[231] 



Ibalf^^an^^lbour at tbe fIDicroecope, 



Mttb mv. UxxUcn meet, f.%.^., jf»1R,/in>»S., etc- 



Plates 40 and 41. 



Being from home on a much-needed short hoUday, my remarks 

 on the sHdes here presented must necessarily be brief. And it is 

 the less needed from the satisfactory evidence the foregoing notes 

 (see J>osf) give, that so many of our members are now helping us, 

 to 7mitical profit, by useful remarks on the structure, relations, 

 habits, etc., of the various objects as they come before us. 



I have seemed to myself to be taking far more than is my 

 share of this kind of work ; but it has only been to stimulate 

 others by my own example. A member who simply says when his 

 slide goes in, -'I put" so and so "into the box," only wastes 

 paper and ink by so doing ; the way-bill and the index should 

 inform us of that ! Others are pleased to say that we " shall find 

 it interesting." That may or may not be ; it is for f/ie??i to make 

 their slides so by informing us what the object is, whence obtained, 

 how prepared, how mounted, what it shows, its connection with 

 allied objects, especially such as have been before tis already. This, 

 with appended figures, is simply their duty. Theji it remains for 

 others to add to the store of knowledge, by imparting whatever 

 else of interest and instruction may be in their power. By fol- 

 lowing this, the proper course, a very serious loss of time to other 

 members would be saved, as well as much useless repetition in the 

 Notes, whilst the stores of our common knowledge would be con- 

 tinually increasing. 



To say, '' I like this,'' and '' I don't like," or '' do7i't care about 

 that," adds not one particle to our knowledge. The whole thing 

 is to my mind so simple. An inteUigent friend drops in to spend 

 an hour over the microscope with you. A few objects are looked 

 over. He draws out of you by various questions what you know, 

 imparting at the same time such information as he can, and when 

 " Good bye" time comes at last, both can look back upon the time 

 so spent as having been mutually satisfactory and profitable. 



Epithemia argus.— To study the Diatomaceae, it is necessary to 

 take carefully into account, not only entire forms, but also such as 

 are present in fragments, these anszvering to the " dissections " of 



