1 6 8 The hish Na tu ya list. 



Dubinin Naturai^ists' Fiei^d Ci.ub. 



Aprii, 27th. — The first Excursion of the summer was made, when a 

 party of 33 members and visitors visited the neighbourhood of Portrane. 

 Proceeding to Donabate Station by the 1.30 train, no halt was made until 

 the shore was reached, where Prof. Sollas, F.R.S., who conducted during 

 the day, drew attention to the interesting geological features there dis- 

 played. At the southern extremity of the broad sandy beach that 

 stretches away up towards Rush are seen dark red conglomerates of the 

 Old Red Sandstone formation. These are succeeded b}^ a mass of dark 

 volcanic rock, the junction being unfortunately not visible. Further 

 south Ordovician slates appear, containing blocks and fragments of the 

 volcanic rock before-mentioned, and of limestone. Bands of limestone 

 interstratified with the slate next make their appearance, and the 

 limestone increases in quantit}- to the southward until it entirely replaces 

 the slate, and forms a bold cliff of hard rock, teeming with corals and 

 other fossils. The leading features of each of these ancient formations 

 were pointed out by Prof. Sollas, and many specimens were obtained. 

 Messrs. Colgan and Praeger collected flowering plants and noted, in 

 spite of the late season, several plants in bloom that are not usually seen 

 so early in the year, such as the Bugloss {Lycopsis at-veiisis), Storksbill 

 [Eroduim cicutariuiii), and Field Violet ( Viola ai~oensis). The rare Sea 

 Wormwood (^Artemisia inaritima), previously known to grew here sparingly 

 in one spot, was seen in abundance in several places on the cliffs ; on 

 the way to the shore a Water Ranunculus {R. b-icophylhts) was found 

 already in bloom ; the abundance of the Great Bank Sedge {Carex riparia) 

 in this neighbourhood was noted, and the rare typical form of the Blood- 

 veined Dock {Rii/fiex satiguhteus) was gathered. An examination of the 

 pebbles on the beach proved very instructive. Here, with pieces of con- 

 glomerate, slate, limestone, granite, and prett}^ pebbles of chain-coral 

 and other fossils, were fragments of volcanic rocks from the Carlingford 

 and Dundalk districts, flints from Co. Antrim, and abundance of the 

 peculiar granophyre which comes from the far-distant Ailsa Craig in 

 the Clyde. The party returned to Donabate through the fields and 

 woods, and caught the 6.55 train to town. 



Mrs. Ross, Rarc-an-ilan, Dalkey, was elected a member of the Club. 



Cork Naturai^ists' Fiei^d Ci.ub. -^ j/^ 



The annual meeting was held. May ist, in the Librar}', School of 

 Science and Art, Prof. Hartog, President, in the chair. The Secretary 

 (Mr. J. L. Copeman) read the report, which showed the Club had been 

 doing good work. The following excursions had taken place : Youghal, 

 Little Island, Quarries (Victoria Cross), Spike Island, Iniiishannon, the 

 Ovens—and a joint three days' excursion with the Dublin and Limerick 

 Clubs to Fermoy, Lismore, and Mitchelstown, on which some 36 went. 

 Full accounts of this excursion and its valual)le scientific results have 

 appeared in the Irish Naturalist, the monthly organ of the various Irish 

 Field Clubs. Several lectures were given during the year, including one 

 by Professor Grenville A. Cole, P\G.S.; Dublin College of Science, on 

 " The Story of the Rocks of Munster," and one by Joseph Wright, Esq., 

 F.G.S., of Belfast, on " Foraminifera." Both these were given under the 

 auspices of the Irish Field Club Union, and which has been formed 

 during the past year, and which is certain to prove in the future a great 

 stimulus to Field Club work all over Ireland. A course of four lectures 

 on Practical Botany was also given by Miss Martin, and it is expected that 

 during the coming year a course equally valuable will be given on some 

 other subject. The following officers were elected for the coming year : 

 — President: (Vacant); Vice-Presidents: Professor M. Hartog; W. H. 

 Shaw, M.E.; Thomas Farrington, M.A. ; Miss H. A. Martin, M.IiC.P. 



