1881.] • 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



139 



the publication. We believe that a 

 scientific magazine, whether it be in- 

 tended for professional men or for a 

 more general reading public, should 

 always be dignified. Therefore, it is 

 with no little regret that we find the 

 first article on the editorial page 

 headed, " It will do for Babes," while 

 the article itself is written in a famil- 

 iar, colloquial style, which is, to say 

 the least, inelegant. We have al- 

 ready had too much of that kind of 

 free and easy writing in the micro- 

 scopical literature of this country, 

 and it is to be hoped The Micro- 

 scopist will not encourage it hereafter, 

 — popularity is too dear if it must be 

 gained at such a price. We would 

 like to see the " Facetiae " omitted, as 

 having no proper place in such a 

 publication. It is always more pleas- 

 ant to praise than to condemn, and if 

 the editors will only raise the tone of 

 their paper, we will gladly give it a 

 warmer welcome than we can now 

 conscientiously extend. 



NOTES. 



— We regret that at the time of going 

 to press no definite announcement of the 

 work to be done at the meeting of the 

 American Society of Microscopists, to be 

 held next month at Columbus, O., has 

 reached us. Those who desire particu- 

 lars regarding the meeting can obtain 

 them from Prof. A. H. Tuttle, of that 

 place. 



— The Rochester Microscopical Society, 

 which was organized in the year 1879, 

 has changed its name, and is now 

 known as the Rochester Academy of 

 Science. On the 20th of June a reception 

 was given, which, judging from the pro- 

 gram, must have been very entertaining 

 and instructive. The Academy num- 

 bers about one hundred and fifty mem- 

 bers and seems to be active and prosper- 

 ous. The " Catalogue of Exhibits " is 

 published in a very neat pamphlet of 

 thirty-two pages, including the articles of 

 incorporation and the constitution and by- 

 laws. 



— The legacy left by the late Mr. F. A. 

 Nobert, to the microscopists of the future, 

 to test their skill and also the excellence 



of their objectives, is a plate ruled with 

 twenty bands of lines, the tenth band of 

 which corresponds to the nineteenth of 

 his former plates. The tenth band of the 

 new plate, therefore, has about 112,000 

 lines to the English inch. The last band 

 has 20,000 lines to the Paris line, or about 

 223,180 to the English inch. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



FAIRFIELD, IOWA. 

 This club held its meeting at the resi- 

 dence of Professor McCalla, April 22d. 

 Prof. McCalla read an interesting paper 

 on the " The Laws of Light and their re- 

 lation to Microscopy." The subject was 

 handled in a clear and comprehensive 

 manner, finely illustrated by figures and 

 drawings. The arrangement of lenses in 

 the microscope was explained and was 

 especially instructive to the club. After 

 some questions, and discussion of the 

 subject, the club spent the remainder of 

 the evening in examining the various ob- 

 jects of wonder and interest, with the aid 

 of several microscopes in position. 



D. H. WORTHINGTON, M. D., Sec. 



BALTIMORE, MD. 

 This Society was organized on the 23d 

 of March. A most interesting reception 

 was held at the rooms of the Maryland 

 Academy of Science, on Tuesday evening, 

 May 17th. The hall was crowded. The 

 display was novel for Baltimore, being the 

 first that has ever been attempted there. 

 There were on exhibition about fifty in- 

 struments, and each exhibitor showed 

 numerous objects, as follows : Mr. Lug- 

 ger showed the different forms of life in 

 drinking water which had stood in a glass 

 for three days, and a section of the stem 

 of a plant ; Dr. J. G. Morris showed 

 quinate of quinine under the polariscope, 

 and feathers from a butterfly's wing; 

 Professor P. R. Uhler showed the sting of 

 a wasp and other parts of insects ; Mr. G. 

 L. Smith showed double-stained sections 

 of plants, also Dapkftza pulex from Balti- 

 more hydrant water and some parts of 

 insects ; Dr. Sternberg, United States 

 Army, showed, with a remarkably fine 

 stand, Protococcus ; Mr. F. W. McAllis- 

 ter had fourteen instruments, showing a 

 great variety of objects ; G. T. Sadtler 

 & Sons exhibited twenty microscopes, 

 including two of Beck's largest binocu- 

 lars, and some of the objects were very 

 much adnn'red ; Dr. Edward M. Shaeffer 



