252 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



San Francisco Microscopical Society. 



Annual Meeting, February 3, 1876. — Election of officers resulted 

 in the re-election of the old board of management, as follows : — Pre- 

 sident, Wm. Ashburner (who delivered an excellent address on the 

 work done by the Society, and who deprecated the notion of publishing 

 ' Transactions,' in the present state of the Society) ; Vice-President, 

 Henry C. Hyde ; Corresponding Secretary, Charles W. Banks ; Re- 

 cording Secretary, C. Mason Kinne ; Treasui'er, Charles G. Ewing. 



Mr. Arthur Cottam read a paper upon a new Aulacodiscus, which 

 had been brought from the west coast of Africa by Mr. Martin, an 

 officer of H.M.S. ' Spiteful.' It had been considered to be a variety 

 either of A. Kittoni or A. Johnsoni ; and after describing the charac- 

 teristic features of each of these species and of the new diatom, 

 Mr. Cottam expressed an opinion that the new form was in some 

 respects so distinct from either, that it might well be made a distinct 

 species, for which he suggested the name of Aulacodiscus Africanus. 



Mr. N. E. Green read a paper upon a new stage arrangement for 

 the examination of objects either by reflected or transmitted light, 

 and exhibited a slide of P. angulatum under a lyV^h by Zeiss, illu- 

 minated entirely by side light. The silvery appearance of the object, 

 contrasted with the grey background, was very beautiful, and the 

 definition extremely sharp. Mr. Green also remarked upon the 

 advantages of side illumination in the observation of the surface 

 markings of diatoms ; and exhibited Triceratium and Isthmia under a 

 i^jth by the limelight, as examples of very oblique reflected illu- 

 mination. 



Fairmount Microscopical Society of Philadelphia. 



The regular monthly meeting was held May 20, in West Green 

 Street. The subject of the evening was Micro-fungi. The Secretary, 

 Mr. Stevenson, read a paper on the subject, and illustrated it with a 

 series of slides of secidium, puccinia, aregma, triphrogmium, uredo, 

 ustilago, tuchobasis, &c. Drs. Griffith and Shakespeare opened a 

 very interesting debate on the subject of "the fungoid origin of 

 disease," which was freely discussed by Dr. James, Mr. Gray, and the 

 other members present. The evening was spent very profitably to 

 those present, and was pronounced by all to be one of the most enjoy- 

 able held during the year. A vote of thanks was unanimously tendered 

 Mr. D. S. Holman for his fine exhibition of the gas microscope at the 

 meeting in February. 



This Society grows in interest and numbers, and is fast becoming 

 a permanent organization. 



