PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
261 
to many of the younger members of the club, and that they might be 
given without in any way interfering with the freedom of the general 
body of members during the evening. 
Mr. Ingpen called the attention of the meeting to the method of 
mounting test-objects by Dr. Edmunds, and exhibited by him at the 
previous meeting. The slide was made of cedar, and had a round hole 
cut through the centre. The diatom or scale was placed upon a piece 
of the thinnest microscopical glass attached by gum to a diaphragm of 
thin bank-post paper, and covered by another piece of thin glass ; the 
paper was then gummed to the wood slide. The advantage of this was 
that the thinness of the paper enabled the object to be readily examined 
with a high power from either side, whilst the elasticity given was 
sufficient to secure both object and objective from the danger of 
fracture. 
Mr. MTntire made a short communication descriptive of the larvae 
of the cat flea, which he exhibited in the room. 
Mr. J. G. Waller read a paper “ On a new British Sponge, of the 
genus Microcyona,” for which he proposed the name of M. Bihamigera. 
The specimens — which had been found in a deep cleft in the red sand- 
stone rock in Torbay — were minutely described, and their specific 
differences from known species were pointed out, and illustrated by 
diagrams and by a portion of the sponge itself. 
Mr. Charles Stewart, at the request of the President, gave an 
interesting resume of the general characteristics of the Spongkhe, 
fully illustrating his remarks by drawings upon the black-board. 
The President said, that on looking at the drawing of the new 
species described by Mr. Waller it seemed to be familiar to him, but he 
could not clearly recollect whether or not he had seen it at Dr. Bower- 
bank’s, or whether it was figured in the fourth volume of his ‘ British 
Spongidas,’ the plates for which were prepared before the author’s 
death. He hoped that some of the members of the club would be 
induced to give their attention to the subject of sponges ; the field for 
research was a very wide one, and at present it had few, if any, British 
investigators. 
The thanks of the meeting were then unanimously voted to Mr. 
Waller and Mr. Stewart, and after a few observations from the Secre- 
tary, in further explanation of the proposed “ elementary gossips ” to 
be held at their intermediate meetings, the proceedings terminated 
with a conversazione, at which a number of interesting objects were 
exhibited. 
The New Cross Microscopical and Natural History 
Society. 
President’ s Address. 
The annual meeting of the above Society was held in the Lecture- 
room, New Cross Public Hall, on the evening of the 8th of November, 
J. Taylor, Esq., President, in the chair. An interesting report was 
