92 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[April 



Journal of Concliology . The present paper is intended as a step towards the formation of a 

 complete catalogue of the Mollusca of the New Caledonian and Loyalty Islands, and is a 

 list of about 350 species, nine of which are considered new to science ; this list being 

 based upon a very beautiful and interesting collection, rich in individuals as well as number 

 of species, formed by the Rev. James and Mrs. Hadfield, of Lifu. They were collected 

 during 1892, and the species of Conus, Mitra, Cypraea, and Columbella, may be especially 

 mentioned as being very numerous. It is nothing new to be able to pronounce these 

 Islands as being as rich almost as the famous Philippine Islands, or Mauritius; and it is 

 curious to observe the wide distribution of many species. Quite a number of the forms 

 found in Mauritius are here also, some 3,000 miles or more to the eastward, although it 

 forms part of the same vast sub -division, the Indo- Pacific Province. Some of the species 

 in this collection have hitherto been considered of extreme rarity,' but the individuals now 

 received have proved so numerous that sets have been presented to the British Museum, 

 where they have been welcomed as an addition to a poorly represented series in our 

 national collection. Chief amongst these may be mentioned the lovely Mitra eximia, 

 which has hitherto only been obtained in very limited numbers from Mauritius ; Columbella 

 tyieri, in endless variety of form and colour ; Drillia regia, Latirus caledonicus, and 

 Terebellum subulatum. In the collection are also some fine examples of Strombus 

 thersites, Ovula tortile, Nautilus stenomphalus, Trivia childreni, and cyprsea coffea. 

 The new species described are of considerable interest, and types of each, together with a 

 good series of all the species in the collection, have been presented to the Manchester 

 Museum, and are now on view in the shell gallery. 



Mr. Thomas Rogers exhibited a set of the exquisite glass-like shells of Opisthostoma, 

 from Borneo, together with other foreign land shells remarkable for their rarity or beauty ; 

 and Mr. E. Collier showed a set of peculiarly banded Helix hortensis from Devizes, 

 Wiltshire. 



MANCHESTER MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



A NEW LANTERN MICROSCOPE. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Manchester Microscopical Society was held at the 

 Grand Hotel, on Thursday evening, March 1st. 



Mr. William Greenwood read a paper and gave a demonstration of a new form of lantern 

 microscope (Greenwood and Wallwork's patent). After describing the arrangements of 

 lenses of different makers, he pointed out the various improvements in the lantern which 

 were the subject of his paper. In place of the large condensers, say from four to five inches 

 in diameter, no lens in the new arrangement is over one-and-a-half inches diameter, and 

 with two of the small lenses, of little value, results were demonstrated equal if not superior 

 to those obtained when using the five-inch triple and a concave lens costing about two 

 pounds. Another important point was that the small lenses being thinner are not so liable 

 to damage by the heat from the lamp, which is also of novel construction. The objectives, 

 of which in the lantern shown there were three, are mounted upon a revolving spindle 

 which also carries the sub-stage condensers. Of these there are three, to correspond with 

 the objectives, so that each objective has its own condenser ; and after the slide is once 

 focussed it can be instantly shown by any of the three powers of the lantern. A large 

 number of slides were shown, to test the arrangement as regards heat damaging the slides. 

 This was stated to be perfectly satisfactory. Ordinary cheese mites were not affected by 

 the heat, and were shown active enough from five to six feet long, and with great clear- 

 ness. The stand upon which the lantern is fixed is also new, being of metal and well 

 finished. It is arranged with a base upon castors for moving about. The gas cylinders 

 are arranged to stand in recesses in the base, and move about with the stand. There is 

 a small table to carry slides, and above this a second small table that can be tilted to any 



