Monthly Mi ical 
eal Dean, ie PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 330 
MicroscoprcaL Soctety oF LiIvERPOOL. 
The fifth ordinary meeting was held at the Royal Institution on 
May 6th, Rev. W. Banister, B.A., in the chair.—A paper was read 
by Dr. T. R. Glynn, “On Ciliary Motion.” 
The author of the paper commenced by describing the structure 
of cilia, and alluded to the different opinions as to whether the cilium 
was a prolongation of the cell wall or continuous with its contents. 
He then described the motion of cilia; noticed the apparent co-ordi- 
nation in the movement in cilia on the same and on different cells, &c., 
the greatness of the force exerted by cilia, and attempted to show that 
none of the theories advanced to explain the mechanism of ciliary 
motion were satisfactory. He alluded to the different forms which 
illustrated the conversion of vital into physical force, as displayed in 
ciliary motion. He then endeavoured to show how, when submitted 
to the action of various agents, the motion of cilia differed from that 
of the yolk in the ova of fish, from the movement seen in the cells of 
plants, and from molecular motion. Having described the arrange- 
ment of cilia in several of the infusoria and rotifera and certain 
vegetable forms, the author briefly considered their distribution and 
functions in the animal kingdom generally. The meeting concluded 
with the usual conversazione. 
At the sixth ordinary meeting of the Microscopical Society of 
Liverpool, held June 10th, a paper was read by the Rev. W. Banister, 
“On Microscopic Fungi.” 
After an introductory apologetic plea for fungi, on the ground of 
their beautiful and interesting structure when seen under the micro- 
scope, he gave a general sketch of the mode of growth and propa- 
gation, and then proceeded to describe some members of the great 
family of Rust, Brand, Blight, Smut, Mildew, and Mould, which were 
illustrated by mounted specimens. He desired particularly to call 
the attention of microscopists to the importance of the study of micro- 
scopic fungi, with a view to discover a means of preventing the injury 
they cause to corn and other crops, and, indeed, to every vegetable 
which they attack. He stated that the ordinary spores were too large 
in most cases to enter the stomata of the leaves, or the spongioles at 
the extremity of the outlets, and that although the secondary spores, 
as they might be called, i.e. the minute vegetative cells produced on 
threads thrown out by the true spores, might enter, yet these are not 
known to exist in all species, and there are innumerable difficulties in 
the way of accounting for their entrance by this process. He quoted 
a calculation from Mr. C. Cooke’s work, estimating the possible 
fecundity of Gicidium tragopogonis, e.g. 2000 cluster-cups have been 
seen on one moderate-sized leaf of Goatsbeard—every cup contains 
250,000 spores, each of which may produce a number of smaller 
vegetative spores—so that, not taking these into account, one leaf 
may carry 500 million reproductive bodies. The same might be said 
of Bunt, Corn, Mildew, &c. The question then is, How do these 
spores enter the tissues of the plant or inoculate the young plants of 
next year? For even the seed-leaves have been found infected. 
(To be continued.) 
