216 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[November, 



it i.s true. Our readers embrace 



the most intelligent and able mi- 



croscopists of the country, and even 



at this late day our subscription-list 



for 1880 is steadily increasing. We 



rely for success upon honorable and 



correct business principles, and an 



earnest endeavor to develop our 



small periodical into one that shall 



be well worthy of its pretentious 



name. 



o 



— In another place will be found 

 a communication from Mr. D. S. 

 Kellicott, noting the discovery of 

 the infusorian described in our first 

 number, Ophrydium, adce, in the 

 Niagara river. It would greatly 

 add to the interest and value of the 

 JouKNAL if subscribers would send 

 UB similar letters, when they find 

 any recently described or uncom- 

 mon forms of microscopic or- 

 ganisms. The infusoria of this 

 country are almost unknown. There 

 is hardly a doubt that some micros- 

 copist will soon find a rich field for 

 original work among them. The 

 recent publication of Saville Kent's 

 Manual of the Infusoria is sure 

 to give a new impetus to their study, 

 which we sincerely hope will not be 

 long in manifesting itself in this 

 country, 



— M. C. II. Delogne, a well-known 

 student of the diatoms, announces 

 a series of mounted preparations of 

 the diatoms of Belgium, which are 

 to be sold in sets of 25, in a sub- 

 stantial and elegant box, having the 

 appearance of a book. Many of 

 the forms will be from gatherings 

 from which the diatoms figured in 

 Dr. Yan Ileurck's Synopsis were 

 selected, and the nomenclature cor- 

 responds with that of the Synop- 

 sis. The price of each series of 

 25 slides is 25 francs, or $5.00. We 

 will forward subscriptions of those 

 who may desire to obtain the sets. 



— The Biological and Microsco- 

 pical Section of the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, 

 held its annual microscopical soiree 

 on the evening of the fifteenth of 

 October. We w^ere unable to be 

 present, but from what we have 

 since learned, as well as from what 

 we know of the energy that has 

 been shown by the Philadelphians 

 in preparing for these exhibitions 

 heretofore, we have no doubt that 

 the soiree was a great success. 

 Messrs. R. and J. Beck have sent 

 us an attractive card giving an ac- 

 count of their exhibit, which surely 

 must have greatly contributed to 

 the interest in, and appreciation of, 

 the objects that they displayed. 

 



— The first part of Saville Kent's 

 Manual of the Infusoria has 

 reached us, and it fully bears out 

 the promise of the Prospectus. It 

 is a most excellent work, and de- 

 serves a more careful notice than 

 we are able to prepare for this 

 number; next month we will en- 

 deavor to do it justice. 



The Spirogyra of Paris. 



M. Paul Petit has recently 

 published a valuable pamphlet of 

 about forty pages, illustrated by 

 twelve full-page plates, on the 

 Spirogyra des environs de Pain«. 

 The work is a model of its kind, 

 and the drawings are very accurate 

 and true to nature. Each s])ecies is 

 figured botli in the growing and in 

 the conjugating condition, when 

 the latter has been observed. Here- 

 tofore, it has been a veiy difiicult 

 matter to name the plants of this 

 genus, for even the most accurate 

 description does not enable one to 

 distinguish between the species with 

 confidence. Thirty-six species are 

 described and figured. Most of 

 these are also found in this country, 



