pleasure of seeing and examining the microtome, and it seemed to him to be a most perfect and useful little instrument.

The President considered one of its advantages to be that it maintained the temperature at the same point for a much longer period than most others.

Dr. P. Herbert Carpenter gave an account of his views respecting the nervous system of the Crinoidea, which he illustrated by diagrams drawn upon the board, and by numerous preparations exhibited under Microscopes. He directed attention more particularly to the branches from the axial cords of the skeleton, which extended upwards into the ventral perisome at the sides of the ambulacra both of the arms and of the disk. The material was chiefly derived from the collection of the Challenger' expedition, and the results when complete will be embodied in the volume in course of preparation.

Dr. Carpenter, C.B., said he was very glad that his son had brought this subject forward, because it formed an extremely good illustration of the value of microscopical investigation where important questions had to be determined. In this instance a great deal hung upon the point whether these cords were nerves or not; for if they were, then it was clear that the whole of their present system of classification of Echinodermata must undergo revision, because all morphologists had been trying to show the analogy of this group to the star-fishes, of which they were considered to be only a family. He had, however, always held, from a careful study of them during the last thirty years, that the general structure of the crinoids was formed upon a plan very different from that of the star-fishes. Of the various arguments which his son had brought forward to prove the truth of that idea, the anatomical argument was the most important, as being a confirmation of what he had himself previously advanced; for it must be remembered that at the time to which he had referred, many things could not be demonstrated because they had not then known how to cut thin sections. Very early in his investigations he had found that a cord which had been discovered by Müller, and considered by him to be a nerve, was a genital rachis, which would develope afterwards according to the sex of the specimen. But by the adoption of thin section-cutting a flattened band was discovered beneath the ambulacral groove, which all the German observers, and Professor Huxley also, at once concluded to be the nerve, because a nerve ought to be there. In the star-fishes it certainly was so; but it was certainly not the only nerve in crinoids. He was early led to regard as a nerve a cord running continuously through the calcareous segments of the arm, and originating in a central organ in the base of the calyx. This organ, which is an expansion of the summit of the original crinoid stem, is divided into five chambers, from the outer walls of which proceed five radial branches; and these branches inosculate with each other laterally so as to form a circular commissure from which branches are given off to the arms, thus establishing a nervous connection amongst them all, of which no one could doubt the existence who has ever seen these feather-stars in the act of swimming, or simul

taneously coiling up their arms on irritation of the oral pinnules which arch over the mouth. He had experimented upon the matter in various ways. Having turned out the visceral sac, he passed a needle down and irritated this central organ, and immediately all the arms coiled up together. Again, he turned out the visceral mass entirely, thus getting rid of the centre of the ventral nerve-system, and put the animal-which then consisted of a mere skeleton-into the water; it swam just as well as before, with the same beautifully co-ordinated movements of its ten arms. He then tried the experiment of dividing this ventral nerve, but found that it did not paralyse any of the parts beyond. But when he removed the centro-dorsal cup containing the central organ of what he regarded as the dorsal nervous system, the whole of the arms were tetanized, from the contraction of the ligaments without any muscular antagonism. He then endeavoured to cut through this nerve without separating the arm; but was unable to do this successfully, as the animal threw off the arm at once. He therefore contrived to burn it away with nitric acid, and then found that the arm was paralysed.

These experiments, and the anatomical descriptions which his son had given, so entirely agreed that he thought there was no getting over the proof that the muscular apparatus of the arms of crinoids is put in action, not by a ventral nerve-system homologous with that of other Echinoderms, but by a dorsal nerve-system peculiar to themselves. He thought they were perfectly conclusive; and referring to the well-known story of George Stephenson and the cow, thought that if the homologists still persisted in going against the facts, so much the worse for the homologists. What, therefore they had to do was to ascertain exactly what was the true morphology of the crinoid; and it seemed to him that its most beautiful skeleton was more like that of the Vertebrata, because it was modelled upon a nervous system. The joints of the crinoidal stem, and all the segments of the rays which issue from its summit are penetrated by a canal for the nerve-cord; but this canal is not found in the dermal or accessory plates which constitute a large part of the skeleton of many fossil crinoids. The existence of this canal became, therefore, of great importance; if it was a canal for the passage of & nerve, then it became a fundamental feature in the organization of a crinoid. The crinoids were exceptional also for the wonderful activity of their movements; no star-fish certainly had anything like the activity or co-ordinated movements of a crinoid. He thought, then, that they ought to say that the skeleton which incloses the nervous system is the fundamental basis of the crinoid; and that there was but a very imperfect analogy between it and that of the starfishes. The question afforded, to his mind, a very important lesson as to not allowing theory to go against fact; and also that microscopical examination was of the greatest value in the determination of questions of this kind.

Dr. Matthews inquired what reagents were employed by Dr. P. H. Carpenter in the preparation of his specimens.

