446 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



The List of Donations (exclusive of exchanges and reprints) 

 received since the last meeting was submitted, and the thanks of the 

 Society given to the donors. 



From 

 Blades, W.— The Enemies of Books. 3rd ed., 1881 Pmf. A. Ziverstdge, F.E.S. 

 Geological and Natural History Survey of Canada. Report of 



Progress for 1879-80. (8vo, Montreal, 1881). . Government of the Dominion. 

 Hermann, L. — Handlnich der PhysioU'gie. Vol. iv. Part 2. viii. 



and 467 pp., 58 figs. (8vo, Leipzig, 1882) Mr. Crisp. 



Micrographic Dictionary, Part 11 Mr. Van Voorst. 



Mr. Crisp read letters from Professor C. Kobin and Dr. L. Dippel 

 in acknowledgment of their election as Honorary Fellows. 



Mr. Dowdeswell read a paper on " The Bacteria of Davaine's 

 Septicaemia" (see p. 310). 



The Chairman said he was very glad that they had had a paper 

 on so important a subject. Observations upon Bacteria were daily 

 acquiring more and more value, from their supposed connection with 

 various kinds of disease. He hoped that Mr. Dowdeswell would con- 

 tinue his observations upon the subject, and that he would be able to 

 explain the great discrepancies which he had observed to exist between 

 the size of the specimens he had described and those which had been 

 referred to by other observers. 



The Chairman referred to a letter received from Mr. Ealph, the 

 President of the Victoria (Australia) Microscopical Society, in which 

 he mentioned that he expected to be present that evening. At the 

 last moment, however, he had been prevented from coming. He was 

 sure they would all hope that Mr. Ealph would be in England at 

 their next meeting, so that they might welcome him both as one of 

 their ex-ofl&cio Fellows and also as the representative of almost the 

 only Colonial Microscopical Society. 



Mr. Burnett's note on a new form of rotating live-box was read 

 and the apparatus exhibited (see p. 410). 



Mr. Sigsworth exhibited a spring paper-clip which he had found 

 very useful in fastening card cells upon slides and much more con- 

 venient for the purpose than the so-called " American " clips. 



Dr. Van Heurck's views on the use of the incandescent electric 

 light for microscopy were briefly referred to by Mr. Crisp, who ex- 

 plained, by means of black-board drawings, two cases in which, in 

 consequence of its superior intensity, the electric light might be made 

 use of to extend somewhat the resolving power of an objective. Dr. 

 Van Heurck had recently obtained an improved form of battery which 

 superseded the one he originally described. He found the Swan form 

 of lamp to be the most suitable for microscopical work (see p. 418). 



Professor Abbe's paper " On the Relation of Aperture and Power 

 in the Microscope," Part I. (see p. 300), was read by Mr. Crisp, who 



