106 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



case, was observed to descend in a fully expanded condition, and thus 

 to set free the inconvenient prey. 



The thanks of the meeting having been voted by acclamation to 

 Dr. Hudson for his very interesting communication and exhibition, 

 he resumed the chair, 



Mr. Badcock thought that the name proposed by Dr Hudson, 

 CEcistes umbella, was a very approj^riate one. He had found the 

 animal on April dth, 1876, at which time he showed it to Mr. Oxley 

 and others. It was the speciality of the umbrella-like structure 

 which first drew his attention to it. 



Mr. T. C. White inquired if the forms which had been exhibited 

 were from fresh or brackish water ? 



Dr. Hudson said that all those they had seen were from fresh 

 water. 



Mr. F. H. Ward read a paper, " Improvements in the Micro- 

 spectroscope " (see vol. i. p. 326 j. 



Mr. Thomas Palmer said that, as far as the mode of measurement 

 was concerned, he thought he could claim priority in the use of a 

 photographed scale, as about three years ago he read a paper on the 

 subject, and exhibited the apparatus. He should be very glad to see 

 the micro-spectroscoj)e improved, as he thought that it was not at 

 present receiving a proper amount of attention, and he wished Mr. 

 Ward every success in his endeavours to that end. In honour of their 

 late President, Mr. Sorby, some good work ought to be done with it. 

 If that gentleman's paper on "Vegetable Chromatology " was more 

 read and studied, there would, he was sm*e, be more workers with the 

 instrument than at present. 



Mr. Crisp said that, in justice to Mr. Ward, the meeting should be 

 reminded of the exact words of the paper which referred to the scale, 

 and which he read (see vol. i. p. 329, lines 4-6). Apart from the 

 question of the slit, Mr. Ward was entitled, he thought, to credit for 

 the use he had made of the comjiarison prism. The Fellows would 

 remember that he exhibited it at the May scientific evening, when 

 great interest was taken in it. 



Mr. Ward said he had tried to find out who was the originator of 

 the scale, but had not been successful in doing so, though he knew it 

 was not new, and had been in use for a long time in Germany : he was 

 not aware that Mr. Palmer claimed it. 



Mr. Crisp explained the points of his paper, " On some Recent 

 Forms of Camera Lucida," a drawing of that of Dr. Hofmann being 

 enlarged upon the black-board by Mr. Stewart (see p. 21). Mr. Crisp 

 observed that there had been this year a glut of these instruments, as 

 there were now four before the Society, viz. Hofmann's, Pellerin's, 

 Swift's, and Russell's. 



Dr. Millar said that the form last mentioned was one devised by 

 Dr. Russell, of Lancaster, a brief description of which he then gave, 

 illustrated by a drawing on the board. 



Mr. Beck said that Mr. Crisp was quite right in saying there was 



