THE WEST AMEKICAN SCIENTIST. 51 



SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF CALIFORNIA. 



I. — Directory. 



California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco: George Davidson, A. M., Ph. 

 D., Pres.; S. B. Christy, Ph. D., Cor. Sec. 



California State Geological Society, San Francisco: Henry G. Hanks, Pres.; S. 

 S. Heydenfeldt, jr.. Sec. 



San Diego Society of Natural History: George W. Barnes, M. D., Pres.; Miss 

 Rosa Smith, Cor. Sec. 



San Frincisco Microscopical Society (P. 0. box 1327): C. M. Kinne, Pres. ; 

 Charles W. Banks, Cor. Sec. 



Santa Barb ira Society of Natural History: H. C. Ford, Pres.; Mrs. E,. F. Bing- 

 ham, Cor. Sec. 



Humboldt Society of Natural History, Areata, Humboldt county: Carl C. Mar- 

 shall, Sec. 



Ventura Society of Natural History, San Buenaventura: Stephen Bowers, Pres. ; 

 J. S. Collins, Sec. 



II. — Proceedings. 

 Sau Francisco Microscopical Society, 



Mar. 24, 1886. Resplendent rosette -shaped crystals of brucine, an alkaloid ex- 

 tracted from the bark of Strychnos nux-vomica, were shown under polarized light. 

 E. H. Griffith, of Fair^jort, N. Y., was present as a visitor, and presented the so- 

 ciety a handsome ' Griffith self-centering turn-table.' 



A slide of the fossil deposit at Barbadoes was shown by Mr. Norris. It was 

 noteworthy by reason of the large number of diatoms found, together with the poly- 

 cystina of which the Barbadoes deposits usually consist. Of the former, the discoid 

 forms predominated. 



A most interesting demonstration of the capabilities of the Oxy-Hydrogen 

 microscope was given by Edward W. Runyon, of the California College of Phar- 

 macy, for which the society gave a unanimous vote of thanks. 



April 14. Communications — Dr. Henry Ferrer, on * Germs of typhoid fever,' 

 accompanied by exhibitions of bacilli; Mr. Wickson, on a case of trichinosis, which 

 proved fatal to a young German at Livermore, with an exhibition of specimens of 

 Trichina spiralis; H. G. Hanks, on * The so-called * Inyo marble ' and California 

 building stones in general.' 



May 26. Dr. Stallard exhibited slides illustrative of arteritis, or imflammation 

 of the arterial blood vessels. A letter was received from J. C. Rinnbock, of Vienna, 

 enclosing specimens. Prof. Hanks offered a resolution, which was unanimously 

 adopted, as follows: 



Resolved, That the San Francisco Microscopical Society appoint a comm'ttee of 

 three, and extend an invitation to all scientific societies in the state to appoint sim- 

 ilar committees to meet in conference and consider the propriety of extending an 

 invitation to the American Association for the Advancement of Science to hold their 

 n^nual meeting of 1887 in the city of San Francisco. 



