Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-15
A FINE EXHIBITION

Given By the MicroscOpicaI SOciety-A Union
of Scientific Orgsniznrions Not Favored,
but nn Academy is-some CurIosities.
The meeting of the Iron City Microscop-
ical Society in the ladies' parlor of the Pitts
burg Library, last night, was more than usu-
ally interesting, although the entire pro-
gramme was not given, Dn T. L. Hazards s
paper on "The Blood" not being forthcom-
ing. There was fine microscopical display
of blood corpuscles, human and reptilian,
however, so that the blood exhibit was not
failure even in DR.. Hazards absence,
and in addition Mr.. G. G. Mellor read
sketch of the life of Leeuwenhoek,
blooded gentleman of the seventeenth CEN
tury, who not only distinguished himself by
becoming one of the most eminent scientists
this world has ever produced, but who
worked his way to the summit of fame with
out much preliminary education to speak
OF, and by the aid of microscopes that would
appear very crude to-day. Mr.. Leeuwen-
hook learned some things about blood that
Harvey didn't.
Mr.. W. J. Prentice exhibited an extens-
i've array of specimens of marine inverte-
brate animals collected by him at Woods
Holl, Mass, last summer. Laying aside
technical nomenclature, the collection con-
sisted of the thorn-backed ray of the skate
family; radiata, or star fish, or more COM
monty known as the fve-fngered Jack; sea
urchins, periwinkle shells, inhabited by
the hermit crab; sea eucumbers
jaws and tail of the horned shark, butter
fish, golden claralata, sponges, squids and
their eggs, lobster eggs, some of them par
TALLY Matched; sea spiders, creatures ap-
parently all legs; nymphonida, egg purses
OF the ray, stratifed sands and
clays of Gay Head, deposited
at an angle of 45 degrees and
eggs of the conch gotten from the Elizabeth
Islands, off the coast of Massachusetts,.
Mr.. Prentice carries with him pleasant
memories Of the old decayed seaport towns
of Massachusetts, which have flavor of the
seventeenth century. The Elizabeth Islands,
which are known there more familiarly by
their own names, are favorite haunts OF sea
gulls, whose eggs are gathered BY the ton
and eaten. One Of the islands is still in
habited by Indians, and they haul travellers
on OK carts.
Iu the exhibit of blood corpuscles was one
by Herbert Walker, of the menoponia-
Allegheniensis, or hell-bender, as fishermen
call it, a sort of lizard, or diminutive alli-
BdIOIs MT. Os Gs mllnOr naQ several
slides in exhibit of human blood corpuscles,
Mr.. c. C. Mellor, petrifed coral, and MIR. j.
II. McRoberts exhibited human flesh that
had fallen victim to the trichine. Though
the specimens have somewhat shrivelled BY
the alcohol in which they were preserved
the utterly dep-aved and ferocious charac-.
ter of the parasite could easily be gathered
from its appearance even when in liquor"
Mr.. G. G. Meller, from the Committee on
Federation, reported plan of union and of
the various scientific societies of the city,
and it was that a federation was not practi-
cable, but that an. academy of art and
sciences had been decided upon, a charter
prepared and now awaiting signatures. The
object was to secure suitable building as a
home for all the societies at cost that would
not be oppressive, where geological,
geological and other collections that had
been offered could be stored with safety,
lecture room provided, library, curiosities,
etc. Each society is to preserve its auton-
omy
Mr.. G. G. Minor advocated the adoption
of the report, stating that he was ashamed
to feel that city of the size and wealth of
Pittsburg was not better provided in this
respect, especially ashamed since what he
had seen in Buffalo. The report was in
dorzad