1886.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



117 



from flowers that have been open for 

 some thiie. 



Prof. Burrill states that the stream- 

 ing-of protoplasm can be shown in 

 the thin membrane (upper epider- 

 mis of leaf-scale) found between the 

 scales of the bulb of the common 

 onion. Cut oft' a piece of the fresh 

 membrane with scissors, place in a 

 drop of water and examine with a 

 power of four hundred diameters. 

 This observation can be conducted in 

 winter. 



o 



Microscopical Exhibitions. — 

 Some time ago a plan of systematiz- 

 ing the exhibits at the annual exhibi- 

 tions of microscopical societies was 

 advocated in these columns. The 

 plan seemed to commend itself to 

 some of the members of the Wash- 

 ington Society, who presented the 

 subject at a general meeting, when it 

 was briefly discussed. It was finally 

 decided to give an exhibition of mi- 

 croscopic objects pertaining to marine 

 life, and a committee was appointed 

 to arrange the programme. The ex- 

 hibition was held on the 13th of 

 April, at the city high school build- 

 ing, and was well attended. The 

 committee found, however, that 

 while the great majority of the mem- 

 bers of the Society gave their hearty 

 co-operation to the eflbrts of the com- 

 mittee to make the display in every 

 way satisfactory and instructive, 

 there were some who failed, for vari- 

 ous reasons, to exhibit the objects 

 assigned to them ; and while the 

 display of objects was a good one, 

 there were a few breaks in the series. 



It is, undoubtedly, true that the 

 efforts of any committee to please all 

 the members of a society are fruitless, 

 for there will always be some disaf- 

 fected ones. It is impossible to know 

 just what everybody wants, until 

 somebody is assigned to a part that 

 he does not want. Then, when too 

 late to make any changes, the com- 

 mittee learns that such a person will 

 not be present. This is one of the 

 difficulties in arranging a systematic 



display of this kind. Some persons 

 will not sacrifice personal interests 

 to the wishes of a majority. They 

 seem to think the)^ should be per- 

 mitted to show what will probabh' 

 give them most notoriety, or attract 

 most general attention to their work. 

 Not being allowed to do that, they 

 stay avs^ay entirely. One or two such 

 instances came to the notice of the 

 committee this year. Had one of the 

 absent members been allowed to 

 make a display of a certain kind, 

 there is not the slightest doubt he 

 would have been there with more 

 than one microscope. 



Such a display of objects as the 

 committee arranged, involved much 

 labor and care. Most of the prepa- 

 rations wei-e supplied by the commit- 

 tee, and assigned to the exhibitors ; 

 for it would have required more time 

 than any member could spare to ap- 

 ply to eveiy individual in the Society 

 for specimens, which might not even 

 then be of the best quality for the 

 purpose. 



We point out these difficulties be- 

 cause whoever attempts to arrange 

 such a displav should be prepared to 

 meet them. 



Taken as a whole, we are sure the 

 exhibition was a good one this year, 

 and we believe the Society and the 

 visitors were well satisfied with the 

 result. The plan still commends it- 

 self to our mind, if hearty co-opera- 

 tion among the members of a society 

 can be secured. The list of objects 

 was printed with short descriptions of 

 each one, according to the plan first 

 adopted by the New York society. 

 o 



Postal Club Boxes. — Box P^ 

 came to hand March 3d. 



1. Caterpillar of Brinella beauty 

 moth. F. F. Stanley. 



2. Double-stained section of Lap- 

 pa. W. G. Corthell. 



3. Transverse section of Plalhis. 

 G. H. Meskel. 



4. Jute fibres. S. P. Sharpies. 



5. Eye-piece micrometer. W. A. 

 Rogers. Mounted on a slide to show 



