Proceedings of Scientific Societies 1 35 



received a vote of thanks. His investigation in the life-history 

 and generic peculiarities of Pacific Coast fishes has been the 

 means of adding many new facts to science. 



January 2ist, 1891. 



The regular fortnightly meeting was held at its rooms with 



President Wickson in the Chair. There were present in addition 



to a fair attendance of members, Professor Davidson, an honary 



member, and Charles W. Smiley, of Washington, D.C., editor of 



The American Monthly Microscopical Journal. 



After the reading of the minutes and the usual routine business 

 a general discussion was had on the motion to amend the con- 

 stitution of the society, reducing the initiation fee from $20 to $5. 

 The sentiment was pretty evenly divided, for and against the 

 motion, but by a bare majority further consideration was post- 

 poned for one month. 



Some interesting and valuable additions to the society's cabinet 

 were received. Through Henry G. Hanks, John A. Edman, of 

 Meadow Valley, Plumas county, Cal., presented two slides of 

 amalgam crystals, which were both interesting and beautiful. 

 They are original gold crystals, before being carefully treated 

 with cold, strong nitric acid, and have a good deal ot free mer- 

 cury adhering which can only be abstracted by contact with 

 bright gold or silver In this case, the donor writes, the amal- 

 gam crystals are likely to adhere to the metal so as to break 

 when dislodged. At a temperature a little over 70 Fahr. the 

 crystals begin to deliquesce, and become fluid at about ioo°. 



Colonel C. Mason Kinne donated to the cabinet a small quan- 

 tity of fresh-water diatomaceous earth he had received from Dr. 

 Arthur M. Edwards, Newark, N. J. Accompanying the speci- 

 mens there was a note from Dr. Edwards, stating that the deposit 

 was discovered recently at Waverly, N. J. It is interesting as 

 being the first discovered which places the diatoms below the 

 recent and on the glacial deposit. This bed was found last June 

 and is fully eight feet below a deposit of marine diatoms. The 

 •discoverer calls it an intra-glacial deposit. The President gave a 

 portion to Mr. Riedy, with the request that he work it up and 

 report at an early meeting of the society. 



William E. Loy, Rec. Sec. 



EDITORIAL. 



A timely article is presented to our readers this month by Prof. 

 F. L. Washburn on laboratory work in school and college, which 

 educators will do well to read. 



The orange, the cultivation of which is one of the most impor- 

 tant industries in southern California, is a subject which we be- 

 lieve all our readers, east or west, will enjoy learning about. 

 One method of propagating this tree is omitted in the article pre- 

 sented this month, that of growing from the leaves ! The propa- 



