1883.] PROF. F. J. BELL ON MICROSCOPICAL PREPARATIONS. 47 



February 20, 1883. 

 Prof. W. H. Flower, LL.D,, F.R.S., President, in the Chair. 



Professor F. Jeffrey Bell, F.Z.S., exhibited some microscopical 

 preparations which he had lately obtained from the Zoological 

 Station at Naples, and made the following remarks : — 



The business of preparing satisfactory microscopical specimens 

 of animals is attended with the expenditure of so much time, and 

 requires so remarkable a combination of skill and opportunity, that the 

 warmest thanks of hard-worked zoologists and teachers are due to the 

 Staff of the Zoological Station at Naples for the services they have 

 already rendered in this regard. It seems, however, that the Station 

 has now ceased to prejjare these specimens ; and 1 do not now 

 exhibit all that I asked Dr. Dohrn to be kind enough to send me, 

 inasmuch as, in the words of Dr. Lang, " Die fehlenden Preparate 

 sind leider uicht mehr auf Lager." 



The specimens asked for were selected with an especial view to the 

 demonstration to students of forms that are with trouble, or never, 

 to be found in, or on the shores of, this country, or which exhibit 

 points in the history of the development of animals which the Naples 

 series easily provided. I direct, therefore, especial attention to the 

 lateral view of a complete Amphioxus, carefully stained, in which 

 most of the salient points in the anatomy of that remarkable verte- 

 brate may be satisfactorily made out, and which should be of inter- 

 est to those zoologists who have had to be satisfied with the many 

 unsatisfactory representations of that animal that are given in most 

 of the text-books. 



Another example belonging to this series, is that curious parasite 

 of the Comatulse, Myzostoma, the exact zoological position of which 

 can hardly be said to be yet satisfactorily ascertained, notwithstanding 

 the notable investigations of Dr. Graff. Another curious and 

 difficult form is Sagitta ; but the specimens do not, unfortunately, 

 give a very satisfactory view of the " fins." 



Especial attention may be directed to the preparation of Pyrosoma, 

 in which the four ascidiozooids and the remnants of the cyathozooid are 

 to be made out ; also to the Scyphistoma-stage of Cotylorkiza bor- 

 bonica. 



Of the second series, I direct attention to the preparations of 

 embryonic stages of the common Lizard, in the earlier of which 

 the medullary groove is still open behind ; and to the segmenting 

 ova and the gastrulae of Ecbinoderms. 



The other preparations now on the table exhibit various points of 

 zoological or histological interest ; and one and all present us with 

 examples of manipulative skill of the highest order. 



Mr. J. J. Weir exhibited and made remarks on a supposed 

 hermaphrodite specimen of Lyctena icarus. 



