The President's Address. By Rev. W. H. Dallinger. 185 



was small, tortoise-like in form, and crept over the branch on setae or 

 hair-like pedicles ; but carefully followed, I found it soon swam, and 

 at length got the long neck-like appendage of Amphileptus anser ! 



Here, then, was the cup or calyx of a definite Vorticellan form 

 changing into (?) an absolutely different Infusorian, viz. Amphileptus 



anser 



Now, I simply reported the fact to the Liverpool Microscopical 

 Society, with no attempt at inference ; but two years after I was able 

 to explain the mystery, for, finding in the same pond both V. conval- 

 laria and A. anser, I carefully watched their movements, and saw the 

 Amphileptus seize and struggle with a calyx of Convallaria, and 

 absolutely become encysted upon it, with the results that I had re- 

 ported two years before. 



And there can be no doubt but this is the key to the cases that 

 come to us again and again, of minute forms suddenly changing into 

 forms wholly unlike. It is happily amongst the virtues of the 

 man of science to " rejoice in the truth," even though it be found 

 at his expense ; and true workers, earnest seekers for nature's methods, 

 in the obscurest fields of her action, will not murmur that this source 

 of danger to younger microscopists has been pointed out, or recalled 

 to them. 



And now I bid you, as your President, farewell. It has been all 

 pleasure to me to serve you. It has enlarged my friendships and my 

 interests ; and, although my work has linked me with the Society for 

 many years, I have derived much profit from this more organic union 

 with it ; and it is a source of encouragement to me, and will, I am 

 sure, be to you, that, after having done with simple pleasure what I 

 could, I am to be succeeded in this place of honour by so distinguished 

 a student of the phenomena of minute life as Dr. Hudson. I can 

 but wish him as happy a tenure of office as mine has been. 



