1905-1906.] Report of the Microscopical Section. 315 



of Stronmilchan, who told us a great deal regarding the 

 history of the fields, the river, and the islands ; and to my 

 brother, Mr T. A. Sprague, who named our Graminese and 

 Juncaceffi and made some valuable suggestions. Our fellow- 

 members will, I feel sure, be pleased to know that this 

 paper really owes its origin to my father, having been under- 

 taken at his suggestion, during the summer of 1905, which 

 we spent at Dalmally. Not only has he taken the greatest 

 interest in it throughout, but he arranged for me to revisit 

 Dalmally last September, for the express purpose of working 

 out the problem more thoroughly. 



IX.—BEPOBT OF THE MICROSCOPICAL SECTION 



(1905-6). 



By Mr W. C. CRAWFORD, F.RS.E., Convener. 



{Read April £5, 1906.) 



It is the chief aim of the microscopical section of a Field 

 Naturalists' Society to study by microscopical methods the 

 common objects which are met with in the fields, in the 

 ponds, in the woods, and on the shore, and thus to extend our 

 knowledge of the things which surround us. It has been the 

 custom of our Microscopical Section to take up some group 

 of plants or animals, selecting a few typical examples to study 

 as fully as our time would allow. In previous winters we 

 have studied in this way the Algae, the Fungi, the Crustaceans, 

 the Ascidians, and some of the higher cryptogams. We have 

 had a glimpse, also, into that great old curiosity-shop, the 

 Worms. Last winter we have been occupied with the Coelen- 

 terates, the simplest of the many-celled animals. We dissected 

 a sea-anemone ; examined microscopically examples of other 

 coelenterates, and some members mounted slides showing the 

 alternation of generations so conspicuous in this class of 

 animals. During the last two or three months we were 

 occupied mostly with the lowest forms of the animal kingdom, 

 the Protozoa, and have obtained some insight into a number 



