DUBMN MJCllOSCOPICAL CLUB. 319 



through their leaves, aud with the latter he was much inclined to 

 concur, judging from prima facie evidence, without having made 

 special experiments on the subject. The beautiful hairs ex- 

 hibited aided the plant, he thought, very materially to perform 

 this function. 



Neio form of DiapJioracephalus, exhibited. — Mr. Greoghegan 

 showed a form o£ Diaphoracephalas, which appeared to be unde- 

 scribed, and of which he was preparing an account. 



Structure of tubercle of Oreaster tuberculatus. — Mr. Mackintosh 

 presented a very successfully prepared transverse section of a 

 tubercle of Oreaster tuberculatus. This showed three distinct 

 regions — a central, in which the interspaces are large and the 

 solid rods anastomose irregularly in the middle, but become more 

 definitely arranged according as the intermediate portion is 

 reached ; this part consists of small oval spaces, with the rods 

 intersecting more or less at right angles, and exhibits no indi- 

 cation whatever of circular arrangement ; the third, or cortical 

 layer, consists of very small rounded spaces, which increase in 

 number on the inner border, and a large quantity of interstitial 

 substance with a finely crenulate external edge. 



Problematic ovum-liJce cyst, exhibited. — Mr. Archer drew atten- 

 tion to the empty coat of a puzzling ovum-like cyst now and 

 again very sparingly noticed by him, and from gatherings made 

 in various parts of the country. This was smooth, ovate, stipitate, 

 the stipes furnished with a small globose thickening under the 

 body, the base of the stipes somewhat scutate, by which attached 

 to foreign objects. The upper portion of the ovate case was seen 

 to have been removed, as is usual (as one removes the top of egg 

 to get at the contents), and this by a " clean " cut or suture, 

 leaving the body-portion like an elegant vase borne aloft on its 

 delicate stalk ; the colour of the whole yellow. Most probably 

 this was really the "shell" of the ovum of some creature, the 

 truncate upper part representing where the upper, and much the 

 smaller, portion of the wall had become removed on the young 

 animal making its exit. But, if an ovum, to what could it 

 belong ? Perhaps others might be able to throw a light on the 

 nature or identity of this pretty " vase," which has always, as yet, 

 shown itself without an owner. 

 ' Triceratimn Campeachianum and Navicula aspera, exhibited. — '- 

 Rev. E. O'Meara presented two slides, kindly supplied by the 

 Club's corresponding member P. Kitton, Esq., of Norwich, one 

 containing Triceratium Campeachianum, Grrunovv, which Mr. 

 Kitton considered a 10-angled variety of T.favus, the other con- 

 taining beautifully mounted specimens of Navicula aspera, which 

 Dr. Donkin regards as identical with Stauroneis pulchella, but 

 which Mr. O'Meara was disposed to consider a distinct species, 

 notwithstanding the striking resemblance of the striation. 



Micrococcus prodigiosus (Ehr.), Cohn, exhibited. — Mr. Archer, 

 referring to Professor Cohu's late interesting and valuable 

 paper on Bacteria " Untersuchungen iiber Bacterieu " (trans- 



