lii Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



from which conclusions were drawn as to the number of nor- 

 mals which can be drawn through any given point. 



Dr. A. C. Bernays exhibited under the microscope a speci- 

 men of the epidermis of Fritillaria, showing unusually large 

 and beautiful karyokinetic figures. 



February 3, 1896. 



President Gray in the chair, twenty-two persons present. 



Professor William Trelease exhibited several specimens of 

 a curious silk tapestry which had been received in 1894 and 

 1895 from Dr. Francis Eschauzier, of San Luis Potosi, 

 Mexico, stating that the larger specimen, nearly three feet 

 square, had been cut from a piece over twenty yards wide and 

 about four times as long, covering the ceiling of a corn-stor- 

 ino 1 loft. These specimens, having much the appearance and 

 feeling of a soft-tanned piece of sheepskin, were composed of 

 fine silk threads crossing at every conceivable angle, and were 

 stated to be evidently the work of lepidopterous larvae which 

 feed upon grain. 



One person was proposed for active membership. 



February 17, 1896. 



President Gray in the chair, seventy-five persons present. 



Dr. Adolf Alt spoke of the anatomy of the eye, and by aid 

 of the projecting microscope exhibited a series of axial sec- 

 tions representing the general structure of the eye in thirty- 

 one species of animals, comprising two Crustacea, the squid, 

 three fish, two batrachians, two reptiles, ten birds and eleven 

 mammals. 



Professor F. E. Nipher gave an account of the Geissler and 

 Crookes tubes and the radiant phenomena exhibited by each 

 when used in connection with a high-tension electrical current 

 of rapid alternation, and detailed the recent discoveries of 

 Professor Rontgen, showing that certain of the rays so gen- 

 erated are capable of affecting the sensitized photographic 

 plate through objects opaque to luminous rays. Attention 

 was also called to the experiments of Hertz and Lodge with 



