38 NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



oocytes of pus and blood were identical physiologically as well as 

 morphologically." 



27(6 Minute Structure of a Peculiar Fern. — At one of this year's 

 meetings of the Philadelphia Academy, Dr. J. G. Hunt remarked that 

 the structure of the Schizcea imsilla differed widely from that of our 

 other indigenous schizaeceous ferns, viz., Lygodium palmatum, and its 

 morphological elements are unlike those of our ferns in general. The 

 barren frond of Schizcea pusilla is marked on its epidermal surface 

 with a double line of stomata, and these organs extend the entire 

 length of the frond. The cells which make up the interior of this 

 delicate fern are cylindrical and vary in size, but their distinctive 

 characters lie in minute projections or outgrowths from all sides of the 

 cells, and these projections meet and are articulated with correspond- 

 ing outgrowth from adjoining cells, so that the cells of Schizcea have 

 penetrating between them in every direction intercellular spaces and 

 channels of remarlcahle regularity and beauty, and so characteristic is 

 this plan of cell-union that the botanist need find no difficulty in 

 identifying the smallest fragment of the plant. This morphological 

 peculiarity has not been noticed before. 



Microscopic Crystals. — These have formed the subject of a couple 

 of papers by Dr. Lea in the 'Proceedings of the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natui'al Science.' They are illustrated by a plate. The 

 minerals examined were garnets, asteriated sapphire, labradorite, a 

 black feldspar, barite, amethyst, ruby. 



NOTES AND MEMOEANDA. ' 



Photographs of Microscopic Writing. — The following account is 

 given by Colonel Woodward in a letter to Mr. Ingpen, F.E.M.S., 

 the Secretary of the Quekett Club, and is published by him in the 

 Jom-nal of that Society: — "Two samples of Mr. Webb's fine writing 

 on glass have been received at the Museum since my communica- 

 tion of August 18th. Each consists of the Lord's Prayer, written 

 with a diamond, according to the label, in a space -^^ y ^^y of an 

 inch. In one of the slides the writing is blackened, and moimted 

 in Canada balsam ; in the other it is not blackened, and is mounted 

 dry. I send photographs of both herewith — the one magnified 

 650 diameters, the other 825. I find Mr. Webb's statement of the 

 dimensions in which this writing is executed to be substantially 

 correct, and he has certainly produced a most curious and interesting 

 object for microscopical study. To compare his work with the 

 coarser bands of Nobert's plate, I took a photograph of the first seven 

 bands of the Nineteen-band plate with 650 diameters, which I also for- 

 ward herewith. This photograph, and that of the blackened writing, 

 were taken on the same day with the same objective, Powell and Lealand's 

 immersion ^th, at the same distance, and under identical conditions. 



