PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 
575 
although they had just heard of some which came alive from South 
Africa and yet died during postage in England. 
Mr. Michael said that the Acari would generally travel quite well 
under any conditions which provided against their becoming dried up, 
it being an absolute condition of life with them that they should be kept 
to a certain degree moist. If put into a tin box with a little damp moss 
they would often do well, or the more delicate kinds would come safely 
upon the fleshy bulb of a plant ; he had received them quite in good 
condition in this way from Australia and New Zealand. They would 
also come over quite well alive on the bulbs of orchids, especially if a 
little moisture was also put into the box. With Ixodes it was not quite 
the same, they would not need such careful treatment. 
Mr. T. Charters W hite said a common method of keeping tobacco 
damp was by putting a slice of raw potato with it, perhaps something 
of that kind would answer the purpose. 
The President thought that many of the Acarina were so delicate 
that it would be necessary to pack them in something quite soft ; he 
should suggest wet moss as being a suitable material. 
Mr. G. C. Karop thought that potato had such a way of getting 
mouldy that it would be very objectionable and would be most likely to 
fill the box with mycelium long before it arrived. 
Mr. Curties said his idea in asking the question was to get some sug- 
gestion conveyed by means of the Journal to correspondents abroad as to 
how they might best send home specimens for examination. If they 
knew what to do they might be induced to send things more frequently, 
which might prove very useful additions to their 4 Proceedings,’ when 
examined and described as in the case before them. 
The President said he quite agreed with Mr. Curties, who he thought 
had done a good thing in bringing the matter forward ; many subjects 
of great interest might arise from objects sent over by those who were 
residing abroad, and he hoped that their attention would be drawn to 
the utility of doing so by seeing the suggestion in the Journal. 
Mr. E. M. Nelson said he wished to call attention to rather an im- 
portant point connected with the credit of the Society as maintained by 
its Journal. Things were put into the Journal for two reasons, either 
because they were of scientific value or because they were matters for 
ridicule. Now in the number just issued there was an article headed 
“ A New Construction for the Microscope ” detailing something which 
Dr. A. Lendl had been discovering, as if it was something of wonder- 
ful value, although as a matter of fact it was a principle which had 
been condemned over and over again, and there was nothing new what- 
ever about it. It was a plan for putting one Microscope over another 
and so examining the image formed by one objective by means of 
another objective and compound Microscope instead of with an ordinary 
eye-piece. He could only say that any conclusions as to structure 
formed upon what was seen by such an arrangement as that, would be 
utterly misleading and valueless — indeed they might just as well go 
out and buy a penny Microscope in the street and then say they had 
made a lot of wonderful discoveries with it. He protested against such 
