76 The Irish Naturalist, Marcib, 



ments the lecturers receive railway fare, a fee of one guinea, 

 and entertainment at the house of a member. Increase of 

 professional or business engagements is the reason usually 

 assigned for this. 



TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP. 



In 1895 the Union Committee agreed to ask the Clubs so to 

 amend their rules as to allow of a member of one Club trans- 

 ferring his membership to another Club without repayment of 

 entrance fee, on production of an adequate certificate of 

 membership. This has been done by the Club Committees, 

 and advantage has been taken of the arrangement by members 

 on a number of occasions. 



« 



RAILWAY FACILITIES. 



Arrangements have been made with the Great Northern, 

 Great Southern and Western, and Midland Great Western 

 Railways, by which a member of any of the affiliated Clubs, 

 travelling on Field Club business {i.e.^ Field Club Union 

 work, or scientific research not connected with his professional 

 or business engagements), can obtain return tickets at single 

 fare on these lines. These cheap tickets are issued on certi- 

 ficates signed b}' the Union Secretary-, and countersigned by 

 the Superintendent of the line. This concession has been of 

 much value in Field Club work, and has been availed of. not 

 only in connection with inter-Club visits, but in scientific 

 researches, such as those carried on by the Royal Irish 

 Academy Fauna and Flora Committee, and the British Asso- 

 ciation Irish Cave Committee ; it has also much aided 

 individual research. It is, of course, to be understood that this 

 arrangement with the railway companies does not apply to 

 short journeys. 



COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 



Owing to the wide dispersal of the members of the Union 

 Committee, frequent meetings are not possible. The most 

 convenient opportunit}^ that presents itself is the annual 

 conversazione of the metropolitan Club, held usually in the 

 first week in November. The Committee has also met on the 

 occasion of the triennial conferences. 



