112 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



contribution towards the evening's business, with a promise that at all 

 times lie should be pleased to help in the way of specimens. 



In the course of a discussion on the nature and uses of hairs and 

 scales in the economy of plants, Mr. Hennah mentioned that most 

 plants possessing hairs, if properly manipulated, showed the circula- 

 tion or rotation of the cell contents, a state of things admirably seen 

 also in the rootlets of the frog-bit Hydrocliaris morsus-rance, and sug- 

 gested, as the Society, on the occasion of its annual excursion to 

 Arundel, would be in a district especially rich in pond life, that, if the 

 next meeting were without subject, many interesting things might be 

 obtained for exhibition, 



Mr. Wonfur considered the suggestion a very good one, because, in 

 addition to Arimdel, they would, before their next Microscopical Meet- 

 ing, visit Plumpton, a locality very fertile in pond life. 



The meeting then became a conversazione, when 



Mr. Hennah exhibited the specimens lent by Mr. Curties, the 

 most noticeable among which were hairs of different species oi Alyssum, 

 TiUandsia zonatrt, Loasa, Onosma taurica, and sections of the stems of 

 different Sulanacece, &c. 



Mr. E,. Glaisyer exhibited some very beautiful scales of different 

 ferns in situ and as transparent objects, and the silicious scales of 

 Deutzia scabra and gracilis. 



Mr. Wonfor exhibited various scales and hairs, chiefly of a stellate 

 character, some of which, from different ferns, such as Niphobolus 

 hastata and lingua, the stag's horn Acrosticlium alcicorne and Hhodo- 

 dendron ferruginum were much admii-ed, as were also some of the same 

 scales seen under polarized light. Later in the evening he showed the 

 rotation of the cell contents in the beaded haii's in the stamens of Tra- 

 descantia, the blue spider wort. 



Bristol Microscopical Society. 



At a meeting of this Society held the 18th of May last, being the 

 first held since January in consequence of the removal of the collec- 

 tions from the Bristol Miiseum, in which building the Society meets, 

 Mr. E, M, Bernard, President, occupied the chaii\ 



Mr, T, G. Ponton, F.Z.S., read a pajier " On some rare Parasites, 

 together with a Description of Four New Species." 



PiEADiNG Microscopical Society.* 



April 4th, 1871, — Ish: J, C. Simpson read a paper "On a Simple 

 Method of Producing the Fibrillation of Albumen : and can Coagula- 

 tion and Fibrillation be Considered Electrical Phenomena ? " 



The former was thus described : — Place some egg-albumen on a 

 glass slide, touch a thin glass cover with a speck of nitric acid, bring it 

 do^Ti on the albumen, and place the slide imder the microscope, A 

 M'hitish opaque spot is at once seen, and this the microscope resolves 



* Kepoit furnished by Mr. B. .J. Austin, 



