100 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



A paper was read " On the Microscopical Examination of Dust 

 blown into a Railway Carriage near Birmingham, " by Joseph 

 Sidebothara, "F.E.A.S. A rough examination with a two-third's 

 power of this dust (collected on a paper placed near the window) 

 showed a large proportion of fragments of iron, and on applying 

 a soft iron needle it was found that many of them were highly 

 magnetic. They were mostly long, thin, and straight, the largest 

 being about the one hundred and fiftieth of an inch, and under the 

 power used had the appearance of a quantity of old nails. The 

 weight altogether of the dust collected was 5'7 grains, and the 

 proportion of these particles composed wholly or in part of iron 

 was 2 '9 grains, or more than one half. The iron thus separated 

 consisted chiefly of fused particles of dross or burned iron, like 

 " clinkers ;" many were more or less spherical, like those brought 

 to our notice by Mr. Dancer from the flue of a furnace, but none 

 so smooth ; they were all more or less covered with spikes and 

 excrescences, some having long tails like the old Prince E-upert's 

 drops. There were also many small angular particles like cast 

 iron, having crystalline structure. The other portion of the dust 

 consisted largely of cinders, some vei-y bright angular fragments 

 of glass or quartz, a few bits of yellow metal, opaque white and 

 spherical bodies, like those described by Mr. Dancer, grains of 

 sand, a few bits of coal, &c. 



Mr. Charles Bailey drew attention to the similar observations 

 of Mr. Charles Stodder, of Boston, U.S.A. 



Mr. Walter Morris read a paper upon " The Adulteration of 

 Food," principally with reference to its detection by the micro- 

 scope. 



Specimens of many kinds of adulteration, mounted for the 

 microscope, were exhibited at the meeting. 



Annual Meeting, JSIay 'dtli, 1871. 



Joseph Baxendell, F.R.A.S., in the chair. 



A paper was read by Dr. Simpson, entitled " Observations on 

 the Bilharzia hcEmatohia (Cobbold)." This eutozoon is very 

 prevalent in some hot countries, especially in Egypt and the Cape 

 of Good Hope, where it is the cause of the haematuria endemic 

 in those countries ; a case illustrating its history had come under 

 observation at the Manchester Infirmary. 



The report of the Council and Treasurer's account for the past 

 year were then read and passed, and the election of ofiicers for 

 the year 1871-72 took place. 



Novemher Qth. 



A paper was read on ' TricJiophyton tonsurans,^ by Mr. John 

 Barrow. 



