100 JOURNAL OF THE [April, 



FOSSIL LEAF OF HAUSMANNIA. 



Dr. Britton : " My specimens of fossil leaf were taken from 

 the lower cretaceous clays of Middlesex Co., N. J. As these 

 clays are extremely fine and plastic, fossil leaves are remarkably 

 well preserved in them as thin membranaceous sheets of 

 carbonized vegetable tissue, which, when recently collected, 

 ■show very perfectly all the details of venation. At the sug- 

 gestion of Prof. Newberry, I have detached and examined a 

 fragment of one of these carbonaceous films, and I find the 

 ])arenchymatous cell-structure and the stomata plainly dis- 

 cernible. The examination was made on Hausniannia, a genus 

 the botanical affinities of which are somewhat uncertain. I 

 may add, that specimens of lignite from the same strata show 

 their woody cell-structure quite clearly, and that those which 

 were examined proved to be coniferous." 



CHOLERA BACILLI. 



Dr. Bates : " I have two slides. One, prepared by Dr. 

 Koch, shows a pure culture of cholera bacilli. The other, a 

 double slide, is from Paris : one mount contains a pure culture 

 of cholera bacilli ; the other, secretions taken from a patient 

 who had died of cholera. The two forms correspond exactly." 



SYNAPTA. 



Mr. De Witt : " My object, a species of Syiiapia, from 

 Bermuda, is mounted entire. The most noticeable parts are 

 the branched tentacles surrounding the mouth, and the perforated 

 calcareous plates and anchor-shaped spines. The common im- 

 pression that the spines are locomotive organs is not supported 

 by my observation of the habits of this animal. They serve, 

 instead, for defense, and for attachment to the sea-weed on 

 which the creature is found. The organs of motion are the 

 tentacles." 



Mr. Bogert presented to the Society some dried specimens of 

 Gyrinus natator. 



MEETING OF MARCH 20TH, 1885. 



The President, Mr. C. Van Brunt, in the chair. 

 Twenty-four persons present. 



