Proceedings. cxlvii 



Association, and the Sub-Committee have included it in their Eeport, 

 which will be found in the ' Transactions.' 



At the beginning of the year the Committee made a grant to the 

 Meteorological Sub-Committee of £25, for the expensea connected with 

 the rainfall returns. 



The excursion of the 4th October, 1890, was under the direction of 

 this Sub-Committee. On the invitation of G. M. Whipple, Esq., 

 Superintendent of Kew Observatory, eleven members of the Club, in- 

 cluding the Hon. Sec, interested in meteorology and photography, 

 paid a visit to the observatory. They were all most courteously 

 received by Mr. Whipple and the staff of the Observatory. Mr. 

 Whipple first gave the members a short history of the Observatory, 

 and then the party were divided, and part went over the Observatory with 

 Mr. Whipple, and the remainder with the Chief Assistant. All the 

 instriunents, photogi-aphic and otherwise, were shown, as was also the 

 Ubrary, which contained some most interesting works, scientific and 

 otherwise. In addition to the attractions of the Observatory, as there 

 was an entertainment in the Old Deer Park where the Observatory is 

 situated, the party enjoyed the privilege of seeing the descent of Prof 

 Baldwin in a parachute, from a balloon. — F. C. Bayard, Hon. Sec, 



Eeport of the Microscopical Sub-Committee, January, 1890. 



The Microscopical Sub-Committee have taken in hand the arrange- 

 ment of the shdes of microscopic objects in the Club Cabinet. A 

 strictly scientific classification was found impracticable, but in order to 

 facilitate the introduction of fresh slides, the collection was divided into 

 sections corresponding to the letters of the alphabet, so that members 

 applying for slides should give the letter as well as the number of the 

 slides they require. A list of the slides was for the first time printed 

 in the last issue of the ' Transactions.' 



The Club is very much indebted to Mr. Harry Lee, for a very 

 valuable and interesting collection of slides of sponges, which belonged 

 to his father, our first President. Many of these were mounted by, or 

 were from the collection of, the late Dr. Bowerbank, the eminent 

 authority on matters relating to sponges. The collection contains 

 examples of aU the principal families of the Spongiadce, and members 

 wishing to study the structm'e of this interesting and beautiful order 

 of the animal kingdom will derive considerable advantage fi:om care- 

 fully looking through it. The Club is also indebted to Mr. Goodman, 

 for some slides chiefly of botanical interest. 



A special exlaibition of microscopes and microscopic objects was held 

 at the Small Public Hall, on Wednesday, May 28th, under the auspices 

 of the Microscopical Siib-Committee. It was attended by a great 

 many visitors who appeared to spend a pleasant evening, and to be 

 very much interested in the exhibits. The exhibitors were Messrs. 

 Aldous, Baldock, Bayard, Berney, Dr. A. B. Carpenter, Messrs. Collier, 

 Crowley, Epps, Greenway, Hinde, Holmes, Lovett, McKean, Sarjeant, 

 Syms, and Dr. Thompson. 



The President (Mr. Lovett), from his apparently inexhaustible 

 collection, made a large display of microscopic shdes illustrating 

 zoological, botanical, and geological subjects ; also a series of sHdes 

 illustrating the stages of preparation in fluid :and a series of slides 

 " with a history." 



