66 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [Jan. 



Of' the New Council. — Charles Babbage, Esq.; Sir Gilbert 

 Blane, Bart. ; Charles, Lord Colchester ; J. W. Croker, Esq.; 

 John, Earl of Darnley ; Sir Henry Halford, Bart.; Charles Hut- 

 ton, LLD.; Capt. Henry Kater ; W. H. Pepys, Esq.; Joseph 

 Sabine, Esq. 



The weekly sittings of the Society had been resumed on the 

 7th of November, and had taken place twice afterwards prior to 

 the anniversary meeting. On the 14th, a paper by the Astro- 

 nomer Royal was concluded, entitled, " An Appendix to a for- 

 mer Paper, on the Changes which appear to have taken Place in 

 the Declination of some of the principal fixed Stars." Mr. Pond 

 stated in this paper that he had obtained results confirming 

 those given in his last communication. 



A paper, by the same gentleman, was also read, " On the 

 Parallax of a Lyrse." In this, the absolute parallax of the star 

 in question was stated to be a very small fraction of a second. 



Nov. 21. — The Croonian lecture was commenced, entitled, 

 " Microscopical Observations on the Suspensions of muscular 

 Motion in the Vibrio Tritici," by Francis Bauer, Esq. FRS. 



Dec. b. — The Croonian lecture was concluded. The curious 

 animal described in this paper is the cause of a particular disease 

 in wheat, at first thought to be peculiar to Kent, and was disco- 

 vered by the author in 1807 while engaged in the investigation 

 of the various diseases to which that species of corn is subject. 

 In the ears diseased by it, some grains were quite ripe and dry, 

 while others, quite green, were unimpregnated germs. They 

 contained cavities lined with a fibrous substance, every fibre of 

 which was a very minute worm. These worms which, when 

 moistened, were in active motion, after being dry, and appa- 

 rently dead for five days, when again moistened, were in active 

 motion as before. Mr. Bauer conceived that their spawn or 

 eggs must have been introduced into the germs by the sap, as 

 he had ascertained was the case with the minute fungi which 

 produce in wheat the disease called smut. He sowed some 

 infected grains, and' some with the smutty infection in addition ; 

 and in the ears subsequently produced from them found both 

 diseases co-existing; the eggs in these ears, he found, were of 

 the third generation. 



The worms are annulose ; have a proboscis of four or five 

 joints, which they extend like an opera-glass ; and have a 

 clawed tail. They are rather opaque on the back, but more 

 transparent on the belly, through which are seen in them whole 

 strings of eggs; Near the tail is a circular aperture with a 

 fleshy rim, through which their eggs are exuded in strings of six 

 or seven at a time ; as each egg comes forth, the tail is ele- 

 vated with a quick motion. The eggs (or rather envelopes of 

 the tVrtul worm) are in some degree transparent, and appear to 

 be truncated at first ; but they soon emit water, and assume an 

 oval figure, a little narrowed in the middle ; they are about 



