^ DUBLIN NATTJEAL HISTOEY SOCIETY. 



never succeeded until lately — the eggs never maturing — until he con- 

 structed a kind of hut with poles and fir branches over the nest, and with 

 this protection he succeeded in rearing young birds. Thunder or very 

 stormy weather was apt to destroy the young birds in the eggs unless 

 shelter was formed over the nest. Mr. Doyle wished for information on 

 these points from the experience of any of the members. 



Mr. Robert John Montgomery observed that the habits of the mute 

 swan had long been familiar to him, and that he had constantly seen the 

 male bird on the nest hatching. He was surprised to hear that any 

 difficulty had been experienced in hatching the eggs. He always found 

 them extremely prolific, and managed with very little care. 



Mr. R. P. Williams confirmed the fact of the male swan generally 

 assisting the female in her duties. 



Rev. E. O'Meara exhibited some most interesting specimens of or- 

 ganic remains from the Cambrian rocks of Bray Head, consisting of dia- 

 tomaceous frustules and spicules resembling those of sponges. The 

 specimen of rock operated on was given him by Dr. Carte, and seemed 

 to consist of a mass of Oldhamia, regularly matted together. He ex- 

 perienced much difficulty in operating on it, owing to the great quantity 

 of amorphous silica present, which it was impossible thoroughly to 

 remove. Every slide of the deposit he examined contained specimens of 

 diatoms as well as the spicules. 



Professor Kinahan thought it might be interesting to the Meeting to 

 know the exact locality of the specimen acted on. It was from the mass 

 of green beds described by him in the Journal of the Geological Society 

 of Dublin some time since, and were composed, as the Rev. Mr. O'Meara 

 had stated, of a matted mass of Old. radiata, which had evidently been 

 floated into some quiet nook of the Cambrian sea, and settled do\vn there, 

 the zoophytes bearing on their stems diatomaceous forms exactly as we 

 find their allies, the sertularian zoophytes of our own seas, loaded with 

 living forms of Diatomacere. Mr. O'Meara's discovery was one of great 

 importance, as everything which tended to throw light on the nature 

 of these ancient deposits was of great value to the geologist, and it being 

 found that at the present day diatoms of different and often distant 

 localities are identical, we may be, perhaps, able, by an examination of 

 similar deposits in Wales, to obtain another link in the chain of evidence 

 as to their identity or not with Irish Cambrians. 



Mb. Robeet John Montgomeey read the following — 



ON PECIILIAEITIES IN THE HABITS OF THE STABLING (STUENUS VULGAEIS). 



Many members present have, I dare say, witnessed the very remarkable 

 gathering of starlings {Sturnm vulgaris), for the purpose of roosting, 

 during the winter months, in the Gardens of the Royal Zoological So- 

 ciety in the Phoenix Park, and to which the late Dr. Ball first directed 

 attention, through the means of the public press, in March, 1845, esti- 

 mating their numbers at from 150,000 to 200,000. 



