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when out of focus was shown to be entirely illusive when 
the surface was accurately examined. 
Mr. Nasmyth, to whom he had sent specimens, compared 
these bodies to the planets (on the nebular hypothesis) 
thrown off centres of intense heat. 
Mr. Linton read the following paper “On a sample of 
sand from Dogs Bay, Connemara, skimmed from the surface 
of the sea by Mr. Glover, in July, 1866.” 
While examining various samples of sand brought at 
different times from Dogs Bay it has frequently occurred to 
me that each packet is very perceptibly different from the 
others in the forms of Foraminifera which preponderate, 
and that, while certain forms are common in some of the 
samples, they appear to be altogether absent from others. I 
have very little doubt that these differences depend on the 
time of year at which such gatherings were made, and 
whether they were taken from the shore or skimmed from 
the surface of the sea, those obtained by the surface skim- 
ming always yielding the most perfect specimens. The 
samples which I had before examined were none of them at 
all to be compared for richness with that obtained by the 
late Mr. Parry by skimming the surface of a piece of water 
on the higher part of the shore, and to which he gave the 
name of Burns’ Pool. I have prepared a slide containing 
all the forms found in it, and this I have now brought for 
exhibition. 
Mr. Glover kindly collected fresh samples of sand for me 
in July last, and again in December. The latter gathering 
was from the shore, and though it contained a great variety 
of objects, the more delicate of them were in many cases 
broken or worn. The July sample, obtained by skimming 
from the surface of the sea, and unfortunately procurable 
only in very small quantity, is that to which I wish par- 
ticularly to draw your attention, as it consists of more perfect 
