40 JOURNAL OF THE [January, 



Meeting of October 19TH, 1888. 



In the absence of the President and Vice-President, Mr. J. 

 D. Hyatt was elected .President pro tern. 



Eighteen persons present. 



Mr. Henry C. Bennett was elected a Resident Member of the 

 Society. 



OBJECTS EXHIBITED, 



1. Mouth-parts of Ants : by L. Riederer. 



2. Twisted hairs, from abdominal rings of a Wasp : by L, 

 Riederer. 



3. The fungus, Chcetoniium cotnatiim, Fr. : by J. L. Zabriskie. 



4. The fungus, Echinobotryutn atruvi, Cd., parasite on Chcsto- 

 mitim co?natum, Fr. : by J. L. Zabriskie. 



5. Crystals of Butter, polarized : by E. J. Wright. 



6. Pond-life, Hydra viridis, If. vulgaris, Melicerta ringens. 

 Rotifer vulgaris, and the fungus Botrytis bassiana on Nitella : by 

 Stephen Helm. 



7. The foraminifer, Orbitolites, from Bermuda : by K. F. Junor. 



8. A fossil Bird's Egg, from Bermuda : by K. F. Junor. 



Mr. Hyatt suggested for discussion, at some future meeting, 

 the subject, " Intelligence in the lower forms of life, with 

 special reference to the motions of diatoms." He had observed 

 that free, young, growing diatoms, when they meet an insur- 

 mountable object, almost immediately reverse their direction of 

 motion. 



Mr. Zabriskie said of his exhibits, that the fungus, ChcBtomium 

 comatum, belongs to the black-moulds. He had found his 

 specimens growing upon old buckwheat straw. The perithe- 

 cium of this species, averaging about one-fiftieth of an inch in 

 diameter, is thin, black and globular ; supported on a short, 

 stout pedicel ; and thickly studded with dark, rigid, mostly dic- 

 hotomously branched hairs, which hairs are beautifully orna- 

 mented, especially towards their distal extremities, with closely 

 set tubercles. The asci are said to be evanescent. None were 

 found in these specimens. The abundant spores are light- 

 brown, under the microscope, lenticular, and mucronate at both 

 ends. 



The fungus, Echirwbotryum atrum, was found parasitic on the 

 former fungus. The characteristic of the reproductive portion 



