Dublin Microscopical Club. 211 



Mr. Bisset, and new to Great Britain, exhibited. — Mr. Archer ex- 

 hibited a slide from Mr. Bisset of Banchory, Aberdeen, having two 

 specimens of Microsterias hrachyptera, Lundell^ from near Amble- 

 side, in Westmoreland — the first time this striking and very distinct 

 species has been found in Great Britain. It was probably somewhat 

 curious to note the occurrence of this well-marked rarity amongst 

 a number of quite common-place and familiar forms that might 

 readily enough occur in any casual gathering in many places. 



Algal Form developing in Solutions of Sulphate of Magnesia and 

 of Lime. — Prof E. Perceval Wright exhibited a minute phycochro- 

 maceous algal form, for the examination of which he was indebted 

 to his colleague, Dr. Reynolds, Professor of Chemistry, who told him 

 that for some time past the test solutions of suljihate of magnesia and 

 of lime and of phosphate of soda had, in certain lights, presented quite 

 a green shade. These solutions, it may bo noted, were kept exposed 

 to light and were prepared with all due care. The algal form 

 abounded in all, but in the phosphate of soda it developed much 

 more rapidly, so as to present, on the solution being shaken up, a 

 dense fiocculent cloud. The form seemed allied to Chroococcus and 

 was immensely active in its cell-division and cell-growth. 



Crystals formed in Stamen-hairs of J'KSticia speciosa. — Mr. Green- 

 wood Pim exhibited crystals formed from the colouring-matter of 

 the stamen-hairs of Justicia speciosa. These, which formed rapidly 

 when the specimen was mounted in dilute glycerine jelly, presented 

 the appearance of minute slender prisms of deep purple, all the colour 

 being concentrated in the crystals, leaving the rest of the hair 

 colourless. They also occur, but much less abundantly, in the 

 petals. 



Structure of Leaves of Selaginella stenopjhylla (A. Braun). — Dr. 

 M'jN'ab exhibited the leaves of Selaginella stenopihyVa (A. Braun). 

 Usually the parenchyma of the leaf of Selaginella is very uniform 

 in character ; but in this species there occur a number of elongated 

 thickened cells or fibres scattered in the parenchyma, and at once 

 recalling similar cells develojjed in the leaves of Cycads and Coni- 

 fers, Up to the present Dr. M'Nab has not observed these cells in 

 any other species of Selaginella. 



Auditory Ossicles of Loach exhibited. — Prof. Haddon exhibited 

 preparations of the auditory ossicles of the common loach. 



Kralcatoa Sand and its Constituents. — Dr. Frazer showed speci- 

 mens of " Krakatoa Sand," being some of the ashes, which he ob- 

 tained through the kindness of Mr. J. Joly, which fell on the deck 

 of a Norwegian barque, ' The Borjcild.' Captain Amundsen's graphic 

 account of the terrible earthquake at Krakatoa was laid by Dr. 

 Haughton before a recent meeting of the Royal Dublin Society. 

 The ashes yielded Dr. Frazer an abundance of magnetic iron, easily 

 isolated by the action of a steel magnet. The i)umico, of which 



