ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL ASSOCIATION. 43 



given the highest attestation in his power of its merits, by using it in 

 the execution of most of the natural history diagrams for the Queen's 

 Colleges of Galway, Cork, and Belfast. 



As an example of Dr. Ball's readiness of resource, the following cir- 

 cumstance may be worthy of record :' — 



The writer of the present memoir had undertaken, at the request of 

 the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, to deliver, at 

 Marlborough-street, in November, 1845, a short course of zoological 

 lectures to the male and female teachers then attending their classes. 

 He had occasion to speak of the sea-jellies, sea-nettles, or jelly-fishes, 

 as they are termed ; and, recollecting that many of his auditors were 

 from the interior of the country, and had probably never seen one of 

 these animals, he felt some doubt as to how he could convey to them an 

 idea of their jelly-like appearance. In summer the shore of the bay 

 would have supplied thousands of illustrative specimens, but they were 

 not available in November. What was to be done ? He told his diffi- 

 culty to his friend Ball, at whose house he was then staying, and he at 

 once replied, "I'll make you a jelly-fish!" and a capital one he did 

 make. From Mrs. Ball's store-room he brought something which, when 

 boiled, furnished a transparent gelatinous substance. Whilst it was 

 boiling he cut from the purplish linen covering of one of the children's 

 school-books four pieces which represented the peculiar markings of the 

 most common species (Amelia aurita), poured out the gelatine into a 

 saucer, placed the purplish cuttings in their proper relative positions 

 ere his cookery had "set;" and thus in an hour he produced an im- 

 promptu jelly-fish, which answered admirably well the purpose for 

 which it was intended. 



He afterwards, by a mixture of gutta-percha and treacle, succeeded 

 in making casts of the more common star-fishes, and these, when coloured 

 after nature, formed excellent representations of the originals. As such, 

 a series of them would have been very useful for school museums, es- 

 pecially as they had a certain degree of flexibility, and might be handled 

 without being injured or broken. 



Any one who has been for some )'ears taking an active part in the 

 management of public societies of any kind will call to mind occasions 

 when some question of moment divided the opinions of its members, 

 and gave rise to animated discussions. When such questions sprung 

 up, Dr. Ball never shrunk from the advocacy of his opinions, no matter 



