PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 31 



in one case, the iron-work of a fire-door was driven to a glow of heat which 

 illuminated the darkness all around ; there was danger here, and our young friend 

 had to run down a ladder, and open the furnace-door ; knowing his way, he ran 

 up quickly to the boiler, when instantly he heard a series of sharp blows below, and 

 under him, which astonished and somewhat alarmed him. The neighbourhood of 

 the factory was one of very doubtful repute, and our young friend concluded, 

 that thieves, from the next lane, had scaled some wall, and were terrifying 

 him away, so as to give them a clear course for their robbery. However, he, 

 firmly believing that misdoers are usually cowards, determined to see after the 

 plotter or plotters ; he lighted three or four candles, so as not to be benighted in his 

 work, and placing them in succession on his way, he approached the locality of 

 the noise, bearing a handy iron bar as his protection, and deeming his up-stairs 

 condition as a good vantage ground. He progressed he inspected all was silent ; 

 but when he came near the furnace-fire, he was met by a loud shot, like as if from 

 a pistol ; it was the iron furnace-door, which, in cooling from its red heat, and, at 

 the same time, shrinking, thus demonstratively taught him a lesson of acoustics 

 and general physics at the same time. 



The natural range of hearing, from grave to acute, is also a curious subject. 

 Wollaston tells us, I think, that he could not hear a bat's scream, it was too treble 

 for his auditorial powers. We must suppose that there are also sounds too grave 

 for other ears ; but the philosophy of acoustics is so wide a field that your ears 

 must content them with this superficial sketch on the subject at present. 



DUBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



JANUARY 12, 1855. 

 GILBERT SANDERS, Esq., M.R.I.A., in the Chair. 



The usual preliminary business being disposed of, Mr. Andrews laid on the table 

 the 8th volume of the Proceedings of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Li- 

 verpool, presented by the society ; and from himself, Notes on Irish Natural History. 



Mr. James Haughton then presented, from Dr. Kinahan, specimens of Crustacea, 

 from the Dublin coast ; Daubenton's bat (Vespertilio Daubentonji), captured in Kil- 

 dare, 1854, &c. 



Thanks having been returned for the donations, 



Dr. Farran read his paper 



ON PECTUNCTJLUS GLYCYMERIS, AND ON THE LOCAL RANGE OF MOLLUSCOUS 

 ANIMALS, TRACED WITH THE DREDGE. 



It may be within the recollection of some members present that I laid before 

 the Society the result of my examination, by the dredge, of Berterbie Bay, in the year 

 1844 ; and, although that communication extended to an unconscionable length, I 

 felt that many most interesting circumstances had been, of necessity, omitted, which 

 I then purposed, at a fitting opportunity, to bring under the notice of the Society, 

 when I had satisfied myself of the correctness of my views by a re-examination of 

 that interesting bay. In accordance with this determination, I have selected from 

 many subjects of high interest the history of the beautiful shell, Pectunculus glycy- 

 meris, specimens of which are placed before you, purposing to touch but slightly on 

 it as to its general distribution, but dwelling somewhat more particularly and at 

 greater length on its relation with Berterbie Bay and the shells associated with it in 

 that locality. Its history may be briefly given. It is laid down by the best autho- 

 rities on the subject as being an inhabitant of the European seas, attaining the size 

 generally of from two to two and a half inches in length, and nearly the same in 



breadth, increasing in intensity of colour as it approaches the south, and generally 

 covered with a thick, villous coat, from which it had, 



for a length of time, derived its 



