96 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE 



Messrs. F. Darley Bickford, Sydney G. Bills, Jolin A. Jones, 

 Joseph Watson and C. P. Choquette were balloted for and duly 

 elected members of tlie Club ; two nominations were read for tlie 

 iirst time. 



The Secretary announced tbat the next excursion would 

 take place on the 24th inst. to Greenford and Hanwell, the 

 members to leave Paddington by the 2.25 train. There 

 -would be a Gossip Meeting on May 27th, and the next Ordinary 

 Meeting would be held on June 10th, when Mr. Martin Duncan 

 would give an address. The President spoke of the loss that 

 the Club, in company with other scientific societies, had sus- 

 tained in the death of Sir Frank Crisp. Sir Frank was a 

 generous donor to the Club's library. The Secretary was 

 directed to send a letter of condolence to Lady Crisp. 



Mr. Eussell brought for distribution a quantity of seeds of 

 Collomia coccinea. If a small part of the seed coat be put on a 

 slip under the microscope and allowed to come into contact with 

 a drop of water, remarkable hygroscopic movements take place. 

 The President explained that this was due to mucilaginous 

 degeneration in strips. Mr. N. E. Brown recommended cutting 

 a thin section of the seed rather than cutting off a fragment. The 

 thanks of the meeting were accorded to Mr. Russell. 



The Secretary read three short notes from Mr. E. M. Nelson. 

 The first dealt with some of the previous occupants of 20, Hanover 

 Square, at which house the Q.M.C. has met for some years. The 

 second reminded members that pollen polarises, and that when 

 polarised light is used the pollen should be examined dry. The 

 third drew attention to the importance of accurately focusing 

 both halves of the Greenhough binocular microscope. When 

 there is much difference between the focus of one of the observer's 

 eyes and the other, an arrangement for independent focusing is 

 desirable, and when the adjustment for inter pupillary distance 

 is made by twisting the boxes containing the Porro prisms, great 

 care must be taken that they are each moved the same distance ; 

 otherwise a difference of focus will be introduced. The difficulty 

 may be overcome by a suitable arrangement of cogwheels prevent- 

 ing the boxes from moving independently, or two marks may be 

 made in alignment when the boxes are in the correct position for 

 •the observer. Dr. Rendle, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. 

 Nelson for his communications, drew attention to the remarkable 



