l888.] NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 95 



PROCEEDINGS OF OTHER SOCIETIES. 

 San Francisco Microscopical Society. 



Meeting of September 28, 1887. — Vice President Dr. Ferrer took the 

 chair, and a large number of members were present. 



Dr. Henry Ferrer exhibited a new rectilinear lens, made by Steinheil, of 

 Munich, especially for enlarging and reducing copies of drawings and charts 

 in photographic operations. This lens secures as perfect definition at the 

 periphery as at the center. It is accompanied by a table, by means of which 

 one can easily calculate the needed extension of camera, and distance from the 

 object, to secure any desired enlargement or reduction in a photograph. 



Dr. Ferrer exhibited some of his work with this lens in reduced, photo- 

 graphic copies of his large India ink drawings of his sections of the human eye. 

 He also exhibited these sections, which were prepared by hardening the eye in 

 bichromate of potash, and embedding in celloidin. 



Secretary Wickson read a letter, recently received from Dr. Frank L. James, 

 of St. Louis, Editor of the SL Louis ^Medical and Surgical Journal, referring to 

 mountings of Bacillus anthracis in situ in lung tissue, made by Dr. S. M. 

 Mouser of this Society, and stating "that a better preparation never has been 

 made." The letter also cited the verdict of Dr. D. V. Dean, of St. Louis, a 

 thorough microscopist, who pronounced " the slide the best he had ever seen." 



Dr. Henry Ferrer was elected President of the Society, to fill the vacancy 

 occasioned by the resignation of Mr. Wickson, who retired from the Presidency 

 to take the office of Recording Secretary. 



Meeting of October 12. — President Dr. Ferrer in the chair. A large 

 number of members were present. 



A letter was read from Mr. Isaac C. Thompson, F. R. M. S., of Liverpool, 

 England. Mr. Thompson desires to secure material for the study of minute 

 crustaceans, a special line of investigation which he has pursued for some time, 

 and upon which he has made valuable reports to the Liverpool Microscopical 

 Society. His letter prescribed the following as a solution best fitted to pre- 

 serve specimens of marine life : Water, one part ; proof spirits, two parts ; 

 glycerine, one part ; with one per cent, of carbolic acid added. By securing 

 gatherings from the Pacific Mr. Thompson hopes to add to his previous finds 

 of new Copepoda. In an expedition to the Canary Islands he captured from 

 forty to fifty new species. The San Francisco Society will endeavor to obtain 

 the material desired. 



A letter was read from Mr. W. F. Barraud, of Wellington, New Zealand. 

 The Wellington Microscopical Society meets fortnightly, and its members are 

 investigating and cataloguing the fresh-water infusoria of the district. Mr. 

 Barraud sent a sample of the rich diatomaceous deposit at Oomaru, New 

 Zealand, and a sample of the Nevada salmon-colored diatomaceous earth, found 

 some time ago by Prof. Hanks, will be sent to Mr. Barraud in exchange. 



The chief part of the evening was given to an exhibition of high power 

 objectives recently received. Drs. Ferrer and Mouser exhibited one-twelfth 

 Zeiss objectives, and Dr. Le Conte used Spencer's one-tenth and one- 

 eighteenth. Dr. Mouser worked his one-twelfth up to 2,250 diameters with 

 admirable effects. The performance of the Spencer glasses was also very 

 satisfactory. 



Mr. William Payzant, of Berkeley, was elected Vice President, to fill the 

 vacancy caused by the election of Dr. Ferrer to the Presidency. 



Meeting of October 26. — -President Ferrer in the chair. Dr. Julius 

 Rosenthirn of San Francisco, was elected a regular member. 



A letter was received from A. H. Breckenfeld, of Los Angelos, accompanying 

 specimens of marine diatoms on sea-weed, from Prof. Romyn Hitchcock, and 

 collected at Sakai, Japan. 



Dr. Ferrer exhibited accessories. He had just received from Zeiss, of Jena, 

 a number of low power objectives and oculars, made of the new apochromatic 



