172 THE NORTHERN MICROSCOPIST. 
Trefriew, N. W., he dredged a little lake lying amongst the hills, above the 
village. At first he was unsuccessful, but making another cast in the rapids, 
where the stream runs out of the lake, and where the current was tremendous 
in consequence of the late heavy rains, what was his surprise and delight when 
he took up the net to find three or four fine specimens of Leptodora. They were 
swimming about with their peculiar jerky motion in the bottle attached. This 
he said strengthened his opinion that as the creature had been found in many 
Italian lakes it also would be found in many of our British lakes, if properly 
hunted ; still it does require the greatest care, and good and practised eyesight 
to detect it even in a bottle in spite of its considerable size. 
Mr. George E. Davis, F.R.M.S., followed with a description of the Micro- 
spectroscope (Browning’s) as preparatory to his exhibiting the absorption bands 
in Nitrate of Didymium, roseine, eosine, cochineal, indigo, pansy, and litmus. 
They were very successfully shewn, and interested a great number of the mem- 
bers present. 
Mr. Herbert C. Chadwick gave his promised communication on the heart of 
the Fairy Shrimp (Chzrocephalus diaphanus). He said it was an animal con- 
sisting of 14 segments, or with the head 15. The heart is situated anteriorly, 
and lies between the dorsal surface and the intestine. It is a tubular organ, its 
anterior extremity occupying the hinder portion of the head, the posterior ex- 
tremity being situated about the middle of the sixth segment. Corresponding 
in position with the second, third, and fourth segments are three pairs of valves. 
These are oval in form, and are so disposed as to allow the blood to pass in 
only one direction, viz., from the cavity which surrounds the heart into the 
heart itself. A single medium valve is situated at the posterior extremity of 
the organ which prevents the passage of blood backwards into the heart. At 
the junction of the eighth and ninth segments this vessel divides into two 
branches, and these branches cannot be traced farther than the middle of the 
tenth segment. Blood corpuscles freely flow along the lower branch but only 
one was observed to flow along the upper. The anterior extremity of the organ 
is very much obscured by a mass of muscular fibre, so that it could not be 
ascertained whether there is a valve or not. The number of pulsations (which 
are very irregular) are at the rate of 200 and over per minute. Mr. Chadwick, 
in conclusion, remarked that in his observations he had the misfortune to crush 
a specimen, and all the intestinal organs, except the heart, were crushed out, 
but he was much interested to see that the short and rapid pulsating movements 
were replaced by a movement similar to the peristaltic contraction, so character- 
istic of the intestines of vertebrate animals. 
Mr. Henry Hyde, in speaking of the starches of wild plants, illustrated his 
remarks by several slides, showing the starch cells of oxalis, arum, &c. Mr. 
R. Mestayer and Mr. Thomas Lofthouse further illustrated this subject by ex- 
hibiting sections of potato and carrot. Some discussion followed on the best 
methods of mounting starch granules. Mr. E. Ward said that carbolized water 
was a good preservative. Mr. George E. Davis thought that slides of starch 
granules should be put up in two ways—in carbolized water for ordinary obser- 
vation, and in damar for observation with the polariscope, while specimens of 
the different starches are best kept dry in the homeeopathic medicine tubes. 
Mr. Cook then exhibited specimens of the Boterill Trough and Life Slide 
(see June No. of the NORTHERN MICROSCOPIST). 
Mr. Aylward, of Cotham Street, Strangeways, exhibited a simple yet in- 
geniously constructed form of self-centering mounting table. It is well-finished 
and revolves smoothly, and answers very well the purpose for which it was 
designed. 
Mr. Thos. Brittain, with the assistance of Mr. Cook the honorary secretary, 
distributed to all the members present specimens of a Cluster-cup he had 
recently met with in Ireland, on the sea coast of Bangor, Co. Down. This 
fungus is known as 4%cidium ranunculacearum, and was in unusually fine con- 
