PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 285 



higli powers it became a question of great difficulty how to interpret 

 appearances. In the instance before them the drawings of Dr. Anthony 

 really seemed to show the scale as they imagined it ought to be, but 

 on turning to the photographs they found that these notions were not 

 borne out. Extreme caution was necessary in deciding what really 

 existed. Accurate knowledge of the laws of light and careful induc- 

 tion alone could enable them rightly to approach the subject. 



Mr. Slack said he should like to ask how far they might rely upon 

 these appearances ? If he understood Dr. Woodward rightly, a longi- 

 tudinal section of the scale would give a wavy line, and if they sent 

 a ray of light across a number of the ridges they would certainly get 

 diffraction lines. But such diffraction lines would not absolutely dis- 

 prove the existence of beads. The questions of structure might be 

 approached by their comparative anatomy, beginning with the easiest 

 scales and working up towards the more difficult ones. He thought 

 that if Dr. Woodward could make two, three, or four rows appear, by 

 letting the light fall at different slants, there would be strong 

 evidence in support of his idea ; but when they looked at his photo- 

 graphs they did not find there that exact arithmetical proportion 

 which his paper seemed to indicate. 



Mr. Charles Brooke remarked that none of the photographs 

 appeared to present anything like it. 



Mr. Blake inquired if Mr. Slack could explain how the cross lines 

 could be produced by diffraction ? 



Mr. Slack said that Dr. Woodward assumed that there were cross 

 ridges, but that they were not beaded. 



The Secretary said they had also received a short communication 

 from Mr. Stodder on the subject of Frustulia Saxonica, Navicula 

 rhomhoides, and Navicula crassinervis. This was read to the meeting, 

 and upon the motion of the President the thanks of the Society were 

 voted to the writer. (See p. 265.) 



Mr. Charles Stewart called the attention of the Fellows to an 

 exceedingly remarkable little organism which was exhibited in the 

 room by Mr. Badcock, who would be very glad to know what it was. 

 It was an oval thing of considerable size, microscopically speaking — 

 about as large as a small pin's head — and looked something like a 

 gigantic Paramoecium, covered with cilia ; and the question was 

 whether it was a hond fide adult, or only the larval form of some 

 creature. Possibly some of the Fellows of the Society might be able 

 to identify it. 



The President's Soiree. 



On the 21st ult. H. C. Sorby, Esq., F.E.S., President of the Eoyal 

 Microscopical Society, gave an admirable soiree to the Fellows of 

 the Society and other invited guests, including a numerous gathering 

 of ladies. The authorities of King's College kindly threw open the 

 great hall and an extensive suite of rooms and galleries, one on the 

 first floor being devoted by Mr. Sorby to a very liberal commissariat, 

 arranged with the manciple. The entrance hall and staircase were 

 decorated with fine specimens of palms and flowers ; the large hall 



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