PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 59 



sections. He first cut with a saw (the one used was the common fret 

 saw) slices of oolite, &c., ground down one surface on glass-paper 

 of different degrees of fineness, and fastened them by the ground 

 surface with moderately stiff heated Canada balsam to glass slides. 

 As soon as cold the other surface was ground down to as thin a degree 

 as required, always finishing on very fine glass-paper. The super- 

 fluous balsam was then cleared away and the powdery matter cleaned 

 off with spii'its of wine, when the slide was ready for the cabinet, or 

 could be covered with thin cold balsam and a glass cover and left to 

 harden. The sj)ecimens of oolite, which were used to illustrate, were 

 part of the stone employed in making the Brighton aquarium. He 

 had at present only worked on different oolites, Portland stone, dolo- 

 mite, and nummulites from Egypt. By the same process he had made 

 very thin sections of coal — in fact, the examples of coal shown at the 

 last meeting were made by this process. It was at the suggestion of 

 Mr. Marshall Hall, who asked him to try how it would act on oolitic 

 limestone and dolomite, that he was led to attempt the process. In 

 the case of Portland stone, he had foimd it advisable to rub it down 

 roughly first on a piece of paving stone, and to finish it off on glass- 

 paper. Some sections he had cut, ground, and finished for the cabinet 

 in twenty minutes. 



The meeting then became a conversazione, when 



Mr. J. Dennant exhibited deep-sea Atlantic soundings, fossil and 

 recent diatoms, antennje of drinker moth, &c. 



Mr. T. Cooper exhibited crystals of hematoxylin, tartrate of soda, 

 and other salts. 



Mr. E. Glaisyer exhibited sections of Eozoon Canadense, Pui'beck 

 and encrinital limestones. 



Mr. Turner exhibited sections of Indian rice-pai)er, root of Osmwnda 

 regalis, and spores of morel. 



Mr. Wonfor exhibited sections of different oolites, dolomites, Port- 

 land stone, nummulites from Ben Hassan, and crystals of salicine in 

 silicate of soda, and crystals of silicate of soda, mounted in the same. 

 These latter formed very beautiful polariscope objects, and, with one 

 of Ackland's selenite stages, gave a wonderful variety of colour. 



It was announced that the subject for the next Microscopical 

 Meeting on June 22nd would be " Vegetable Hairs and Scales." 



State Microscopical Society of Illinois. 



On the evening of March 17th the State Microscopical Society of 

 Illinois celebrated its third annual reunion by a magnificent exhibi- 

 tion in Farwell Hall. The main floor was crowded with a large and 

 delightful audience, who moved in steadily-recurring streams from 

 table to table. There were about 100 instruments on exhibition, and 

 at least 1000 slides, though there was neither time nor opportunity 

 to make all of them available for use. 



Such has been the accomplished labour of the Microscopical So- 

 ciety, a labour whose greatness can be more readily appreciated when 

 it is recollected that the Society was only organized about thi"ee years 



