310 THE MICROSCOPE. 
able change if the student of microscopic pond life might have a 
chance at least to fill his aquaria with something more than 
muddy water before the winter arrives. As Uncle Remus has 
remarked on another subject, “ Nuff’s a nuff, en too much is a 
plenty.” 
ANNOUNCEMENT.—We are requested by the publisher of THE 
Microscope to state that hereafter all subscriptions should begin 
and end with the volume (January to December), and that no 
subscriptions will be taken for less than one year. 
PROCEEDINGS OF, SOCIETIES: 
THE ST. LOUIS CLUB OF MICROSCOPISTS. 
HE St. Louis Club of Microscopists met at the St. Louis Col- 
lege of Pharmacy Tuesday evening, August 6th. J. B. 
Whinery made a report on the examination of powdered acacia. 
Out of seven samples one was found with starch. He asked for 
further time in order to continue the investigation. There was 
considerable discussion of the subject, a member calling atten- 
tion to a statement that rice starch has been reported as an adul- 
terant of powdered acacia, and that owing to the minuteness of 
the grains it would not be noticed with low powers. 
Prof. Whelpley exhibited specimens of both white and yellow 
dextrin, mounted in balsam and in glycerine. He dwelt on 
the fact that the starch grains in dextrin are not all destroyed 
as many suppose, and that they can be readily detected in a 
powder adulterated with dextrin. However, the microscope 
would show it as starch and not as dextrin. Another point was 
that the white dextrin is made from potato starch while the yel- 
low grade comes from corn starch. The same member had a 
specimen of powdered senega which had been mixed with starch. 
Frank Davis reported that all the senega he had examined was 
free from starch. He pointed out the similarity existing be- 
tween powdered senega and powdered fenugrook seed. 
SAN FRANCISCO MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 
HE San Francisco Microscopical Society resumed activity, 
after the midsummer lull, by holding its semi-monthly 
meeting on the evening of August 28th. 
