Bibliography. 391 



13. London Microscopical Society. — Reports of the first and second 

 anniversaries of the Microscopical Society of London^ held on the \btli 

 of Felruary, 1841 and 1842, at the Society''s rooms, No. 21, Regent St. 



This society was founded on the 15th of February, 1840, and has 

 held the two anniversary meetings, the reports of which are now before 

 us. The increase of microscopic observers, and the opening of so 

 many new fields of observation, attendant principally on the labors of 

 Ehrenberg and Owen, rendered the establishment of such a society 

 a legitimate and desirable object, and it has not been found to clash 

 with any previously organized scientific body for other objects. 



On the contrary, numerous papers have been read before it and will 

 appear in its Transactions, which would probably not have seen the 

 light except for the connection of the authors with this society. A 

 cabinet of microscopic objects has been begun, which already contains 

 nearly seven hundred specimens ; and it is intended that the Society 

 shall also become the possessors of a full set of all the most esteemed 

 forms of microscopes, made expressly for them as samples of the best 

 performance of the most celebrated makers both in London and on the 

 continent. The formation of a library of microscopical works is also 

 a primary object of the Society, and this part of the plan has been be- 

 gun by the purchase of Ehrenberg's " Infusions-Thierchen," and nu- 

 merous other valuable publications. The proceedings of the ordinary 

 meetings are published regularly in the Microscopic Journal, conducted 

 by Mr. Cooper, which is the authorized organ of the Society. The 

 number of members at the time of the second annual meeting, was one 

 hundred and eighty five ; the number of papers read the last year, 

 fifteen ; the publication of some of the earlier papers is in progress, 

 and a part of the Transactions will soon be ready for distribution. 



14. A Monograph of the Limniades, or fresh-water univalve shells 

 of North America. By S. Stehman Haldeman, Member of the Acad- 

 emy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, &c. No. 5. Phila. July, 1842. 



We have previously noticed Mr. Haldeman's undertaking in a favor- 

 able manner. The fifth number of his Limniades has been received 

 here, and contains figures and descriptions of fourteen species of Lim- 

 nea, viz. carperata, solida, columella, macrostoma, humilis, Buli- 

 moides, pallida, vitrea, ohrussa, ferruginea, gracilis, glalana, decol- 

 lata, palustris. 



The illustrations of this work are on copper, by Alex. Lawson, 

 drawn and colored by Miss Lawson, and are so perfect as certainly to 

 leave nothing to be desired. 



