108 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Apr., 



Such remarks as this, "I have spent, many pleasant 

 hours over the many excellent and instructive slides," 

 made by a distinguished authority, and which is a fair 

 example of many others received, must be a reward to 

 those accomplished members who give much time to the 

 good work. 



NOTE-BOOKS. 



Although the slides cannot be always absolutely novel, 

 among the hundreds constantly in circulation and many 

 of them changed every year, it cannot be urged too often, 

 or remembered too well, that every one of them could 

 and should be accompanied by some fresh thought in the 

 note-books. Many of the recent books have been thor- 

 oughly valuable. A selection of extracts from such notes 

 as are available for reading away from their slides is 

 printed herewith. As there were more of the longer 

 class of notes than it seemed necessary to reserve for 

 first publication in the Report, permission was given for 

 the appearance of several, specially revised for the pur- 

 pose, in the American Monthly Microscopical Journal, 

 the Microscope, and the Observer. Separate reprints of 

 two or three of these, now in press, will be sent to all 

 members, instead of reprinting them in this Report. 

 We are indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Frank Ritchie, 

 of circuit A, for taking the photographs for use in the 

 preparation of plates. 



Occasionally a note is entered in the books with lead 

 pencil, with a modest feeling, perhaps, that it is not im- 

 portant enough for a greater display. These soon be- 

 come nearly invisible, and an intolerable nuisance, use- 

 ful only to experts in handwriting, for practice in trying 

 to read the illegible. Anything worth entering at all is 

 worth making easily legible in ink. If of temporary 

 value only, as the writers often correctly judge, it should 

 be plainly written on a small separate slip of paper, and 



