PKOCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 137 



Dr. Schmidt, " The Origin and Development of the Coloured Blood 

 Corpuscles in Man." 



Mr. H. Davis brought under our notice a Nevy Callidina, and 

 recounted a series of experiments on the Desiccation of Eotifers. 

 Dr. Maddox called attention to an Organism found in Fresh-pond 

 Water ; to an Entozoon with Ova found encysted in the Muscles of 

 a Sheep; and also to a Minute Plant found in an Incrustation of 

 Carbonate of Lime. Dr. Braithwaite continued his valuable papers on 

 the Bog Mosses. Mr. Parfitt described and figured a peculiar micro- 

 scopic animal, which he named " AgcMsteus i^lumosus." As bearing on 

 the controversies relating to the origin and development of Infusorial 

 Forms, jjarticular attention may be called to the valuable papers of 

 the Eev. Mr. Dallinger and Dr. Drysdale, the first of which was 

 entitled " Researches on the Life History of a Cercomonad : a Lesson 

 in Biogenesis." The care with which the observations and experiments 

 detailed by these gentlemen were made ; and the high powers, up to a 

 Powell and Lealand J^oth, successfully employed, mark them out as 

 deserving special study ; they carry our knowledge of what appear 

 to be true examples of sexual actions and development down to 

 objects more minute than any in which they were previously observed. 

 They trace a variety of forms to the same species, and acqiiaint us 

 with ova or germinal particles so minute as to evade explicit definition 

 with any amj^lification that could be employed. Mr. Wenham has 

 contributed a method of Dissecting Podura Scales, which leads him to 

 reiterate his denial of the much-disputed " beads." Mr. Kittou has 

 described some new species of Diatoms, while fresh interest has been 

 excited in the investigation of the structure of some of these organisms 

 by Mr. Stephenson's " Observations on the Optical Appearances pre- 

 sented by the Inner and Outer Layers of Coscinodiscus when examined 

 in Bisulphide of Carbon and in Air," a paper which was illustrated by 

 careful drawings made by Mr. Charles Stewart. Mr. Dallinger de- 

 scribed and sent for exhibition specimens of Lecture-Illustrations 

 prepared on Glass by a new method. 



Books Purchased during the past Year. 



Annals of Natural History. 2 Vols. 



Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. Vol. XXI. 



Plowriglit's Sphffiriacei. Part 1. 



Monograph of the CoUembola and Thysanm-a. By Sir John Lubbock. 



Monograph of the British Annelids. Part 1. By Dr. Mcintosh. 



Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom. 



Books Presented. 



A Contribution to the History of Fresh-water Algse of North America. By 



H. C. Wood, jun. 

 On some Remarkable Forms of Animal Life from the Great Deeps off the Coast 



of Norway. By G. O. Sars. 

 . Lichen Flora of Great Britain. By Eev. W. A. Leighton. 

 Transactions of the Linnean Society. 

 Several pamphlets and papers, as well as the journals of other societies in 



exchange for our own, have been periodically annoimccd in the 'Monthly 



Microscopical Journal.' 



L 2 