Dr. P. H. Carpenter said he had used hæmatoxylin sometimes, also osmic acid, or picro-carmine or borax-carmine.

Herr H. Boecker's collection of slides of Bacteria, Bacilli, &c., exhibited in the room, were referred to by Mr. Crisp as one of the best yet seen in this country.

Mr. Crisp exhibited a curious Microscope, with a sliding nosepiece for three objectives, marked" Joseph Brum, Opticus in Instituto Bononie, F.A., 1772," but identical (except the nose-piece) with plate II. in the 4th edition of G. Adams, sen.'s treatise on the Microscope (1771). The nose-piece was an anticipation of the plan adopted in more modern times in the Harley Microscope and others. He also exhibited the two Microscopes by Reichert and the apparatus mentioned in the list of exhibits.

Mr. Griffith's multiple eye-piece was exhibited by Mr. Crisp, and discussed by Dr. Matthews, Mr. Powell, and others.

Mr. Crisp mentioned that notice had been received that the American Society of Microscopists would hold their annual meeting at Rochester, N.Y., on the 19th of August next, and as their President, one of the Vice-Presidents (Mr. Glaisher), and a member of the Council (Mr. A. W. Bennett), were going to Canada, the Council had resolved, subject to the confirmation of the Fellows, to ask them to attend the meeting as a deputation from this Society.

The proposal having been put to the meeting, was approved unanimously.

The following Letter and Report were read and ordered to be entered on the minutes:

"New York, March 31st, 1884.

DEAR SIR,-At a regular meeting of the New York Microscopical Society, held on the evening of the 21st instant, at No. 64, Madisonavenue, the report of the Committee appointed to present in a formal manner the sentiments of the Society in view of the death of Mr. Robert B. Tolles was read and accepted. On motion it was ordered that a copy of said report be sent to the 'American Monthly Microscopical Journal' and the Royal Microscopical Journal.' I have the honour herewith to enclose a copy as stated.

Mr. Frank Crisp, Sec. Royal Microscopical Society.

I am, &c.,

EDWARD G. Day,
Cor. Sec."

"Your Committee, appointed at the meeting held December 21st, to present in a formal manner the sentiments of the Society, in view of the death of Mr. Robert B. Tolles, find in the remark made by Mr. William Wales at that meeting a fitting and satisfactory expression of said sentiments. Mr. Wales said in substance :

"The death of Mr Tolles has been to me a source of deep regret. For modesty, for uprightness, for earnestness of purpose, he was one of the most estimable of men. A larger capacity than his, a firmer

and finer skill, a more artistic feeling, a sterner conscientiousness, has seldom, if ever, been devoted to the work of making the Microscope a thoroughly efficient and trustworthy aid in scientific research. The fortunate owner of one of his fine lenses possesses one of the most exquisite pieces of mechanism ever produced by the mind and hand of man. Mr. Tolles loved his beautiful art. He loved it better than riches; for he died a poor man. He loved it better than life; for its pursuit, necessitating the constant inhalation of glass dust, shortened his days. The labours of such a man entitle him to the lasting esteem and gratitude of all lovers of the Microscope, as well as of that field of investigation to which this instrument is the indispensable portal.'”

Mr. B. W. Thomas's slides of sand obtained by washing clay from the boulder-drift of Meeker county, Minn., U.S.A., were explained by Mr. Crisp. In similar specimens, Professor Leidy had recognized some well-preserved and characteristic Foraminifera, of which two forms appeared identical with Textularia globulosa and Rotalia globulosa, now living in the Atlantic Ocean. The fossils Mr. Thomas supposes to be derived from a soft yellow rock, cretaceous shale and lignite forming part of the drift. He also reports the finding of fragments of marine diatoms in the clay.

The following Instruments, Objects, &c., were exhibited :-
Dr. C. H. Golding-Bird:-Microtome.

Mr. H. Boecker:-Slides of Bacteria, Bacilli, &c.

Mr. Chadwick:-Halecium halecinum, mounted as described ante,

p. 151.

Mr. Cheshire:-Curious form of Spirillum.

Mr. Crisp:

(1) Old Microscope.

(2) Reichert's Microscope, with modified Abbe Condenser.

3) Reichert's Polarization Microscope.

(4) Griffith's Multiple Eye-piece.

(5) Glass Frog-plate.

(6) Getschmann's Slides of arranged Diatoms, &c.

Bradley's "Mailing Boxes."

Miss Dancer:-Objects found in flue-dust and coal-ash.

Mr. Guimaraens:-The slide of Xanthidium exhibited at the last meeting.

Mr. A. W. Stokes :-Fish-trough.

Mr. B. W. Thomas:--The slides mentioned supra.

Dr. G. C. Wallich:-A Rotalian from closed flint nodular cavity metamorphosed into chalcedony.

New Fellows:-The following were elected Ordinary Fellows:Messrs. Henry W. Fuller, H. A. Johnson, M.D., James C. Stodder, H. Thomas, M.D., and G. F. Turton.