180 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY. 



[September. 



directly with the body cavity. It subsists 

 entirely upon animal food, consisting 

 mainly of minute worms and the smaller 

 entomostraca. 



With regard to the histology of Hydra, 

 many very diverse views have been held. 

 It is now universally conceded that 

 Hydra is composed exclusively of cells 

 and cell derivatives. The most valuable 

 researches on the subject were those of 

 Kleinenberg, whose admirable mono- 

 graph appeared in 1872. The body and 

 tentacles of Hydra, Mr. Breckenfeld 

 stated, were resolvable into two distinct 

 layers, an inner — the endoderm — and an 

 outer — the ectoderm. 



After alluding to the structure of the 

 curious nematocysts or stinging organs, 

 and of the reproductive bodies of Hvdra, 

 the paper next described the gemmation 

 of the animal, a process strikingly analo- 

 gous to that of budding in plants. A little 

 swelling on its body surface gradually 

 elongates, at the free end a mouth is 

 formed, below which is developed the 

 crown of tentacles, and thus a young Hydra 

 makes its appearance, the entire process 

 being usually completed in a few days. 



Some remarkable instances of abnor- 

 mal development in Hydra were alluded 

 to, and a description given of two curious 

 parasitic infusoria by which it was often 

 infested. 



During the reading of the paper, en- 

 larged images, illustrative of the subject, 

 were thrown upon the screen by E. W. 

 Runyon with his oxy-hydrogen lantern, 

 thus adding greatly to the interest of the 

 occasion. By means of the microscopical 

 attachment devised by him, very success- 

 ful images of the living animal were also 

 thus shown. 



A. H. Breckenfeld, Rec. Seer. 



o 



New York. 



Organized Dec. nth, 1877; incorpo- 

 rated 1878. Regular meetings at No. 64 

 Madison avenue, on the first and third 

 Friday evenings of each month, from Oc- 

 tober to June, inclusive of both. Active 

 members, 62. Average attendance of 

 members and guests at the regular meet- 

 ings, 36. Attendance at the annual re- 

 ception, Feb. 6th, 1885, 500; and number 

 of microscopic objects exhibited, 48. 



The addresses, lectures, papers, discus- 

 sions, communications, and the names 

 and descriptions of objects exhibited at 

 all the meetings, have been published in 

 course in the Journal of the Society. 



The names of the officers for the year 

 1886, are the following; — 



President, the Rev. J. L. Zabriskie ; 

 Vice-President, P. H. Dudley ; Recording 

 Secretary, M. M. Le Brun ; Correspond- 

 ing Secretary, Benj. Braman ; Treasurer, 

 Charles S. Shultz ; Librarian, William G. 

 De Witt. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



The Kindergarten and the School, by 

 Four Active Workers. Milton Bradley 

 Co., Springfield, Mass. (pp. 136). 

 This little work is made up of five 

 essays by four 1 a d i e s , apparently 

 teachers, who speak from personal ex- 

 perience. The essays cover the following 

 subjects: — i. Froebel and his work. 2. 

 The theory. 3. The methods of kinder- 

 garten teaching. 4. Kindergarten in the 

 public schools. 5. Kindergarten,and the 

 school. 



The work is an admirable exposition 

 of the kindergarten method, well illus- 

 trated with figures of the blocks, and with 

 colored plates to show models for the 

 mats, etc., the children learn to make. 

 The work does not claim to be a defence 

 of the system or comparison of its bene- 

 fits with those of any other system of 

 education. Possibly it assumes this as 

 too certain. We can, however, not hesi- 

 tate in the verdict that one who wants to 

 find out what the kindergarten system is 

 will find ample instruction and enter- 

 tainment in the work. 



TJie Xeiu York Medical Monthly is a 

 new publication, the first number of which 

 was issued in May. It is edited by J. 

 Leonard Corning, M. D., and publishes a 

 list of eminent contributors. It proposes 

 to be an 'entirely practical' journal, and 

 the first number promises well. The adver- 

 tisements of injurious mechanical appli- 

 ances and patent nostrums of questionable 

 harmlessness, which are usually conspic- 

 uous features on the advertising pages of 

 medical journals, are absent. We trust 

 they will be rigidly excluded from future 

 numbers also. 



Exchanges. 



[Exchanges are inserted in this column without 

 charge. They will be strictly limited to mounted ob- 

 jects, and material for mounting,] 



Labels for slides, also slides and material to ex- 

 change for same. EUGENE PINCKNEY. 



Dixon, 111. 



For Exchange : Seeds of Orthocarpus purpurascens 

 and Orthocarpus attenuatus , and slides of same, in ex- 

 change for good objects, foraminifera preferred. 



EDWARD GRAY, M. D., Benicia, Gal. 



