264 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
r Monthly Microscopical 
L Journal, April 1, 1869. 
specimen in perfect health (shown with its tube artificially enclosed 
within, and protected by a glass test-tube) from the aquaria of Mr. 
Hughes. 
At the last meeting, Mr. A. W. Wills (Hon. Secretary to the 
Society) read a paper " On the Preparation and Mounting of Micro- 
scopic Crystals." The author described some very curious and 
interesting phenomena obtained by the deposition of crystals from 
very hot solutions hermetically sealed in extremely thin cells, the 
crystals obtained in this manner being invariably redissolved by 
the mother liquors more or less completely after the lapse of a time 
varying from a few minutes to as many hours, but being redeposited 
on the application of a moderate degree of heat and again recooling, 
this alteration being capable of indefinite repetition. 
Keading Microscopical Society. 
mil February, 1869. 
Captain Lang, President, in the chair.- -Mr, F. Dormont read a 
paper " On Desmids and Diatoms," in which he discussed the character 
of their coatings, cell contents, conjugation, movements and markings, 
referring for illustration to typical forms, of which he exhibited slides. 
Several objects of interest were shown by various members : a 
small and new species of Alga, parasitic on an entomoscracan (exhibited 
by Mr. Clayton), claiming special attention. 
Brighton and Sussex Natural History Society. 
March 11th. The President, Mr. daisy er, in the chair. — A 
paper " On Microscopic Fungi " was read by Dr. Hallifax, in which, 
among other inducements for their study, it was pointed out that, 
since the microscope had become a more perfect instrument, the 
number of species had been increased from 400 to between 4000 and 
6000, and still many forms were in all probability unknown, as many 
regions remained unexplored. One circumstance entitled them to the 
attention of the scientific botanist and microscopist, viz. the illustration 
they offered of the unity which pervaded all organized forms of life, 
for though so diverse in their characters, their elemental structure was 
the same ; in flowering plants the simple leaf, as was well known, 
was differentiated into bract, calyx, corolla, &c., so among fungi all 
parts were resolvable into delicate threads called Mycelia, sometimes 
filamentous in their appearance, at others felted and consolidated into a 
leathery substance. The ravages they committed among crops on 
which man and animals depended was another inducement for their 
study, thus cereals, potatoes, vines, hops, silkworms, &c., had been 
destroyed by their agency ; and many problems respecting their form, 
propagation, and supposed influences in diseases remained unsolved. 
Some points had been cleared up, by which what had been thought to 
be different species or even genera had been shown were only different 
stages of the same fungus, or differences of form resulting from the 
nidtis in which found. Attention was specially directed to those 
attacking the potato and wheat, and allusion was made to the so-called 
