198 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[October, 



' H. E. Summers, of Ithaca, N. Y., 

 has a curious looking animal lying 

 under a rag with its gills in range ot 

 the microscope. He kept it still, and 

 one could see through the glass the 

 wonderful sight of the blood swiftly 

 circulating. The animal was a hid- 

 eous looking affair, sometimes called 

 by the wicked name of "hell bender." 

 Next to it was a microscope showing 

 the circulation of the green matter in 

 a peculiar growth. R. N. Reynolds, 

 of Detroit, shows specimens of grass 

 from the Detroit river in which the 

 circulation can be plainly seen. 



' Mr. Reynolds had a most impor- 

 tant exhibit. Few persons have 

 an adequate idea of what lively stuff 

 printers' paste is. Mr. Reynolds ob- 

 tained a specimen from the paste bar- 

 rel of the Detroit Post and Tribune. 

 Having looked .at the wriggling 

 worms that made the mass literally 

 alive one could understand why it is 

 that newspaper paste so seldom 

 sticks. The insects literallyjwalk off 

 with the pasted clipping on their 



'Mr. G. W. Stockley, of the Brush 

 Electric Company, had an attractive 

 table. He is a temperance man, and 

 that too in the face of the fact that 

 Lake Erie water that people in this 

 city have to drink is liable to contain 

 specimens of the Rotifer vulgaris., 

 which he exhibited. 



' Dr. Thomas Taylor, of Washing- 

 ton, showed samples of butter. The 

 microscope revea:ls the peculiar cross 

 that the doctor says characterizes the 

 fat. He declares that it is a St. An- 

 drew's cross, a trade-mark as it were 

 from nature to distinguish it from 

 adulterated compounds that never 

 show the cross. Specimens of pure 

 lard were also shown and also of but- 

 terine, which, under the glass, looks 

 as little like butter as ink resembles 

 limpid water.' 



The program of the exhibition is 

 too long to repi-oduce here. Looking 

 over it we find many familiar names 

 among the exhibitors, and many ob- 

 jects not often seen at exhibitions. 



There are one hundred and fifty-nine 

 objects on the list. 



On Friday morning, the last day of 

 the meeting, the officers for next 

 year were nominated and elected. 

 They are as follows : — President, 

 T. J. Bui-rill, of Champaign, 111. ; 

 vice-presidents. Dr. F. S. New- 

 comer, of Indianapolis, and W. J. 

 Lewis, of Hartford ; executive com- 

 mittee, Dr. L. F. James, of St. 

 Louis, John Kruttschnitt, of New 

 Orleans, and E. H. Griffith, of Fair- 

 port, N. Y. The secretary was in- 

 structed to cast the ballot of the so- 

 ciety for these gentlemen. 



A resolution was adopted thanking 

 Professor C. M. Vorce, of this city, 

 for his efforts in behalf of the society. 

 Judge J. D. Cox then made the fol- 

 lowing remarks : — 



'Mr. Chairman, the custom of giv- 

 ing our retiring officers a vote of 

 thanks is a good one, but there is 

 some danger that it may become too 

 formal. Our president, whose neces- 

 sary absence this morning we regret, 

 has not only discharged his official 

 duties with ability, courtesy, and dig- 

 nity, but I know I speak the feeling 

 of the whole society when I say that 

 it has been a constant delight to us to 

 have him in our midst, and that we 

 have constantly followed him with 

 our warm affection as well as our 

 heartfelt respect. We all earnestly 

 hope he may many years be spared to 

 lead us in everything which pertains 

 to microscopy, and to raise the charac- 

 ter of our delibei"ations by the wis- 

 dom and sweetness of his influence. 

 In this spirit I move that the most 

 hearty thanks of this society be tender- 

 ed Professor Hamilton L. Smith for 

 the manner in which has discharged 

 the duties of the presidency during 

 the past year.' 



Dr. Lucien Howe, of Buffalo, read 

 an interesting paper on the imperfec- 

 tion of the eye and test objects. This 

 paper was discussed by Dr. New- 

 comer, who said that no two persons' 

 eyes are the same ; that we ought to 

 consider astigmatism. 



