1892.] MICROSCOFIOAL JOURNAL. 127 



Montreal Microscopical Society. 

 yatiuary ii^ i8g2. — At the regular monthly meeting the Presi- 

 sident, Mr. J. Stevenson Brown, occupied the chair, and Prof. 

 Cox's lecture on " Polarized light : Its usefulness in indicating struc- 

 ture," was postponed, as he, through illness, was unable to be 

 present. A very profitable evening was then spent in a conver- 

 sational way. Mr. Brown made a few remarks on the Para- 

 mccciutn aurelice, referring to their amazing fecundity and their 

 peculiar manner of reproduction by " fission" or duplicative sub- 

 division, illustrating his remarks by living specimens taken from 

 water which he had brought for that purpose, and which under 

 the microscope showed many beautiful and wonderful details of 

 structure. Mr. James Ferrier followed with an explanation of a 

 series of prepared slides which were shown to perfection, after 

 which Dr. Girdwood exhibited a variety of crystals and showed 

 how their angles could be accurately measured by a beautifully 

 adjusted arrangement of spider web in the eye-piece and other 

 apparatus attached to the stage of the microscope. Mr. Leslie 

 Skelton brought for the entertainment of the members an appar- 

 atus showing how ants could be kept alive during the winter in 

 the house, without the slightest inconvenience or chance of the 

 little creatures wandering away from the particular space allotted 

 to them, and showed a nest of ants between two sheets of glass, 

 where they could be observed working in the earth and making 

 their various passages from one part to another. 



Omaha Microscopical Society. 

 The Society meets weekly at its rooms, 3i2 Karbach Block; 

 Prof. Leviston, President, Dr. Wilkinson, Secretary. It has a 

 botanical section and a medical section. Prof. Lighton is one of 

 the active workers. 



Essex County, Montclair, N. J. 

 Sept. 24^ i8gi. — The following officers were elected for one 

 year : President, Frank Vanderpoel ; Vice President, Albert 

 Mann, Jr. ; Secretary, C. M. Marvin; Treasurer, F, B. Carter. 



Iron City Microscopical Society, Pittsburgh, Pa. 



Tuesday Evenhig., March 8th. — Dr. Daggett read a very in- 

 teresting paper on " Crystals." He defined and illustrated the 

 various systems of crystallization and explained the variations. 



His paper was supplemented with an exhibition of slides show- 

 ing the leading types of crystals. The two forms of crystals ob- 

 tained by adding mercuric chloride to potassium iodide were 

 shown on one slide. Other slides shown were : (i) '•'Child's 

 tear," showing crystals of sodium chloride ; (3) nitrate of silver ; 

 (3) arsenious acid; (4) cinchonidine ; (5) sulphate of cobalt; 

 (6) soda biborate ; (7) copper sulphate; (8) guanidine ; (9) 

 acetanalide. After the paper the various theories as to the cause 

 of crystallization were discussed by the members. 



