PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 
679 
round, and also keeps it pressed down, so that the material shall rise 
truly. The material can be changed more rapidly than in most instru- 
ments of the kind, as well as with less wear.” 
The thanks of the Society were voted to Mr. C. Lees Curties, 
to Mr. Swan, and to Prof. J. W. Groves, for their exhibits. 
The President called the attention of the Fellows present to five 
photomicrographs of the larvae of gnats, taken from life by Mr. J. T. 
Holder. They were very beautiful productions, and particularly re- 
markable as having been taken, not from mounted specimens, but from 
the living objects. 
The President said it had often been remarked there that there was 
nothing new under the sun, and he had lately come across an old Gillett 
condenser, dated July 20th, 1849, which had an adjustment to it. They 
all thought, a short time ago, that a condenser wfith an adjustment-collar 
was something quite new ; but here it was in this old piece of apparatus. 
Its range certainly was exceedingly small, not more than the adjustment 
to an ordinary objective, and suitable only for a cover-glass ; but in those 
days test objects were often mounted between cover-glasses attached to a 
wooden slip with a hole in it. He had found a description of it in the 
second edition of ‘ Quekett on the Microscope,’ published in 1852, but it 
was not mentioned in the first edition of 1848. 
Dr. H. C. Sorby’s paper, ‘On the Preparation of Marine Worms as 
Microscopical Objects,’ was read by the President, who expressed the 
great regret that was felt on account of the author’s inability to be present 
that evening to read the paper himself. The subject was illustrated by 
a number of very beautifully mounted slides exhibited under Microscopes 
in the room. 
On the motion of the President, a vote of thanks was passed to 
Dr. Sorby for his paper. 
The attention of the Meeting was then directed to an exhibition of 
Foraminifera provided for the purpose by Mr. Earland, and shown under 
a large number of Microscopes upon the table, with written descriptions 
in which the chief points of interest in each slide were explained. 
The thanks of the Society were cordially voted to Mr. Earland for 
arranging this very excellent exhibition. 
The following Instruments, Objects, &c., were exhibited;— 
The President : — Set of Three Simple Hand-Microscopes, sent for 
exhibition by Mr. Edward Swan ; a Gillett’s Achromatic Condenser. 
The Secretary : — A Hand-Microtome, sent for exhibition by Prof. J. 
W. Groves. 
The Society: — Eight Slides of Marine Worms, sent by Dr. Sorby to 
illustrate his paper. 
