SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



209 



CONDUCTED BY F. SHILLING-TON SCALES, F.E.M.S. 



Koyal Microscopical Society, October 16th.— 

 Wm. Carruthers, Esq., F.R.S., President, in the 

 chair. Mr. C. Baker exhibited a portable micro- 

 scope on the model of the " Diagnostic," originally 

 designed for Major Ronald Ross's investigation 

 of malaria. It is made of magnalium, an alloy 

 of manganese and aluminium, and weighs but 

 14 ounces. This firm also exhibited a microscope 

 intended for the examination of fractures and 

 etched surfaces of metals. It is provided with 

 vertical illuminator, and rack-and -pinion focussing 

 adjustment and levelling screws to the mechanical 

 •stage now usual in this class of instrument. 

 Messrs. R. & J. Beck exhibited a portable model of 

 their " London " microscope, which is a very sub- 

 stantial instrument, and is, by the introduction of 

 several ingenious devices, made to pack with the 

 apparatus into a leather case 2\ in. x 4| in. x 9| in. 

 Messrs. Beck also exhibited a centrifuge made to 

 rim at a high speed by an electric current. The 

 Secretary announced that a letter had been re- 

 ceived from Sir Dighton Probyn intimating the 

 pleasure of the King to continue his patronage of 

 the Society. The President brought to the meet- 

 ing some specimens of the Mycetozoa, and gave a 

 brief account of the life history of this group of 

 organisms. The specimens belonged to a recently 

 described species, and had been named Badhamia 

 foliicola, and he had brought for distribution 

 among the Fellows some leaves and grass on 

 which were spores. The President called attention 

 to the. exhibits by Mr. C. L. Curties, consisting of a 

 number of mounted specimens of marine zoological 

 objects, accompanied by very full and interesting 

 descriptions. The President gave a resume of a 

 paper by Miss A. Lorrain Smith on " Fungi found 

 on Germinating Farm Seeds." Miss Smith had 

 been assisting him in his work for the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society in examining farm seeds in respect 

 to their germinating power. In the course of their 

 observations Miss Smith had found numerous 

 species of fungi on the germinating seeds — fourteen 

 species in all, of which five were new, and one 

 belonged to a new genus. The paper would be 

 printed in the Society's journal. The Secretary 

 announced the receipt of part xiv. of Mr. Millett's 

 report on the f oraminif era of the Malay Archipelago, 

 which was taken as read. He also said that the 

 Hon. Thomas Kirkman had sent some of the fine 

 quills of the porcupine for distribution among the 

 Fellows, who would find them very useful in 

 mounting minute objects. Mr. C. Beck read a 

 letter from Mr. Gordon in reference to a portion of 

 his paper on the Abbe diffraction theory, and in 

 correction of the remarks therein made. 



Quekett Microscopical Club.— The 389th 

 ordinary meeting of the club and first of Session 

 1901-1902 was held on Friday evening, October 

 18th, at 20 Hanover Square, W., Mr. J. G. Walker, 



F.S.A., Vice-President, in the chair. New members 

 were balloted for. The Secretary read a list of 

 books and periodicals added to the library since 

 the last meeting. The additions to the cabinet 

 were announced and acknowledged. These last 

 included some slides of plague bacillus found or 

 cultivated under various conditions, mounted and 

 presented by Mr. Pound, of the Stock Institute afc 

 Brisbane. Mr. Scourfield read a paper by Mr. A. 

 Ashe on " Two-speed Fine Adjustments." This 

 was a description of several forms of fine adjust- 

 ment, having two milled heads rotating on the 

 same axis, by which a medium or an extremely 

 slow movement could be obtained at will. Some 

 new forms of " differential screw " movement were 

 employed to this end. The method recommended 

 for the Continental form of microscope had been 

 arrived at independently and put into practice by 

 Herr Reichert of Vienna, Another form which 

 was exhibited was employed, at the author's 

 suggestion, by Messrs. Beck. Mr. Scourfield read 

 a paper on "Hydra and the Surface Film of 

 Water," and showed, by means of an ingenious 

 model and by drawings on the blackboard, how 

 minute objects, though slightly heavier than water, 

 could remain in contact with its surface. This 

 result was obtained by means of a waxy or water- 

 repellent substance coming into contact with the 

 surface film and forming a capillary depression. 

 The author pointed out how many aquatic creatures, 

 though undoubtedly heavier than water, could yet 

 remain at the surface without the aid of move- 

 ment or air-bubbles. The Hydra holds to the 

 surface by its basal disc, and the author had been 

 able to see a number of hyaline strands which 

 were apparently secreted from the disc. The 

 strands, though difficult to discern, were seen to 

 extend considerably, thus making a " capillary 

 depression " of comparatively large area. The 

 author believes that this stringy secretion, inter- 

 mixed as it is with globular and ovoid bodies, is 

 formed by the breaking-up of the ectodermal 

 cells of the basal disc. In the ensuing discussion 

 Mr. Karop described an analogous secretion in the 

 Gregarines. Mr. Morland gave instances of the un- 

 expected stresses the film of water will bear. 

 Mr. Rousselet read a paper on " Triartlira IracMata, 

 n. sp." This was an account of a new species of 

 rotifer, and a specimen was exhibited under a 

 microscope. In the ensuing discussion, in reply to 

 a question by Mr. Scourfield, Mr. Rousselet said 

 that he had not met with an instance of a rotifer 

 making use of the surface film in the way that did 

 the Hydra and some Cladocera in fact, the sur- 

 face film was a death-trap to rotifers. Rotifers 

 provided with long spines, likeTriarthra and many 

 others, were at a disadvantage in that respect. Mr. 

 A. A. Merlin's paper " On the Spermatozoon of the 

 Rat " was held over for the next meeting. Formal 

 proceedings then terminated. At the conversazione 

 many objects were exhibited, including a model to 

 show the support of the surface-film of water, 

 exhibited by Mr. Scourfield. This was a piece of 

 match weighted with a pin at one end sufficiently 

 to make the match sink ; the light end of the match 

 was smeared with vaseline. On bringing the match 

 from below to the surface of the water it hung 

 supported from the " surface film." Messrs. R. & 

 J. Beck, Limited, exhibited a "Pathological" micro- 

 scope with Mr. Ashe's two-speed fine adjustment, 

 and Mr. R. T. Lewis exhibited a slide showing the 

 " Sense-organ on the palpus of male Anopheles.' 



