THE society's NOTE-BOOKS. 119 



amber spoons, thereby favouring the sucker theory. The present 

 specimen was taken from an insect which had been killed by 

 immersion in methylated spirit, and kept in the same for twenty-four 

 hours. The spirit serves more purposes than one — e.g., it displaces 

 the air from the cellular structures, and by its antiseptic properties 

 prevents after-decomposition. After removal from the spirit, it 

 was immediately washed in water and mounted in jelly. The 

 claws and pads are unpacked to their full extent, and may, there- 

 fore, be examined to advantage. The ^ad betiveen the clazus is not 

 covered with long viscid hairs, and those who support the simple 

 sucker theory will think this is in its favour ; but, nevertheless, it 

 is covered with short hairs, which, even if they are not viscid, must 

 interfere with the action of the suckers. 



The pads on the underside of the joints are of a different charac- 

 ter, and are covered with long, viscid hairs, like the pads of 

 Diptera's and other insects' feet. I should like to know how such 

 pads as this can " suck," for even if each hair have a separate 

 sucker, I do not think there would be surface enough on three 

 feet of a blue-bottle or a gnat, to support it on a perpendicular 

 glass window, whereas they seem to have no difficulty in walking 

 up a window, though they must at times have three feet off the 

 " ground " at once. F. J. Allen. 



Eozoon Canadense. — This is a Foraminifer, or rather the 

 fossilised and partly metamorphosed remains of one, which is not 

 only gigantic in size, but also represents all that is yet known of 

 the earhest forms of animal life on the globe. The shape of the 

 Foraminifer is not known, but it certainly attained upwards of a 

 square foot in size, and was several inches thick ; its mode of 

 growth was zoophytic, related in this respect to the Polycistina. 

 The original shell is represented by the calcareous layers, while 

 the sarcode is represented by the serpentine and other silicates 

 which fill up the imperfectly separated chambers of the shell. This 

 latter characteristic resembles that of Carpeiiteria. This remark- 

 able fossil Avas first discovered by Dr. Wilson and others, and 

 pronounced to be an organic form by Sir W. Logan. It was found 

 in the Lower Laurentian Limestones of Canada, and is, therefore, 

 as I have said, the oldest fossil in the world. J. M. Mello. 



Lepidolite. — The commonest form of this mineral is seen in 

 those thin laminje, sometimes used as smoke-consumers for 

 lamps. It contains lithia, as that substance is shown by the use 

 of the spectroscope. J. M. Mello. 



Cement for Finishing Slides. — Take dry white-lead (flake- 

 white) and crush fine with a spatula, or old table-knife, and as 

 much turpentine as will make a thick paste, then grind fine. 



