120 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



support could be given to tlic specimen on all sides of the pith, or 

 even the combined use of wax with pith would overcome every diffi- 

 culty on that point. Thought that carrot on swelling would be too 

 hard to cut conveniently, or would exert too much pressure. The only 

 reason for using a microtome with small bore was to save pith ; and 

 large specimens he did not as a rule imbed, but cut by hand. Had 

 never used pith with diseased, and therefore softened, spinal cord, but 

 for fresh nerve tissue had seen it used with the very best results : a 

 proper degree of hardening in some fluid first was all that was 

 required. 



QuEKETT Microscopical Club. 



Ordinary Meeting, June 26, 1874.— Dr. Braithwaite, F.L.S., 

 President, in the chair. 



Eight members were elected. 



The President announced that Dr. Matthews, F.E.M.S., had been 

 nominated by the Committee as the President for the ensuing year. 



The nominations then took place of gentlemen proposed to fill the 

 vacancies on the Committee. 



A promised paper, by Mr. S. Holmes, " On Binocular Microscopes," 

 was not forthcoming, and Mr. T. Charters White, in place of it, made 

 some interesting remarks upon some slides which he exhibited, show- 

 ing the gritty tissue of pear in a very beautiful manner. 



Mr. Ingpen described a form of achromatic prism, designed to 

 replace the plane, as well as the concave mirror. In this form, the 

 lens for condensing the light was separate, instead of being cemented 

 to the prism, and consisted of a plano-convex achromatic doublet, the 

 flat side of which could be placed close to one of the sides of a plane 

 right-angled prism, or removed at pleasure, thus getting rid of the only 

 objection to the ordinary form, viz. that it could not be used in place 

 of the flat mirror ; while its performance in other respects was 

 unimpaired. 



Various announcements of excursions, meetings, &c., were made, 

 and several interesting objects were afterwards exhibited. 



