PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 211 



protruded a transparent neck or contractile body, furnished, wheu 

 protruded, with four hairs or feelers, a lip, and a kind of 

 operculum, around which Mr. Toase recognised the presence of 

 cilia by the current of water, but he failed to discover the cilia for 

 want of defining power in his microscope. There is not sufficient 

 detail either in the description or the drawings to be of much use 

 to the microscopist, but further information has been written for. 



Mr. Brothers presented to the Section photographs of the four 

 drawings by Dr. Alcock, illustrating his paper " On the Tongues 

 of the Mollusca." 



Mr. Sidebotham exhibited a drawing of an undescribed species 

 of Zygnema, found by Mr. AVatson and himself, at Southport, 

 in brackish water. It exhibited no appearance of conjugation, 

 and the spores were like balls covered with spines, which wheu 

 released from the cells move rapidly through the water like 

 Volvox. 



Mr. Mosley reported upon the specimen of the outer coating of 

 a bulb, received through Dr. Fairbairn from Mr. Niven, of 

 Jeffrey's Bay, Cape of Good Hope. 



On examination with the microscope, he found that the leaf is 

 about T-^oth of an inch in thickness; that between the outer and 

 the inner cuticle a number of tubes or vessels run longitudinally 

 through the structure of the leaf; and that these tubes are 

 composed of very delicate fibres, coiled up so as to form spiral 

 vessels. On breaking the leaf, the fibres may be uncoiled and 

 drawn out to an almost indefinite extent. From the thicker 

 middle portion Mr. Mosley had drawn out fibres to the extent of 

 18 to 20 inches without breaking ; they are beautifully fine, but 

 are in his opinion too weak and delicate, as well as too long, to be 

 used as a substitute for cotton. He considers it possible some 

 application may be found for the fibre if a sufficient sample were 

 sent for experimental trials. Desirous of knowing the botanical 

 history of the plant, he wrote to Sir W. J. Hooker, director of the 

 Royal Gardens at Kew ; but it was not possible to classify the 

 plant with certainty from a specimen so imperfect. Sir William 

 observed that in all probability it is one of the Amaryllidaceae, • 

 and possibly of the genus Buphane. 



Mr. Mosley also exhibited the leaf of a species of Digitalis, 

 brought by Mr. Hurst from the Hazaree-bagh, Bengal, upon the 

 surface of which the poison glands are closely set in groups of 

 four glands, placed in a lozenge form. 



Mr. IS'evill exhibited a new form of microscope, by Matthews, 

 of London, for field use or class instruction, which can be used 

 with either transmitted or reflected light. 



Mr. jS^evill proposed that the subject for discussion at the next 

 meeting should be, " On the Motion of the Naviculae," which was 

 agreed to. 



VOL. II. NEW SER. 



