salt. As regarded mounting, most kinds were preserved very 

 well in Deane's gelatine, almost all his own specimens were mounted in this 

 medium, and there was very little fault to find with it. He did not think 

 the form of the specimens was quite so well preserved in thi.v way as in fluid, 

 but when a person mounted these things he did not want to have to look to 

 them frequently afterwards, and to all who wished to avoid this trouble, he 

 would say, " Don't put your specimens up in fluid, but mount them in the 

 gelatine medium." He had some specimens mounted in it, which were four 

 or five years old, and they seemed qnite as good as when first prepared. 



The President said that the latter portion of Mr. Buffham's remarks souuded 

 as if he were relating the experience which he had himself acquired, for 

 he had found that in collecting sea weeds the best thing was to wash them 

 quite clean in salt water, unless they could do what was still better — obtain 

 them from clear water where they grew naturally clean. Then the collector 

 should carry with him a little bottle of glycerine into which to put such as 

 he wished to preserve; except in cases of special genera, this would be found 

 to answer very well. Some years ago he recommended this plan to Mr 

 Grilburt, who iound it to be very good. For mounting he had also found. 

 Dean's glycerine medium to be the best ; it did very well for the red sea weeds, 

 and also for many other things. He had tried experiments in staining before 

 mounting, and found that with a little care this could be done successfully 

 and with advantage, and specimens stained the same colour as they were 

 naturally were not so likely to fade afterwards as others which were mounted 

 in their natural condition ; they appeared to have a tendency to pick up the 

 stain, and to retain it in those portions which w^ere coloured in nature. 



The thanks of the meeting were unanimously voted to Mr. Buffham for 

 his communication. 



Notices of meetings, &c, for the ensuing month were then made, and the 

 meeting terminated with the usual Conversazione. 



The following objects were exhibited : — 



Spores of Fungus, Asterosjporium Hoffmanni... Mr. F. W. Andrew. 

 Parasite of Bee, Siylops Spenceri (nat. col.)... Mr. F. Enock. 

 Spider, Drassus cwpreus g Mr. G. E. Mainland. 



