1896.1 MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 247 



examined this substance, some of which is contained in 

 the Berlin Museum (also in Chaldni's collection) micros- 

 copically. He found the whole to consist evidently of a 

 compact smoothed mass of conferva and about twenty 

 nine well preserved forms of the called infusoria. There 

 were eight kinds of siliceous shells, or bacillariacea?, the 

 others having those which are soft or membranous. 

 These inlusoria have now been preserved nearly two 

 hundred years. The mass may have been raised by a 

 storm from Courland and was not meteoric, and was 

 merely carried away, but may have also come from a far 

 distant district. The original locality of the substance 

 neither the atmosphere nor America ; but most probably 

 either East Russia or Courland. The forms are cosmo- 

 politan. 



In the Orange specimen I found of course confervge 

 with the usual fresh water bacillariaceffi. 



EDITORIAL. 



By the kindness of Mr. Bryce Scott of New Brunswick, 

 we have a supply of Barbadoes earth containing" radiol- 

 aria for distribution. Send stamped envelope. 



The Missouri Botanical Garden.- — The seventh annual 

 report of the Missouri Botanical Garden, recently issued, 

 contains many scientific papers and the administrative re- 

 ports for 1895. It is stated that about one-third more peo- 

 ple visited the garden than during- the previous year, on 

 one day over 30,000 persons having- been counted. The 

 herbarium has been increased by the incorporation of ten 

 thousand sheets of specimens and now comprises 242,000 

 specimens, besides over 4,000 slides, wood specimens, etc. 

 The library has been increased by 3,036 books and pamph- 

 lets during the year, so that it consists now of 10,030 

 pamphlets and 9,619 volumes. 



