220 



THE amp:rican monthly 



[Nov., 1880. 



iron, and which to the nal<ed eye some- 

 what resembled a nostoc. The water in 

 which it ^rew was pretty strongly charged 

 with ferric chloride and ammonium chlor- 

 ide, and contained free hydrochloric acid. 

 Mr. Beck was invited to address the 

 Society, upon which he made a few re- 

 marks, dwelling on cordial feeling existing 

 between the microscopists of England 

 and the United States. 



KLMIRA, N. Y. 



This Society has been recently formed. 

 A special meeting was held on the 9th of 

 October, the President, Dr. Gleason, in 

 the chair. 



The first lecture of the evening was de- 

 livered by Dr. Krackowizer. Subject : 

 " The Histology of the Liver." He des- 

 cribed first the structure of the liver, illus- 

 trating with drawings upon the black- 

 board, the queer entanglement of veins, 

 arteries and ducts that serve for a net- 

 work to hold the liver-cells that seemed to 

 be sifted into the interstices, and showed 

 how the cells were forced to assume va- 

 rious forms by reason of their environ- 

 ment. He then spoke of the function of 

 the portal veins and gall-ducts, clearly 

 pointing out how these structures could 

 be distinguished one from the other, un^ 

 der the microscope. 



The next pajjer was entitled " The 

 Amoeba," by the President. He referred 

 to the amceba as being a " living fluid " — 

 a primitive cell, which had been aptly 

 described as having the ability to move 

 without muscles, to eat without a mouth, 

 and to digest without a stomach ; living 

 and thriving without exhibiting any evi- 

 dence of a vascular or nervous system. 

 He spoke of the pulsating vacuole, and 

 speculated upon its probable significance ; 

 whether or not it might be a possible 

 organ of respiration. He compared the 

 amoeba with the white corpuscle of 

 the blood, and related how some ob- 

 servers had seen the white corpuscle en- 

 gulf the red one, appropriating it, appa- 

 rently, to its own use, as an amoeba would 

 feed upon an alga. He then queried : 

 Might not these white corpuscles be liv- 

 ing cells of protoplasm, differentiated, in 

 some mysterious manner, in the arteries 

 and veins of our bodies, and converted 

 into the different tissues ? 



WELLESLEY, MASS. 

 The first regular meetirrg for the Col- 

 lege year took place October 27th, with 

 the President, Miss Hayes, in the chair. 

 After the reading of the minutes of the 



last meeting, the following papers were 

 read : 



On Mosses, by Miss F. B. Mussey, in- 

 cluding : first, a description of the parts 

 of mosses, especially the fruit — capsule, 

 calyptra, operculum and peristome, with 

 drawings showing varieties of these in 

 different mosses ; second, methods of 

 reproduction of mosses. 



The second paper was on the " Struc- 

 ture and Functions of the Pollen Cell," 

 by Miss G. A. Painter, which was well 

 illustrated by original drawings and spe- 

 cimens prepared for the microscope. 



CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 

 A Microscopical Society was organized 

 in Springfield, 111., on the 23d of Septem- 

 ber, and was incorporated on the 19th of 

 October, as the Microscopical Society of 

 Central Illinois. The Secretary is Mr. T. 

 B. Jennings. It has our best wishes for 

 prosperity. 



Exchanges.. 



[Exchanges are inserted in this column without 

 charge. They will be strictly limited to mounted 

 objects, and material for mounting.] 



For diatoms in situ on Algx, send mounted slide to 

 K. M. CUNNINGHAM, Box 874, Mobile, Ala. 



Well-mounted, typical Pathological and injected 



Histological preparations, in exchange for other well- 



mounted slides, Diatoms, Algse and Fungi preferred. 



HENRY FROEHLING, 



59 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 



Diatomaceae from Lake Michigan (Chicago water 

 supply), mounted or raw material : also diatoms from 

 other localities, to exchange for well-mounted Diatom- 

 aceae or other objects of interest. B. W. THOMAS, 

 1842 Indiana Ave., Chicago, Ills. 



Lime sand, composed almost exclusively of micro- 

 scopic Foraminifera, to exchange for microscopic 

 material. H. A. GREEN, Atco, N. J. 



I would like to have the address of some person 

 who has access to an abundance of Volvox globator. 

 W. W. BUTTERFIELD, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Polyzoa, Palates of Mollusca, Foraminifera, Sponge 

 and Holothurian-Spicules, Synapta-Anchors, Chirod- 

 ota-Wheels, Echinus-Spines, Minute Sea Shells, in ex- 

 change for Polyzoa, Foraminifera, Histological and 

 Pathological preparations, etc. Also, a quantity of 

 Sea Shells in exchange for Land and Fresh-Water 

 Shells. 



F. M. HAMLIN, M. D., Auburn, N. Y. 



J. J. B. Hatfield, Arsenal Avenue, Indianapolis, 

 Indiana, will exchange Bleached Plant-Sections for 

 good Diatomaceous material. List furnished on ap- 

 plication. 



Pleurosigmas and other unmounted Diatoms, both 

 Fresh Water and Marine ; also Marine Algae, Ferns, 

 and a large quantity of miscellaneous microscopical 

 material in exchange for good mounted objects. 



M. A. BOOTH, Longmeadow, Mass. 



