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FIELD CLUB WORK IN THE NORTH. 



Annual Report and Proceedings of the Belfast Naturalists' 

 Field Club, for the year ending 31st March, 1S95 (thirty-second 

 year). Belfast : Printed for the Club, by A. Mayne & Boyd. Price 

 of extra copies to members, 2s. 



This publication has just been issued, in the shape of a well-printed 

 volume of over 200 pages, of which half is devoted to the Proceedings of 

 the Club, and half to a " Supplement to the Flora of the North-east of 

 Ireland," being one of the series of scientific memoirs relating to the 

 natural history or archaeology of their district which this vSociety issues 

 from time 10 time. Just thirty years ago the Belfast P'ield Club issued 

 their first report, an eight-page pamphlet, covering two years' work — a 

 contrast to the present stout volume, which indicates the growth of 

 this Club during the intervening period. From the Committee's report 

 we learn that the membership now stands at 516, being by far the highest 

 number ever reached. The principal events of the summer were a joint 

 excursion with the Dublin Field Club in June, a week's visit of the North 

 Staffordshire Field Club to Belfast during the same month, and a three- 

 day excursion to North Donegal in July. The formation of the Irish 

 Field Club Union, which is already bearing good fruit, is referred to as 

 calculated to work for the general benefit of all the Clubs concerned. The 

 list of papers read at the winter meetings looks at first sight varied and 

 representative of the several branches 'of the Club's work, but on anal3'sis 

 we find that seven papers deal with geology, only two with zoology 

 (and of these the titles alone are given in the Proceedings), none with 

 botany, and the remaining five with literature, art, ethnography, &c. 

 This weakness in zoology and botany is certainly to be regretted, in view 

 of the immense amount of work still required in the North in these 

 departments. 



In the reports of the excursions also, which occupy 21 pages, the same 

 weakness is conspicuous ; not half-a-dozen animals, nor more than a score 

 of plants are recorded as having been found by the members on their 

 nine field-days, and as a matter of fact almost the whole of this small 

 list was supplied by members of the Dublin Club on the joint excursion 

 to the Boyne. The cause of this deficiency in field-work appears to be 

 that the Belfast Club is suffering from a plethora of members. 

 Is this Society doing more work now than during the many 

 years when the membership ranged from 200 to 300.'^ We doubt it. It 

 is certainly doing less field-work on its excursions, and the importance 

 of maintaining the esprit de corps on these summer trips cannot be over- 

 estimated; picnicking and consequent demoralization are always ready 

 to swoop down on the unwary Field Club that allows its excursions to 

 degenerate into pleasure-trips. When we read of 120 members having 

 attended the driving excursion to Langford Lodge — well known as 

 a " show place " — we are not surprised to find that absolutely 



