119 



have the structure and habits of these interesting little animals brought before 

 us by one of our members who is known to be well acquainted with the subject, 

 and the whole illustrated by the microscope ; and so with other groups ? Then 

 there is the great and imjiortant department of Histology — Animal and Veget- 

 able. What subject could do more honour to the name of Quekett than this ? 

 That precept, however, may not be without example, I purpose to bring before 

 you a few papers " On the Elementary Tissues of Plants," but not to the ex- 

 clusion of those shorter communications which often prove such an interesting 

 feature in our proceedings. 

 The following Donations were announced : — 



"The Monthly Microscopical Journal " from the Publisher, 



*' Science Gossip " ... ,, 



"Proceedings of the Royal Society," No. 136 ... the Society. 



'' The Journal of the London Institution " ... the Institution. 



"The American Naturalist" ... ... ... in exchange. 



*' The Archives of Science of Orleans County 7 

 Society '' ... ... ... 3 



" The Smithsonian Report for 1870 "... ... „ 



Nine Slides for the Cabinet ... ... ... Mr. Arthur Cottam. 



Four Slides... ... ... ... ... Mr. Martin Burgess 



The following members were elected :— Edward Bartlett, jun., Rt. Hon. 

 Lord Borthwick, William Bugby, William Bush, Chas. T. Conolly, L.S.A., His 

 Grace the Archbishop of Westminster. 



Paper by Mr. John E. Ingpen, F.R.M.S., "On a New Standard Dynamo- 

 meter for ascertaining at once the magnifying powers of Microscopical 

 Objectives." 

 Paper by Mr. D. E. Goddard, " On the Value of Comparative Study.'' 

 Mr. Jas. W. Ward, of the New York Bailey Club, one of the visitors of the 

 evening, being called upon by the President, said he would take the opportunity, 

 so courteously offered, to express the great gratification he had experienced in 

 being able to attend several meetings of the Quekett, with whose pro?eeding3 

 those of his own little club at home, which was formed especially for work and 

 study, were so much in harmony, though moving in a much smaller field. In 

 regard to the subject which had mainly occupied the attention of the meeting 

 this evening, he would say he was glad to find it was one the importance of 

 wliich was recognised by the gentlemen he had the pleasure of addressing. It 

 had received considerable attention in America ; the initiative of the discussion 

 having really been taken by the club he had the honour to represent, and it was 

 now very generally felt that a reform in the rating and estimation of objectives 

 was widely called for. It was of the utmost importance in any serious micros- 

 copic examination, to be assured of the exact power of the objective under em- 

 ployment ; not only for the purpose of comparing the relative capabilities of 

 different objectives, but more particularly of knowing accurately and at all 

 times the exact amplification of any object or material submitted to examination. 

 The present method of rating objectives was quite inaccurate, and could not be 

 relied on for the information desired. He thought that makers ought to be re- 

 quired— perhaps compelled would not be too strong an expression —to stamp 

 upon each of their objectives its magnifying power, irrespective of eye-piece. 

 Every objective has a fixed magnifying power per se, of which its actual ampli- 

 fication, in any case of use with the complete instrument, is only that power 

 multiplied by the power of the eye-piece ; and that particular power of each 



