186 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



meetings an aeroscope or aspirator for this purpose, from whicli the 

 German one differs only in the length of tubes. He thought the 

 Germans were rather apt to run away with our ideas in this way ; 

 but though he did not at all object to any one copying any of his own 

 contrivances, he thought it ought not to be done without some kind 

 of acknowledgment. He could only express his own thanks to Dr. 

 Crookshank for the exhibition of this apparatus, and for the mag- 

 nificent drawings with which he had illustrated the subject of his 

 paper. 



Mr. F. Cheshire said that reference had been made to Bacillus 

 alvei, and it might be interesting to know that even in the case of the 

 bee itself the peculiar growth was found in the body of the larva. 

 Undoubtedly it did arrange itself in that particular lined way that 

 had been mentioned. 



The Chairman said they must all feel greatly indebted to Dr. 

 Crookshank for his paper upon what was, perhaps, the microscopical 

 subject of the day. It was especially gratifying to them to hear the 

 subject dealt with by a gentleman who was not only such a thorough 

 master of it, but who also possessed so fine a collection. 



Mr. Crisp mentioned that Dr. Crookshank was embodying his 

 ideas on these subjects in a book which would appear shortly. 



Mr. Robertson's note On a Mode of Preparing Spinal Cord was 

 read {supra, p. 156). 



Mr. W. C. Meates's note On a new Highly Eefractive Medium for 

 Mounting was read, the substance employed being a mixture of one 

 part arsenic to five, six, or seven parts sulphur {supra, p. 171). 



Mr. Cheshire read a note,"On the Pulvillus of the Bee," illustrating 

 the subject by a drawing on the blackboard. He also called attention 

 to a notch found upon the leg of the bee, and explained what he con- 

 sidered to be its use as opposed to the explanations given by some 

 other observers. 



Mr. Bennett said that it had been stated by some writers that this 

 part of the bee was used for opening the anthers of flowers so as to 

 get at the pollen. Could Mr. Cheshire say from his experience 

 whether this was so ? 



Mr. Cheshire said that he had no knowledge of the fact from his 

 own observations. 



Mr. Bennett said it was quite certain that many of the Diptera 

 did feed largely upon pollen, but he did not know if the same 

 thing prevailed in the case of Hymenoptera. 



Mr. Cheshire said that in the case of the bee it certainly was so, 

 as the stomach was always found to contain pollen. The queen 

 also, before mating, fed upon it, but after she had mated she was fed 

 with a peculiar glandular secretion by the workers. This was found 

 to be a highly nitrogenous food, and under this diet the queen rapidly 

 increased in weight from 1^ to 3| grains. The workers, however, 

 all fed on pollen. 



