1890.] Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 987 
fusoria should be somewhat compressed, but not crushed. The cover- 
glass is then placed, and the sublimate added as quickly as possible at 
one side, and sucked under by the aid of a bit of blotting paper at 
the other side, care being taken not to disturb the cover. After fixa- 
tion, the preparations are stained with methyl green in two per cent 
acetic acid, and then mounted in glycerine. In some species it is best 
to omit staining altogether, as the stain obscures the micronuclear 
elements, 
It is perfectly useless to undertake the study of conjugation without 
a powerful homogenous immersion objective. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
The American Association for the Advancement of Sci- 
ence, of 1890.—The committee of the A. A. A. S. oz the Interna- 
tional Congress of Geologists has been discharged by a vote of the 
association at its recent meeting in Indianapolis. It is unnecessary 
now to inquire into the motives which induced a small number of persons 
to cause this act to be accomplished by the body of the association which 
was ignorant of the true facts, or to scrutinize the means employed by 
the party of destruction ; further than to say that neither the president 
nor secretary, nor (it is believed) the majority of the members of that 
committee, asked or desired such discharge. In a letter written by 
Professor Hall, the president, to Dr. Frazer, the secretary, before the 
meeting, a copy of which was sent to Prof. Stevenson, he says: “I 
had no personal or ulterior purpose in keeping the committee in exist- 
ence last year. I believe that several of us considered it better to do so 
at that time,—and certainly we were not then prepared to say our work 
is finished, nor are we prepared to say that now. * * Lf the ma- 
jority of the members agree to it, Y see no objection to making our final 
report and asking to be discharged. 1 ao not think it 'courteous or be- 
coming in gentlemen of the council of the A. A. A. S. to move the 
abolition of the committee, and especially men who are not geolo- 
pists, ete, etc. 
Upon learning, after the meeting, that it was reported there that he 
had authorized his signature to be attached to a paper asking for the dis- 
charge of the said committee, Prof. Hall wrote: ‘I have never signed 
nor authorized any one to sign for me any paper whatever, except to 
you [the secretary] and for your report. I sent a copy of my letter 
to you * * * to Professor Stevenson, and wrote him giving my rea- 
