46 JOURNAL OF THE [April, 



4. Spherometer, made by the Geneva Optical Company, of 

 Chicago : by F. D. Skeel. 



5. Musical Rasps of the grasshopper, Conocephalus ensiger Har- 

 ris : by J. L. Zabriskie. 



Mr. Devoe explained the construction of his lace cage for hold- 

 ing small living insects while under observation. The top and bot- 

 tom are removed from an ordinary paper pill box. The rings, 

 forming the body and the lid of the box, are each covered with a 

 piece of fine lace, kept tightly stretched by having the edges glued 

 down on the outside, and in such manner that, when the lid is 

 placed in its natural position on the body of the box, the two 

 pieces of lace are brought into contact. A small insect placed 

 between the two pieces of lace can be held firmly and yet without 

 injury in any position, and can be examined on the stage of the 

 microscope by either transmitted or reflected light. 



Mr. Zabriskie exhibited a female, and the green and brown 

 forms respectively of the male of Conocephalus ensiger, and stated, 

 concerning the musical rasps, that in this species, as is common 

 in the green grasshoppers and katydids, the rasp of the left wing 

 cover is much more prominently developed than that of the right. 

 In the slide exhibited the left rasp has eighty teeth, while the right 

 rasp has only fifty-seven. A brown male kept in captivity sang vig- 

 orously on the evening of September 30th last. The wing covers 

 were raised very slightly, but were shuffled with extreme rapidity, 

 causing one long note. One such song, timed by the watch, was 

 sustained loudly and continuously, without the slightest break, 

 for the space of four minutes and twenty-five seconds. 



Dr. Skeel explained the mechanism and operation of the sphe- 

 rometer exhibited by him. 



Meeting of December 2D, 1892. 



The President, Mr. J. D. Hyatt, in the chair. 



Twenty-two persons present. 



The President delivered an address on " The Origin and For- 

 mation of the New York Microscopical Society." He read from 

 the original copy of the call for the first meeting of the Society, 

 dated November 12th, 1877 ; from the original copy of the consti- 

 tution and by-laws, adopted December 21st, 1877 ; and from the 

 minutes of the first six meetings. These papers were lately de- 



