FIELD AND FOREST. 1 5 



May 7th, 1877. (212th Meeting.") 



The Secretary in view of a contemplated excursion by members of 

 the club, read a paper upon the Dismal Swamp its location, extent, 

 character, accessibility, &c. 



Prof. Doolittle exhibited specimens of Pogonia vcrtieillata, and 

 Stnilacina bifolia. 



A knocking at the window proved to be the attempt of a fine speci- 

 men of Parus atricapillus to obtain admission to the meeting of 

 the Club. 



June 1 8th, 1877. (213th, Meeting.) 



The Secretary read a paper (to appear in F. and F.) describing the 

 trip to the Dismal Swamp of Messrs Ward and Chickering with Rev. 

 Wm. Morong of Boston, Mass. A number of species of plants of the 

 district, not heretofore detected, were exhibited. 



New Method of Illumination. — Mr. J. A. Perry writing to 

 Science Gossip describes a new mode of illumination for the micro- 

 scope in use by Dr. Smyth, and claimed by him as original and very 

 simple. It is produced by a disc of ordinary cover-glass ground on 

 both sides, and used in the same place and in the same manner as the 

 ordinary black-ground stop below the condenser, the marginal rays of 

 light passing unobstructedly around the outer edge of the ground 

 cover-glass, producing a different and far more pleasing effect than 

 that produced by the ground glass extending over the whole aperture 

 of the condenser, and entirely different to that produced by a ground- 

 glass cap over the top of the condenser. It is a very pleasing mode 

 of illumination on nearly all objects usually viewed on a black ground, 

 as well those objects viewed by direct light. 



Artificial flowers called barometers are now being exhibited in a 

 number of Parisian opticians' shops. They are colored with a mate- 

 rial composed of chloride of cobalt. When exposed to the sun and 

 dry air, the leaves become deep blue ; when the air is saturated with 

 moisture they become pinky. All the intermediate shades are easily 

 observed. 



