CURRENT NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 129 



The American Monthly Microscopical Journal, edited 

 by Mr. Romyn Hitchcock, is, as usual, full of entertaining and 

 instructive matter. In the February part, just to hand, is com- 

 menced the first of a series of Papers on " Microscopical Tecnic." 

 The first article treats of Apparatus and Material. The limited 

 space at our disposal forbids a more lengthy remark on the present 

 occasion. 



Current IRotee an& fiDcmoranba* 



The President of the Carlisle Microscopical Society has 

 asked us to publish the follo\Ying very interesting Letter from Dr. 

 W. B. Carpenter, F.R.S., who has recently become an Honorary 

 Vice-President of that Society : — 



"London; Nov. 28th, 1883. 

 Dear Mr. C. S. Hall, — 



I accept with much pleasure the office of Vice-President 

 of the Carhsle Microscopical Society, for which you are good 

 enough to propose me ; and shall be very glad if any words of 

 mine can help to give such a direction to the work of its Members, 

 as may prevent the 'power' of your Society from 'running to 

 waste.' 



For this end it is extremely important, in my judgment, that 

 Microscopists should first train themselves in the expert use of 

 the instrument and its most important appliances ; and should 

 then devote themselves especially (I by no means desire exclusively) 

 to some particular study ; each selecting what his own opportunities 

 and mental interests make him feel most suitable to himself. 



It was thus that my late friend and early pupil, G. H. K. 

 Thwaites, who had taken up the study of living Diatoms at my 

 suggestion — now forty years ago — was enabled to discover the 

 cardinal fact of their conjugation and production of a Zygo- 

 spore. And if one tenth of the time that has been since 

 bestowed on the markings of their valves had been given to 

 the study of their life-history, our scientific knowledge of the 

 group would have been greatly advanced, instead of remaining 

 almost stationary. The continuous study of the life-history of the 

 Monads by Messrs. Dallinger and Drysdale, which has given results 



