^be postal flDicroecopical Society. 



A GREAT want has long been felt by those who take an 

 interest in the Science of Microscopy, of a ready means of 

 communication between microscopists living not only at a 

 distance from each other, but also from London and other large 

 towns where Microscopical Societies exist. It was to meet this 

 want that towards the end of 1873 the ^'■Postal Micro-Cabinet 

 Club " was formed. At that date it was composed of thirty-six 

 members ; but having increased far beyond the expectations of its 

 promoters, it was thought desirable in 1876 to revise the Rules, 

 and at the same time to change its title to the "Postal Micros- 

 copical Society." 



The Society is divided into Circuits of twelve members each, 

 whose names are arranged geographically ; a box of slides is sent 

 by the Hon. Secretary at fortnightly intervals to the member whose 

 name stands first on the list, who must keep it three evenings only, 

 and then send it on by post to the next member, and . he to the 

 following one. The member whose name stands last on the list 

 returns the box to the Hon. Secretary, who forwards it to the first 

 member of the next Circuit, and so on, until the objects have been 

 seen by every member of the Society. 



Each box of slides is invariably accompanied by one or more 

 MS. books, in w^hich the members are requested to make any 

 remark of an instructive nature respecting the slides, or on any 

 other branch of microscopy likely to prove interesting to the 

 members generally. One most useful province of the Society 

 should be to circulate information amongst its members, and to 

 exchange hints respecting the most approved methods of preparing 

 objects — e.g., injecting, freezing, cutting hard and soft sections, 

 both of animal and vegetable substances, decolorizing leaves and 

 vegetable sections ; staining in one, two, or more colours, mount- 

 ing in various media ; affixing cells securely to glass slips, etc. etc. 

 Drawings, either plain or coloured, in illustration of slides con- 

 tained in the box, or of new microscopic appliances, should be 

 made on drawing-paper the size of a page of the MS. book and 

 attached within the cover at the end of the same ; such notes and 

 drawings will be considered copyright, and exclusively the property 

 of the Society, and may be removed from circulation by no person 



