244 September, 



IRISH SOCIETIES, 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a Mongoose from Miss Plews, three Kestrels from 

 Mr. J. B Martin, a Badger from Sir J. F. Dillon, a West African Crocodile 

 from Mrs. Graham, a vSooty Mangabey from Capt. H R. Stinke, a 

 Marmoret and pair of Guinea Pigs from Miss S. Jameson, a pair of 

 vSquirrels from Mr. G. C. Townsend, and a Surocate from Miss H. Riall. 

 Three golden Agoutis have been born in the Gardenr,, and a Bonnet 

 Monkey, a Mangabey, and a white-throated Capuchin Monkey have 

 been purchased. 



The pair of young Giraffes and the young Lioness from the Soudan, 

 given by vSir Reginald Wiugate, have arrived safely at the Gardens, and 

 are now on view to the public. We earnestly hope that the request of 

 the Council to visitors not to offer food to the Giraffes will be attended 

 to. With care and patience, it is to be hoped that these beautiful 

 animals may grow to maturity in their Irish home. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



May 13.— The Club met at Leinster House. 



Mr. F. W. Moore; showed a petal of a very small, unnamed species of 

 Cirrhopetalum from the Himalaya. The petal is very minute, brightly 

 coloured, and fringed with remarkable branching black hairs, which 

 are irregularly toothed. 



Mr. G. H. Carpenter showed specimens of the trilobite Triarthrus 

 Beckii recently received by the National Museum from the Ordovician 

 rocks of Rome, New York State, U.S.A. These specimens show dis- 

 tinctly the simple anteunules and the biramous body-limbs which are 

 believed to have been present in all the trilobites, showing their 

 close relationship to the typical Crustacea. 



Mr. Greenwood Pim showed a curious black mould on Laurel leaves 

 from Mr. Walpole's garden at Mount Ussher, Co. Wicklow. It consisted 

 of stiff dark-brown bristles, arising from a small circular base, which did 

 not seem to get below the epidermis, and suggested an early stage of 

 a Gnoinonia or Valsa. Encrusting each bristle was a coating of sugary- 

 looking material, doubtless crystallized " Honej'^-dew," from which 

 emanated the mycelium of some other fungus. At first sight the sooty 

 coating on the Laurel leaves was mistaken for Capnodutn or Fiiniago, from 

 which it is quite distinct, tliough resembling it in its epiphytic, rather 

 than parasitic, character. 



Mr. W. F. GuNN exhibited sections of the epidermis of the seeds of 

 Collomia cocciuea, one of the Polemoniacese. The outer coat or testa of 

 the seed consists of numerous elastic spiral fibres, embedded in cells 

 composed of a gummy substance, which is insoluble in spirit. On the 

 application, however, of water, the cell substance readily dissolves, the 

 spiral fibres are released, and uncoil themselves in a most interesting 

 manner. 



