MICROSCOPICAL SECTION 



OF THE 



♦ 



ANNUAL REPORT. 



The Committee regret to still have to report that through the 

 increasing small number of members it is very difficult to keep 

 up an interest in the meetings of the Section. It has been found 

 that the few members who in the past have been ever ready to 

 contribute papers or introduce subjects for discussion are too 

 often called ujDon, and when they have taken much trouble and 

 time to work up a subject the attendance is so small as to offer 

 little encouragement for them to continue to do so in the future. 



In the early part of the year a suggestion was made by the 

 Field Naturalists' Section that the two Sections should amalgam- 

 ate, and thus secure a larger attendance at the meetings. A 

 sub-committee was appointed to confer with a similar number 

 from the other Section, and as a result of their report, although 

 it was not thought desirable to altogether amalgamate the two 

 Sections, it was decided to try having joint meetings, each taking 

 up its own particular branch of investigation every alternate 

 month The result has been that during the present session the 

 meetings were much better attended, and it is hoped there has 

 been mutual benefit from the discussion of the various papers, &c. 



Three excursions have been made during the year, and were 

 fairly attended. No new places which would reward the micro- 

 scopical investigator could be found, but several new forms of 

 pond-life were discovered. 



The number of members after revision of the roll is 17, several 

 of whom never attend the meetings. The average attendance of 

 members during the present session has been 7. 



The following were the subjects discussed at the meetings : — 



1892. 

 Oct. 4. Demonstration on mounting opaque objects in wax 



cells, by Mr. E. J. Bradley. 

 Nov. 8. Remarks on Australian polyzoa, by Mr. W. B. Poole. 



1893. 

 March 14. Collecting, sectioning, and mounting foraminifera, by 



Mr. E. J. Bradley. 

 May IG. Paper on external anatomy of the blowfly, illustrated 



by lantern slides, by Mr. W. B. Poole. 

 July 21. Paper on the calcareous plates of the Holuthurian, 

 illustrated by lantern slides, by Mr. J.' W. Bussell. 

 D. Fleming, Chairman. 

 J. W. Bussell, Hon. Sec. 



September 19th, 1893. 



