1903- Proceedings of Irish Societies, 19 



BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL 



SOCIETY. 



December 2.— Prof. Redfern in the chair. The Secretary (R. M. 

 Young) aunounced a number of donations to the museum. 



Prof Gregg Wii^SON, D.Sc, read a paper entitled "Recent Fishery 

 Research." He pointed out the great importance of our fisheries, ai:d 

 traced the progress of research on fish development, and on the fauna of 

 the deeper waters. The dangers of over-fishing were referred to, and the 

 establishment of hatcheries advocated. 



Prof, Symington moved a vote of thanks to Professor Gregg Wilson 

 for his lecture. He thought it was appropriate that they should consider 

 on that occasion what should be done in connection with their own 

 fisheries. With the exception of what was being done on the Western 

 Coast there were absolutely no scientific investigations being conducted 

 in any part of Ireland with regard to that question. In connection with 

 that Society something might be done in the way of showing an example 

 to the rest of Ireland. There was no diificulty in getting a suitable site 

 for starting a modern laboratory. 



Rev. D. A. Pqrves, in seconding the motion, was sure that in Prof. 

 Gregg Wilson not only Queen's College, but the city of Belfast, had 

 received a great acquisition. He concurred with the suggestion that 

 had been thrown out, and he did trust that the outcome of that meeting 

 would be that steps would be taken to instal a modern laboratory in the 

 region of Belfast. 



The motion was carried and suitably conveyed by the Chairman, who 

 referred to the time when many of the most eminent naturalists of Great 

 Britain belonged to the North of Ireland. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



November 12 — Opening Conversazione. — The winter session was 

 opened by a successful conversazione in the Exhibition Hall. The 

 attendance exceeded 300. Tea was served from seven till eight o'clock. 

 Microscopes were made the leading feature of the evening, the following 

 members exhibiting :— Miss Mary K. Andrews — Volcanic ash from St, 

 Vincent ; igneous rocks. John Donai^dson— Pond life. W. D. Donnan 

 — Sections illustrating the structure of the body. W11.1.IAM Gray^ 

 M.R.I.A. — A cabinet of microscopic preparations, illustrating a wide 

 range of subjects— animal, vegetable, and mineral: methods of prepara- 

 tion and mounting were explained. Henry Hanna, B.Sc— Parasites 

 of man. Ai,Ex. Mii,i,igan— Plant spores. H. M'Ci.EERY— Insect pre- 

 parations and rotifers. Robert Patterson, M.R.I.A.— Marine larvae. 

 Miss C. Patterson— Live specimens, J. St. J. Phii,i,ips— Rock sections. 

 Cecii. Shaw — Sections of the larynx, Adam SpEERS, B.Sc— Rock sec- 

 tions, Wm, Swanston, F.G.S— Fossil sections. James Stei^fox, C.E. 

 —Miscellaneous, Joseph Wright, F,G.S.~Foramiuifera of the Boulder- 

 clay of Woodburn, Carrickfergus. Messrs. Lizars had a fine exhibit of 



