**£?iL.jifryTiS?] PEOOEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 61 
QUEKETT MiCBOSCOPICAL ClUB.* 
At the ordinary meeting of the club, held at University College, 
May 28th, Arthur E. Durham, Esq., E.L.S., President, in the chair, — 
the meeting was made special for the revision of the bye-laws, and the 
various alterations proposed were read over and explained seriatim, 
and were adopted nem. dis. At the conclusion of the special business 
the minutes of the preceding meeting were read and confirmed, and 
twenty new members were unanimously elected ; a number of dona- 
tions to the club were also announced, and thanks returned to the 
respective donors. Mr. T. Lowne made an interesting communi- 
cation relative to a specimen of a secretion from the stomach of a 
flamingo, which he exhibited under the microscope, and which had 
been obtained from a bird in the gardens of the Zoological Society. 
This secretion had recently been the subject of a discussion in ' The 
Eield ' newspaper, and from its resemblance to blood, together with 
the fact of its being made some use of in feeding the young, the 
ancient fabled mystery of the Pelican in the Wilderness feeding its 
young with blood drawn from its breast, here seemed to have met 
with a solution. From an examination of specimens of this fluid, the 
speaker was inclined to believe that it was not blood but a secretion, 
though, from the circumstance of the birds being found here under 
unnatural conditions, it might not be of a healthy character. Several 
instances were adduced of birds — the hornbills, bird's-nest swallow, 
&c. — being provided with similar secretions ; and the curious fact of 
the passage of blood through membranes was referred to, some re- 
markable instances being quoted in which, under the influence of great 
excitement, it had been known to pass through the hides of Hippo- 
potami and Ehinoceri. Mr. Lowne also drew attention to a very 
beautiful preparation of the brain of the larva of a blow-fly, showing 
clearly the imaginal [?] discs described by Dr. Weissman in 1864. Mr. 
W. W. Eeeves made some remarks upon specimens of Noctiluca 
miliaris, which he exhibited alive ; they had been obtained off 
Southend, and were amongst the results of a dredging excursion, 
to which some of the members of the club had been invited by Mr. 
Marshall Hall. Some further observations upon these creatures were 
also made by Dr. Braithwaite, Mr. Arnold, and Mr. Breese. Mr. 
Hislop called the attention of the members to a fine section of human 
brain which he exhibited, and which had been prepared by Dr. 
Dempsey. Mr. Johnson made a few observations upon the abun- 
dance of Melicerta and Stephanoceros at Finchley, and indicated the 
locality where they might be most readily obtained. The secretary 
read certificates in favour of eleven gentlemen who had been proposed 
for membership, and Mr. Curties placed upon the table two bottles 
containing a supply of Conochilus for distribution amongst the 
members. The President announced that during the ensuing month 
excursions would be made to Northfleet and Chiselhurst, also that 
the annual dinner of the club would take place at Leatherhead on 
J une 23rd. The proceedings then terminated with a conversazione. 
* Report supplied by Mr. R. T. Lewis. 
