1 886-8 7-] Meetings of Microscopic Section. 



MEETINGS OF MICBOSGOPIG SECTION. 



The Microscopic Section has now been put on a more firm 

 basis than heretofore, with a Secretary and two Assistant 

 Secretaries as office-bearers. For the past Session these were : 

 Mr A. Frazer, M.A., Secretary ; Mr J. Lindsay, Assistant 

 Secretary, Biological department ; and Mr J. D. Murray, Assis- 

 tant Secretary, Optical department. The Session was opened 

 by a Business Meeting, when office-bearers were appointed and 

 the course of study for the Session was mapped out; and it 

 was closed by a General Meeting of both departments, when 

 the work done throughout the Session was reviewed, sugges- 

 tions were made for future operations, and a statement as to 

 funds wa:s given in. The bi-monthly Journal of the Eoyal 

 Microscopical Society is now also provided for the use of the 

 members, and it is hoped that similar publications may be 

 added as funds increase. 



The meetings of the Optical department were held fortnightly 

 during the Session, and had an average attendance of about 

 twenty — the meetings taking place in the Society's room. 

 The subjects chiefly considered were : Achromatic Condensers, 

 Angular Aperture of Objectives, and the Polarisation of Light. 

 Attention was also given to the phenomena of light. The 

 meetings were, for the most part, of a conversational character, 

 but papers were also read, explanatory of the subjects above 

 mentioned, by Messrs Murray, Forgan, Penman, and A. Frazer. 



The meetings of the Biological department were also held at 

 intervals of a fortnight throughout the Session, when demon- 

 strations of a practical nature were given. The subjects taken 

 up were the following : The Structure of Insectivorous Plants, 

 by Dr J. M. Macfarlane (two demonstrations) ; the Mounting 

 of Marine Algte, by Mr J. Allan (two demonstrations) ; the 

 Mounting of Fresh-water Algaj, by Mr J. Terras ; the Prepara- 

 tion and Mounting of Crystals, by Mr W. Penman ; the Col- 

 lecting and Mounting of Foraminifera, by Mr F. G. Pearcey ; 

 the Mounting of Animal Tissues in Glycerine-and-water, by 

 Mr A. Moffat ; the Hardening and Cutting of Animal Sections, 

 by Mr A. Frazer ; tlie Cutting, Staining, and Mounting of Vege- 

 table Sections, by Mr J. Lindsay ; and the Preparation and 



