Bicknell.] 846 [October 11, 



never the two return side currents so often described. He 

 considered these merely optical delusions. 



Mr. Stodder said he had lately tried collecting germs from 

 the ^atmosphere. This last summer he had in his experi- 

 ments used a glass vessel rilled with ice, on which the moist- 

 ure of the air condensed outside. In this manner nothing 

 not in the air was obtained. In his examinations he had fol- 

 lowed the methods given by Dr. Maddox in the February 

 number of the Monthly Microscopical Journal for 1871. 



He, at first, placed the germs so obtained in molasses, but 

 subsequent examination showed that this contained abundant 

 apparent germs of its own. He next took pure crystals of 

 sugar dissolved in the water collected, and placed on a slide. 

 To keep the moisture present, he had used the cell described 

 by Dr. Maddox. 



His first collection made August 11, developed in a few 

 weeks mycelium and spores of fungi in great abundance. 



Other collections of the same date have as yet shown but 

 few signs of life. He had found in these experiments that 

 no animal life was developed. 



Mr. Greenleaf showed a simple growing slide. A small 

 hole was drilled in the centre of a common slide, which was 

 placed on the edge of a shallow tray containing water, with 

 the hole below the water level; placing a thin glass cover 

 over the hole, we have a self supplying water cell. 



Mr. Stodder exhibited some photographs by Dr. Wood- 

 ward, of Amphipleura pellucida, Stauroneis Baleyii and S. 

 St o elder ii. 



Mr. Bicknell spoke of the difhculty in using the micro- 

 scope vertically, a position which is often necessary, in such 

 work as observing living animals in fluid, or in dissecting. 

 He had obviated this difficulty by using an ordinary Nachet 

 camera lucida, by placing the camera lucida on the eye piece 

 in the usual manner, and looking into the underside of the 



