1865.] M. II. de Schlagintweit on Indian Meteorology. 547 



ceeded by ciliated infusoria. The fusiform body of the Cercomonas bears 

 a long whip-like cilium at its anterior end, and a short hair-like caudal 

 process at the opposite extremity. Now this characteristic figure was 

 retained by the monads in the distilled water ; they continued to grow 

 larger during the progress of the observations, but without change of form ; 

 only, towards the end, some of them lost their caudal process, and fixed 

 themselves by their anterior cilium, and others, retaining both appendages, 

 became fixed by the caudal one as on a pedicle; finally, on exposure to undue 

 heat and light, they shrank up, and then sometimes their soft substance 

 was ejected from its enclosure and assumed the aspect and characters of an 

 Amoeba. On the other hand, the Cercomonades of the lettuce-infusion 

 in a few days lost both appendages, and, changing their manner of swim- 

 ming, began to move through the water like ordinary ciliated infusoria. 

 Moreover a few days later these animalcules, on being fed with indigo, 

 readily ingested it, whereas, although that substance was supplied freely 

 to the Cercomonades, it was never observed within their bodies. Figures 

 to illustrate these phenomena accompany the paper. 



From these observations, the author infers that the Cercomonades are 

 larvae or earlier forms of the ciliated animalcules which succeed them ; 

 and he concludes his paper by remarking that, whilst he has confidence in 

 the general accuracy of his observations, and in the views deduced from 

 them, nevertheless, seeing the difficulties which attend such observations, 

 and their consequent liability to error, he should be pleased were the same 

 experiments repeated by others, in order to the confirmation or, if need 

 be, the correction of his statements. 



December 14, 1865, 

 Licut.-Geueral SABINE, President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : 



I. " Numerical Elements of Indian Meteorology. Scries III. Tem- 

 peratures of the Atmosphere, and Isothermal Profiles of High 

 Asia." By HERMANN DE SCHLAGINTWEIT, Saluinliinski, Ph.D., 

 LL.D., Corr. Memb. Acad. Leop.-Carol., &c. Communi- 

 cated by Lieut.- General SABINE, P.U.S. Received August 

 21, 1865. 



The principal object of this paper was to trace the relation between the 

 decrement of mean temperature and the increment of height above the 

 level of the sea in different regions of High Asia, to connect the va- 

 riations observed from the general mean of the whole (390 feet increase of 

 height for a diminution of 1 F. in mean temperature) with the variations 



