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MICROSCOPICAL SECTION. 

 November 18, 1861. 

 E. W. BiNNEY, F.R.S., F.G.S., in the Chair. 

 Dr. Edward Stephens was elected a member of the Section. 



The Secretary read a communication from Mr. Thomas 

 G. Rylands, of Warrington, ^' On the Classification of the 

 Diatomaceae." The Author desired to call attention to the 

 want of systematic arrangement which characterises this 

 favourite branch of microscopical investigation, and to the 

 necessity of a thorough revision of the entire classification of 

 the natural order. The author presented to the Section two 

 slides to illustrate his arguments. The predominant form 

 of frustules was first named by Dr. Brebisson Cocconeis Icevis. 

 In 1857 it was published by Mr. Roper (M. I. vol. vi. p. 22) 

 under the provisional name Coscinodiscus ? ovalis ; but 

 in consequence of finding on the valves eight to twelve 

 submarginal obtuse processes with tumid bases, quite distinct 

 from the spines or teeth which occur in the Coscinodiscese, 

 the Author considers this species must be placed in the genus 

 Eupodiscus, and may fitly be called Eupodiscus loevis. The 

 specimens were obtained at Llandudno, in ripples in the sand 

 below mid-water ; and the Paper concludes with a description 

 of some peculiarities connected with their sudden disap- 

 pearance. 



Mr. John Watson read a paper "On certain Scales of 

 some Diurnal Lepidoptera," in which he recommends a new 

 and careful study of this subject. In some genera peculiar 



