140 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 
like manner, they would most likely make a great bungle of it. When, 
however, the mounting was done as it had been by Dr. Sorby, the effect 
was far more efficient than that of the most excellent drawing or photo- 
graph. In some respects it might be possible to exhibit the structure of 
certain organs more intelligibly bv means of a drawing, but the perfec- 
tion to which Dr. Sorby had brought this method of preparation, rendered 
a specimen so shown, as an addendum to a drawing, one of the most 
beautiful things in the way of illustration that could be imagined. 
The President said he recollected seeing some of Dr. Sorby ’s work at 
the Linnean Society, and it struck him at the time what a great 6eld was 
opened up to them by this method, and what a wide scope of subjects it 
might embrace. They had listened to Dr. Sorby’s description with great 
interest, and those who knew him would be sure that, like everything 
else which he took up, this would be carried out to the greatest perfection 
possible. The idea of using what he might call a selective bleacher was 
one of the most useful ideas yet introduced in connection with the pre- 
paration of this class of objects. He should like to ask Dr. Sorby a 
question as to the method of killing these animals in cases where the 
alcohol might be injurious : Had he in such cases ever tried the sudden 
plunging into boiling water? It consolidated the blood plasma, and 
prevented the alteration in form and colour which a less rapid process 
sometimes failed to prevent. 
Dr. Sorby said he had never tried hot water, but he would do so, 
and was glad to have had the suggestion. At the same time some of these 
organisms were so very delicate that he was by no means sure they would 
stand boiling water: some of Ihe Nudibranchs, for instance, were so 
fragile that it was the most difficult thing to prevent them from being 
injured by even the most careful means. 
A vote of thanks to Dr. Sorby for his extremely interesting communi- 
cation was proposed by the President and carried by acclamation. 
Mr. T. D. Ersser read the following note on a new method of show- 
ing the multiplied images formed by the compound eyes of insects. “ Cut 
a piece of mica about If in. in diameter, paint on it a red cross, 3/8 in. 
long each way, unscrew the top lens from the Abbe illuminator, screw 
in the rotating carrier, and place in mica plate. Then place slide on the 
stage of the Microscope, and by slightly adjusting the focus, and with 
careful illumination, the image will be seen in each focus sharp, bright, 
and clear ; also, by placing another image in the carrier on swinging 
arm, both images will be seen without any readjustment. By this 
arrangement, good results can be obtained with high pow r ers. This can 
be worked without the back lens, or with any Microscope having a sub- 
stage.” 
The thanks of the meeting were given to Mr. Ersser for his 
exhibit. 
The President reminded the Fellows that the next ordinary meeting 
—that of January 15th — would be their Annual Meeting, and he 
regretted to have to inform them that they would have to suspend the 
bye-laws in order to enable their present President to go on for another 
