179 



of the Club a few little matters of a similar kind. It was well known that all 

 objects which required to be examined by transmitted light needed that light to 

 be thrown upon them in particular directions, and the proper direction for each 

 object or part of an object could not be well ascertained unless a rotating motion 

 were given to it. This kind of motion could not so readily be given to an object 

 with the fingers as other motions could, and although the rotating stage had 

 been designed for the purpose, there were many microscopes which did not 

 possess such a stage, and the cost of adding one would be in many cases an 

 objection to its use. Not having one to his own instrument, and having felt 

 the want of one, he had devised a simple substitute, which he had found to 

 answer the purpose in every respect. It consisted of a flat disc of wood, having 

 a tube fastened to its lower side which fitted smoothly within the substage tube ; 

 when placed in position the wood disc rested evenly upon the stage of the 

 microscope, and could be easily rotated by the fingers. The apparatus was ex- 

 hibited to the meeting, and its application practically explained. Mr. Golding 

 also exhibited and described a simple methodof making a condenser by inserting 

 a lense in a pasteboard tube ; a similar method of mounting crystals of Hera- 

 pathite to form a polariscope ; an improvement in the stand for a portable 

 microscope brought out by Mr. Richards ; a new form of Zoophyte trough ; a 

 new pattern " finder;" and a new cement for cells, &c. He also said that he had 

 endeavoured to trace what had become of two living diamond beetles recently 

 exhibited at the Liverpool Microscopical Society, in the hope that they might 

 have been exhibited also to the members of the Club. He had not, however, 

 been successful hitherto in the matter. 



The thanks of the meeting were accorded to Mr. Golding for his com- 

 munication. 



Mr. T. C. White said that if the cement described by Mr. Golding was the same 

 as a transparent cement he had recently tried it would be found to contain so 

 large a quantity of gelatine that its contraction in drying was so great as to 

 actually pull the covering glass of a cell into four or five pieces. 



Mr. Golding believed that the cement in question would not be found to do the 

 same as that mentioned by Mr. White; he was not aware of its actual con- 

 stituents, but had noticed that it had rather a tendency to gelatinize, and that, 

 it was strongly alkaline. 



The Secretary said that Mr. Richards had brought to the meeting a new form 

 of stand for his portable microscope. It differed from the ordinary kind in 

 having the upright rod placed near to the extremity of one of the arms of the 

 base, in.-tead of being in tlie centre ; the alteration bad the effect of giving much 

 greater stability to the instrument when in use. 



Dr. Matthews exhibited to the meeting a new supplementary stage for ob- 

 taining oblique illumination, designed by himself and constructed by Mr. Swift. 

 It consisted of two oblong brass plates, separated from each other by brass 

 pillars at the corners, the upper plate formed the stage upon which objects were 

 viewed, and the lower one had a grove cut lengthways across it in which a 

 mount carrying a smnll mirror was made to traverse. The mirror was silvered 

 upon its surfaces by the glass- silvering process, the result being greatly increased 

 reflective power and tha absence of double images. Not only could the angular 

 aperture of an objective be measured by this apparatus, but the most perfect 

 definition with oblique illumination had been obtained, small specimens of 

 " Angulatum " being well shown with a ^in. objective. 



The President, in thanking Dv. Matthews fur his communication, expi'esscd 



