no PEOCEEDINGS OP SOCIETIES. [To'ulS. JS'Z'f 



A unanimous vote of tlianks was accorded to Mr. Eoper for his dona- 

 tion, and he was proposed as an honorary member of the Society, to 

 be balloted for at the next meeting. 



Some discussion then ensued on the advisability of the Society's 

 holding a public soiree. There was a considerable diversity of 

 opinion, and the matter was finally referred to the Standing Com- 

 mittee. 



Mr. Tibbits then read a paper " On Mounting Animal Tissues," 

 which he illustrated by a number of beautiful preparations of brain 

 and spinal cord made by himself. 



TuNBRiDGE Wells Mioroscopical Society.* 



The first meeting of this Society was held at Dr. Milner Barry's 

 house on the 4th inst., Dr. Deakin, President, in the chair. — -A variety 

 of most interesting objects were exhibited, amongst -theva some of the 

 very earliest micro-photographs taken by Mr. Delves, — the circulation 

 in Chara ; sections of wood, &c. For the future each monthly meet- 

 ing will be devoted to the consideration of some special subject. The 

 Anatomy of Lichens will be discussed at the next meeting. 



BlRMINGHABI NATURAL HiSTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL SoCIETY. 



The meetings were resumed on the 11th ultimo, when Mr. S. AUport 

 exhibited and described a fine collection of foraminifera from the 

 West Indian and Mediterranean Seas, obtained by shaking sponges 

 brought from those regions over water, skimming off the shells which 

 float while the particles of sand sink to the bottom, and mounting the 

 specimens thus obtained in Canada balsam, after preliminary treat- 

 ment with tm-pentine and exhaustion of air from the chambers. 

 Special interest attaches to these organisms at the present time by 

 reason of the attention which has lately been directed to them, in 

 connection with the subject of deej)-sea soundings, as the great chalk- 

 forming agents of the world. Mr. AUport further referred to certain 

 passages in systematic works on Foraminifera, with a view to prove 

 that in this, as in other branches of natural history, varieties are too 

 often mijustifiably elevated to the rank of species. The specimens 

 exhibited in illustration of the subject included representatives of the 

 genera Peneroplis, Spirolina, Orbiculina, Orbitolites, Polystomella, 

 and Planorbulina. The Eev. H. W. Crosskey also contributed Glohi- 

 gerina buUoides from 2000-fathom soundings in the Atlantic, and 

 foraminifera from chalk ; and in connection with these made some 

 interesting remarks on points of geology suggested by Dr. Carpenter's 

 recent lectures. The speaker observed that modern geologists would 

 find themselves compelled to depart from the strict and arbitrary rules 

 by which they had hitherto separated different epochs and formations, 

 the tendency of progressive discovery being to show that these extend 

 into or overlap each other so that no harsh line of demarcation can be 



* From tlie Secretary, the Eev. B. Whitelock. 



