98 THE MICROSCOPE. 



copists was then declared duly opened. The President at once 

 gave his annual report, in which he reviewed the work of the officers 

 and executive committee. Soon the first disappointment was made 

 public in that "the committee on eye-pieces" would be unable to 

 present a final report. Public acknowledgement was made of the 

 kind liberality of yourself and Mr. Griffith in making the offer 

 of prizes. 



The first paper read was by Prof. Kellicott, of Buffalo, and 

 was entitled "Certain Crustaceous Parasites of Freshwater Fishes." 

 The second by Dr. Redding, of Newcastle, Pa., on "The Advan- 

 tages of Osmic Acid as a Staining and Hardening Medium," was 

 also read by Prof. Kellicott, since Dr. R. was unavoidably absent. 

 This violently poisonous and highly reactive agent seems, as pointed 

 out by Prof. Gage in the discussion of the paper, especially well 

 adapted to killing on the instant and preserving in static quo such 

 organism as it is intended to stain with picro-carmine. It should 

 be preserved in a dark bottle; injected by a glass .syringe, and 

 mounted in cellulose. 



At the opening of the Thursday morning .session, the nominat- 

 ing committee were appointed. This was followed by a few words 

 from Vice-President Curtis on the advantages that would, in his 

 opinion, accrue to the society and tend to popularize its aims in the 

 west, if the next annual meeting were held in Chicago — to the 

 proverbial hospitality of which city, as one of its representative 

 citizens, he extended a free invitation. The papers of the Rev. J. 

 L. Brownell and Prof. A. H. Tuttle were read by title only, as both 

 were prevented from attending by illness. Then followed a paper 

 by Henry Mills, of Buffalo, on " Fresh Water Sponges." In dis- 

 cussing this exceedingly valuable paper Dr. Lucy called attention 

 to the fact that Huxley-Haeckel class the sponges with the Metazoa, 

 not with the Infusoriae, and this because of their embryogenesis. 

 As the best mounting medium balsam was suggested after the speci- 

 men's were treatment in carbolic acid. 



The remainder of the session was wholly devoted to the consid- 

 eration of Ernst Gundlach's paper on " Light and Illumination." 



THE president's PUBLIC ADDRESS. 



At 8 o'clock in the evening the entire auditorium of the church 

 was filled to repletion, despite the intense heat, by a highly intelU- 



