26 DUBLIN UNIVERSITY 



and she had her gray hair hanging dishevelled on her back, her body 

 almost naked, more concealed by smut and smoke than by clothing. 

 As she stood on a dark black rock at the end of the cavern in the foam 

 of the subterrene cataract, I thought her more like the witches of ro- 

 mance than anything I had ever seen, as she waved her blazing wisps 

 of straw around her head, rendering the dark depths of the caves 

 partially visible. Tn the river running through this cave are trout, 

 which the people call holy fish. To try the effect of the echo, I fired 

 a pistol, at which the hag fell flat in squeamish nervousness. A fool, 

 who wanders in that region, and had come into the cave, said, ' Try a 

 shot at the trout.' I proceeded to load, and had scarcely commenced 

 when a dark cloud came over the sun, that had just been shining 

 brightly, and prevented our seeing the fish that had, an instant before, 

 been very conspicuous. I fired at random, and instantly the sun shone 

 out again, and there was the fish with his head to the stream quite un- 

 scathed. This curious coincidence, I am sure, must have added to the 

 faith of the country people who were looking on, and who would 

 probably have less compunction in committing a murder than in killing 

 one of these fish." 



From this the travellers made their way to Tuam, and thence to 

 Dublin, experiencing no greater annoyance than a miserable dinner, and 

 the inconvenience of six in a coach, including an old woman with a hen 

 under her arm ! 



In 1836 Mr. Ball attended the meeting of the British Association 

 at Bristol, and there met for the first time Amelia Gresley Hellicar ; to 

 this lady, the daughter of Thomas Hellicar, Esq., merchant, of Bristol, 

 he was afterwards married. In the spring of 1837 he had an attack of 

 scarlatina, which left behind it so great a weakness of the eyes as to 

 oblige him to abandon all business, and give them total rest. This he 

 did by going for a month to his father's house in Youghal. Later in 

 the year he spent some time with scientific friends at Paris ; and, after 

 taking part in the Liverpool meeting of the Association, proceeded to 

 Bristol. There his marriage took place on the 21st September of that 

 year. 



A letter to his father, dated in 1837, mentions that he had been 

 appointed one of the Secretaries of the Zoological Society of Ireland. 

 From that time forward, during all the vicissitudes of the next twenty 

 years, he never slackened nor wavered in his efforts for its welfare, and 



