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Show 1883.] PROF. F. J. BELL ON MICROSCOPICAL PREPARATIONS. 47 February 20, 1883. Prof. W. H. Flower, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. Professor F. Jeffrey Bell, F.Z.S., exhibited some microscopical preparations which he had lately obtained from the Zoological Station at Naples, and made the following remarks:- The business of preparing satisfactory microscopical specimens of animals is attended with the expenditure of so much time, and requires so remarkable a combination of skill and opportunity, that the warmest thanks of hard-worked zoologists and teachers are due to the Staff of the Zoological Station at Naples for the services they have already rendered in this regard. It seems, however, that the Station has now ceased to prepare these specimens ; and 1 do not now exhibit all that I asked Dr. Dohrn to be kind enough to send me, inasmuch as, in the words of Dr. Lang, " Die fehlenden Preparate sind leider nicht mehr auf Lager." The specimens asked for were selected with an especial view to the demonstration to students of forms that are with trouble, or never, to be found in, or on the shores of, this country, or which exhibit points in the history of the development of animals which the Naples series easily provided. I direct, therefore, especial attention to the lateral view of a complete Amphioxus, carefully stained, in which most of the salient points in the anatomy of that remarkable vertebrate may be satisfactorily made out, and which should be of interest to those zoologists who have had to be satisfied with the many unsatisfactory representations of that animal that are given in most of the text-books. Another example belonging to this series, is that curious parasite of the Comatulae, Myzostoma, the exact zoological position of which can hardly be said to be yet satisfactorily ascertained, notwithstanding the notable investigations of Dr. Graff. xAnother curious and difficult form is Sagitta; but the specimens do not, unfortunately, give a very satisfactory view of the " fins." Especial attention may be directed to the preparation of Pyrosoma, in which the four ascidiozooids and the remnants of the cyathozooid are to be made out; also to the Scyphistoma-stage of Cotylorhiza borbonica. Of the second series, I direct attention to the preparations of embryonic stages of the common Lizard, in the earlier of which the medullary groove is still open behind ; and to the segmenting ova and tbe gastrulae of Echinoderms. The other preparations now on the table exhibit various points of zoological or histological interest; and one and all present us with examples of manipulative skill of the highest order. Mr. J. J. Weir exhibited and made remarks on a supposed hermaphrodite specimen of Lycana icarus. |
