JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 13 
farmer, noting peculiarities in each of these lines. He also 
wrote of the habits of the crane, hawk and bittern. 
The reference to birds and their nests prompted A. 
Gaviller, the Society’s Curator, to express his indignation at 
the acts of some boys who recently, during a visit to the 
museum, broke a number of valuable eggs. He also com- 
plained of several Journals being missing. 
FRIDAY, MAY 3rd, Igol. 
At a special meeting held in Dr. Cummings’ office, the 
doctor gave an illustrated lecture on the subject of the X rays. 
These were discovered by Roentgen in 1895, and are pro- 
duced by means of an electric current in specially constructed 
bulbs, which are exhausted of air to a high degree. The 
current used by the doctor came direct from the Cataract 
Power Company at DeCew Falls, and consisted of a voltage 
of 104 and 15 amperes. A current of high potential is needed 
for the production of the rays. ‘The manner in which the low 
potential of the commercial current may be converted into the 
high was described. 
The Crooke’s tubes which are used consist of hollow glass 
globes which are emptied of air. In those emptied to a 
thousandth part the current produced a purple colored light. 
In others which contained only about a millionth part of air 
the light produced was of a beautiful apple green color. ‘This 
is the X ray, and is produced in the tube of high vacuum. 
The doctor next showed that the X rays are invisible by 
using a tube covered with black velvet. The apple green 
color could not be seen at all as before, yet the rays passed 
through the cover and penetrated a sheet of cardboard and 
a sheet of aluminum held. before them. A piece of lead 
was then shown to be opaque to the rays, as also a glass bulb, 
because it contained lead in its manufacture. 
Several members then held their hands before the screen. 
The bones were distinctly visible, with the flesh as a lght 
