1901) MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 87 
in the germination of wheat, and had made a large number 
of observations and experiments in connection with this 
subject, and published a book upon it. He would probably 
be best known tosome as the inventor and patentee of Ho- 
vis flour. 
QUEKETT MicroscoPicaL CLuB.—The 381st meeting was 
held on Friday, November, 16. A paper on the ‘‘Resolu- 
tion of Amphipleura Pellucida with Dry Lenses,’’ by Mr. 
A. A. E. Merlin, was read, in the author’s absence, by Dr. 
_E.J. Spitta. Mr. Merlin claimed to have resolved this 
diatom, mounted in various media, with a Zeiss 4mm. 
apochromat, N.A. ‘95, combined with eyepiece x 27, and 
a large axial cone; illuminant a fin. wick paraffin lamp 
and copper acetate light filter. Dr. Spitta gave an expo- 
sition of Abbe’s theory, and from it concluded that either 
the Amphipleura used was a coarse-lined one, or that Mr. 
Merlin possessed a phenomenally good or “photographic” 
eye. Mr. Nelson said that his own sight, which was form- 
erly very good, was now insufficient to grasp very min- 
ute intervals of separation, and, using the same optical 
means as Mr. Merlin, he had roughly attempted the ob- 
servations given in the paper, but found it impossible with 
a din. paraffin flame. He thought, however, that with a 
heliostat it could be done, and he hoped to experiment. 
later on. He knew that Mr. Merlin had extremely keen 
vision, Mr. J. M. Offord said he could corroborate this; 
at the telescope he found Mr. Merlin could see details at 
once, which he himself could only discover by continued 
observation. Mr. Rousselet read a paper on Asplanchna 
intermedia, and showed by description and drawings of 
the mastax, how it differed from Asph. brightwelli, with 
which it was generally confounded. Mr. Western quite ~ 
agreed with Mr. Rousselet’s conclusions, and considered 
he had given a very valuable study of this and the allied 
forms. 
RoyAt MICROSCOPICAL SociEty.~Dec. 21,1900, Mr. C. T. 
