PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 237 



Society for the summer recess. Ornithological facts, with the exception of Mr. 

 Andrew's highly-interesting paper on the membranaceous duck of Australia, had 

 occupied the attention of the Society very briefly during the late meetings ; but he 

 trusted a large accumulation of such would be in store for the ensuing session. He 

 thought that the following notes might prove interesting : — Walking on the shore 

 of Knocknagin, on the 3rd of April, 1854, he (Dr. Farran) saw eight or ten male 

 wheatears {Saxicola CEnanthe), in fine plumage, sitting on a little eminence or 

 sand-hill. It being a fine sun-shining day flies were abundantly about, on which 

 the wheatears were feeding, in the manner of the flycatchers, capturing the insect on 

 the wing, and immediately returning to the spot they left. They appeared fearless, 

 suffering you to approach within five yards, and remaining motionless until at- 

 tracted by their prey. It would appear, from such a number of male birds being 

 together, that they preceded the females in their migration. Another fact was, the 

 almost total disappearance of the brent goose (Anser Brenta) from the Dublin 

 markets. This bird, erroneously named bernicle, has hitherto been abundant, and 

 much esteemed for its flavour. The winter was very severe, which usually brings 

 them in numbers to our shores. The cause of their disappearance should be in- 

 quired into. 



The Chairman then stated there were the names of some distinguished men that 

 had been approved of by the Council to be balloted for as Honorary Members. 

 He should mention that it was a rule of the Society that " No person residing in 

 Dublin, or within ten miles of it, can be elected as an honorary member of the 

 Society." 



Mr. Andrews, one of the secretaries, then stated that this meeting closed the ses- 

 sion for the season. The Society in its objects had endeavoured, throughout the 

 past session, to bring before its meetings subjects, original, useful, and instructive, 

 and more especially of value in practical points. The mere collecting of the objects 

 of the natural history of a country, or the records of their existence, are but limited 

 stages in the advance of the science ; our powers should be bent to trace causes of 

 existence, and the results, useful and practical, derivable from such causes. He 

 trusted that, during the recess, the members would aid these objects of the Society. 

 He also mentioned that it was proposed that the usual annual dinner should take 

 place, of which due notice would be given to the members. 



The Chairman then announced that the following gentlemen had been unani- 

 mously elected honorary members: — Colonel Sabine, F.R.S., President of the 

 British Association ; Thomas Bell, Esq., F.R.S., President of the Linnean Society; 

 Sir William Jackson Hooker, K.H., &c, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Kew ; Edward Newman, Esq., President of the Entomological Society ; J. O. 

 Westwood, Esq., Ex-President of the Entomological Society; Joshua Alder, Esq., 

 and C. E. Martin, Esq., Dublin Ordinary Member. 



The session was then adjourned to November. 



DUBLIN UNIVERSITY ZOOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. 



JUNE 17, 1854. 

 R. Ball, LL.D., President, in the chair. 



The following donations were received to the Library : — " Sigilla Ecclesia? Hiber- 

 nicai Illustrative," by R. Caulfield, Esq., A.B., Parts 1 and 2; "Walks after 

 Wild Flowers," by Richard Dowden, Esq., of Cork ; and the Natural History 

 Review, for April, by the editors ; the thanks of the Association were ordered to be 

 given to the donors. 



Dr. Ball read a paper on the Caprimulgidse and Hirundinidae, in reference to 

 the often-started query, as to whether the swallow truly migrated or remained with 

 us, in a torpid state, during the winter months. He mentioned, as an instance of 



