PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 271 



fluid would be urged forward into the main tube. The explanation 

 seemed to be clear, and the purpose admirably performed if it were as 

 described, and it seemed to him to be a perfectly feasible method of 

 performing a process which he had never before been able to see. 



Mr. Lowne said he should like to make one or two observations 

 upon the President's remarks as to the action of these so-called 

 suckers. He had yet to learn that a force-pump could be made to act 

 without a valve ; he had yet to learn that a tube open at both ends 

 could be in any way exhausted. It was all very well to talk in this 

 way and say it might be — anything might be, but what he was talking 

 about was what actually was, and he had yet to learn that such organs 

 existed. He thought, certainly, that the notion of the suctorial action 

 of the fly's foot and of the foot of Dytiscus was exploded long ago. 

 !Ee had years ago brought into that room a living Dytiscus placed 

 under the exhausted receiver of an air-p\imp, and had shown that even 

 there it was able to support a weight of several ounces. He thought 

 it had long ago been shown that this was done by means of a glutinous 

 fluid which exuded from the feet of flies and beetles. Of course it 

 might be, but he was only speaking to facts. 



Mr. Charles Stewart said that as the question of correct terms had 

 been raised, although it might look like hypercriticism, he should 

 like to ask Mr. Lowne whether he was justified in calling the little 

 watch-tower looking object which he had drawn a papilla. Was it not 

 rather an aborted hair ? 



Mr. Lowne said Mr. Stewart could call it what he liked ; there 

 was not much importance in the term, but he thought the object was 

 totally unlike a hair. 



Mr. H. J. Slack read a paper " On certain Silica Films artificially 

 produced," illustrating the subject by di-awings from the pencil of 

 Dr. Anthony, and by specimens exhibited under a microscope in the 

 room. The paper will be found on p. 237. 



The President said that on looking at the drawings he was struck 

 with the remarkable resemblance of some of them to the anchors of 

 the Synapta. 



Mr. Wenham had been presented with a slide by Mr. Slack, upon 

 which he found a curious spinous form, which he saw was figured by 

 Dr. Anthony. He found on examination that the particles had 

 arranged themselves in this spinous form, and he should be very glad 

 to be informed as to the cause of this arrangement. 



Mr. Slack said that the films were very delicate, and appeared to 

 be formed of innumerable spherules; and 'it was when* another layer 

 was deposited upon them that these apparently organic forms, like 

 bacteria and fungi, were produced. They were very easily detached. 

 He was inclined to think that some crystalline forms were due to 

 a silicate of some alkali. Directly the silica molecules were induced to 

 depart from their usual way of violently rushing together, they would 

 readily adopt organic patterns upon the slightest impulse (a diagram 

 in illustration was here drawn upon the board). 



The President thought it perhaps possible that the apparent 

 amplification by lower powers to which Mr. Slack had referred might 

 be due to irradiation, just as a very fine platinum wire appeared to 



