i6!i June, 



IRISH SOCIETIES, 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include four Badgers from Mr. R. J. Ussher and Mr. M. 

 H. Foy ; a number of Mirror Carp from Mr. B. J. Clibborn ; a Macaque 

 from Mrs. Morris ; and two Boa Constrictors from Sir Bryan Leighton. 

 The Sirdar of the Egyptian Army has intimated his desire to present a 

 Giraffe to the Society. A fine pair of young Orang-utans have been 

 received in exchange for a pair of young Lions. They are the only 

 specimens of this interesting Anthropoid Ape at present living in the 

 British Islands, and they should attract many visitors to the Dublin 

 Gardens. A number of subscriptions have been received towards 

 repairing the damage caused by the recent storm. * 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



Aprii* 8. — The Club met at Leinster House. 



Mr. WiivivOUGHBY D, Dade exhibited Cristatella mticedo. This 

 Polyzoon differs but little from Lophopus shown at the previous meeting 

 of the Club, except that it is truly locomotive, and is remarkable as 

 being the only species of the Polyzoa, marine or fresh water, which 

 possesses such powers. The speciuiens shown had been only recently 

 hatched from " statoblasts," and were possessed of but one or two 

 polypides. As the season advances, however, the colony increases by 

 gemmation, and ultimately Cristatella looks like a small caterpillar, 

 covered with beautiful horseshoe-shaped plumes, the whole being as 

 AUman states, " an object which, in elegance, can hardl}- be surpassed." 



Mr. Moore exhibited some of the floral leaves of minute Orchids 

 to illustrate the distribution of the coloured portions in the flower. 

 From examination of a large numoer, it was found that colouring 

 occurred in local patches, in lines following the veins, or in papillae 

 above the surface of the floral leaf Specimens, to illustrate these three 

 modes of colour distribution, were shown. 



Mr. M'Ardi,E exhibited Lejeunta hamati/olia, Hooker, which was col- 

 lected by Mr. J. Hunter on damp rocks by the River Trillick, Buncrana, 

 Co. Donegal, in March last. He also showed specimens found on 

 Connor Hill, Co. Kerr}', bearing the curious perianths, which are five- 

 angled ; the angles are setose-spiuose, and are rarely seen. The species 

 is easily identified by the long acuminate, serrated, antical lobe of the 

 leaf. The plant is interesting as being the British representative of the 

 American sub-genus Drepanolejeunea, of which Dr. Spruce describes eight 

 species in his " Hepaticse of the Amazon and Andes." He also showed 

 a copy of Mr. Alexander Evans' " Hepaticee of Puerto Rico," a reprint 

 from the Bulletin of the Torrey Club, January, 1903, which deals with 

 Drcpanolejeunea in which ten species are described with six plates. 



