Microscopical Society. 155 



H. Schoniburgk in British Guiana; 250 species collected by Dr. 

 F. Kiauss in Natal, South Africa ; many thousand specimens col- 

 lected in North America by Dr. Gavin Watson ; and numerous spe- 

 cies from South America, presented by Dr. C. F. P. von Martius. 



The Museum had been enriched by specimens of sections of wood, 

 seed-vessels, barks, &c. &c. ; many of them purchased at the sale of 

 the Botanical Museum of the late A. B. Lambert, Esq., and pre- 

 sented by some of the members. 



The Report was unanimously adopted, and a ballot then took 

 place for the Council for the ensuing year, when the Chairman was 

 re-elected President, and he nominated J. G. Children, Esq., F.R.S. 

 and Hewett C. Watson, Esq., F.L.S., Vice-Presidents. Mr. E. 

 Doubleday, M.E.S., Mr. G. Francis, F.L.S., and Mr. J. G. Mitchell, 

 IM.E.S., were elected new members of the Council in the room of 

 Dr. Meeson, Mr. G. Cooj)er and Mr. W. H. W^hite, who retire from 

 tlie Council in accordance with the rules of the Society. 



Mr. J. Reynolds, Mr. G. E. Dennes, F.L.S., and Mr. T. Sansom 

 were respectively re-elected Treasurer, Secretary, and Librarian. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



At a meeting of this Society held December 21st, 1842, Professor 

 Lindley, President, in the Chair, a paper was read from the Rev. J. 

 B. Reade, entitled " Microscopic Chemistry, No. 1, on the Existence 

 of Ammonia in Gum, Sugar, and other ' non-azotized bodies.' " A 

 second paper was read by H. H. White, Esq. of Ciapham, " On a new 

 species of Xanthidium found in Hint which he had named Xanthidium 

 tubiferum aculeatum," and was characterized by having the tentacula, 

 which were twelve in number, quite pointed and free from any ap- 

 jiendages whatever ; it measured YCTlth of an inch from the extre- 

 mities of the opposite tentacula, and the specimen was afterwards 

 exhibited to the Society. Arthur Hill Hassall, Esq. then read a 

 paper entitled " Observations on the Production of Decay in Fruit 

 by means of Fungi" {continued). The author, after stating that in 

 order to set aside any doubt which might exist of the power of Fungi 

 in producing decay in fruit, he had inoculated sound fruit whilst on 

 t e tree, and found that the decay was as rapid as in those speci- 

 mens which had been previously removed from the tree. He con- 

 tended that the mere binding of fruit was not sufficient of itself to 

 cause decay, but that the presence either of fungi or of the sporules 

 of fungi was necessary before the decay could take place. 



Jan. 18, 1843.— J. S. Bowerbank, Esq., F.R.S. , in the Chair. A 

 paper was read from that gentleman " On the Structure of the 

 Shells of Molluscous and Conchiferous Animals*." The researches 

 t)f the author into the structure of the organic tissue of the Corallidce, 

 published in the ' Philosophical Transactions,' part 2, 1842, suggested 

 to him the idea of pursuing a similar course of investigation into the 

 nature and origin of the testaceous coverings of the MoUusca and 



[* A paper on the Chemical Components of Shells by Dr. Carpenter vvas 

 read at one of the late meetings of the Royal Society, which we shall notice 

 in a future Number. — Eds.] 



