r 14 ] 



September 24TH. 

 MICROSCOPICAL MEETING.— " POND LIFE." 



Mr. T. W. WONFOR announced the receipt from Mr. Curties, 

 of High Holborn, London, — who is an honorary member, — of 

 a photograiDh of a group of thirty-five separate specimens 

 of British microscopical animals and plants, collected from a 

 pond at Leytonshire, near London, and drawn from life by Mi'. 

 H. C. Richter. The objects, which had been very beautifully 

 grouped, were inspected with much interest; and the diagram, 

 with the accompanying key, rendered the photographs more 

 valuable. In the absence of Mr. Lomax, who had suggested the 

 subject of the evening, but who was unfortunately prevented 

 attending. 



The President, Mr. Alderman Cox, asked Mr. Wonfor to in- 

 troduce the subject for the evening. 



Mr. "Wonfor remarked that he had lately experienced the 

 truth of an observation made at the last meeting that, although 

 they might propose to show living objects, the difficulty would be 

 to o'et them. Only the evening before he had some hundreds of 

 specimens of the volvox glohator, and he had purposed exhibiting 

 the roUint', turning, volvox ; but he was unable to do so as they had 

 now disappeared. 



A few bottles of specimens from ponds at Lewes and Furze 

 hill, would, howevei', be submitted for examination; and he had also 

 managed to secure some larviB of the English gnat, — in other 

 words, of a mosquito,— which would doubtless be looked upon with 

 interest, remembering the discussion which took place at a previous 

 meetino'. The specimens of pond life would be likewise interest- 

 mo-, because of the anxiety manifested at times to know whether 

 or not certain v/ater was drinkable. Now, the mere fact of finding 

 certain forms of animal life in water would not necessarily mili- 

 tate against it for drinking purposes ; but if he found in stagnant 

 or well water certain other forms of animal life, he should begin to 

 inquire what it was that had filtrated into it. 



