Proceedi7igs of Irish Societies. 345 



Dubinin Naturai^ists' Field Ci^ub. 

 October 12. — The Club held its last excursion of the year. A party of 

 23 members and visitors proceeded by the 10.30 train to Malahide, where 

 cars were in readiness to convey them through vS words to Brackenstown, 

 where the extensive grounds of Brackenstown House were entered, by 

 kind permission ofD. J. O'Callaghan, D.L. The special object of the 

 excursion was to examine the fungus flora of the neighbourhood, and 

 under the scientific guidance of Greenwood Pim, M.A., andProfessor K. J. 

 M'Weeney, M.D., members were soon busih' engaged in collecting these 

 lowly plants. The almost complete absence of the larger fungi, such as 

 agarics, was quite remarkable, as this is just the time of year when they 

 usually most abound ; but of smaller kinds a rich harvest was obtained. 

 Every rotten twig and log, every decaying leaf, was carefully examined, 

 and the result was a large collection of tiny plants. On the return 

 journey time permitted a short stop at Swords to examine the round 

 tower and other antiquities, and the party then proceeded to Malahide, 

 where tea was provided. After tea a short business meeting was held, 

 Mr. Greenwood Pim in the chair, when the following were elected mem- 

 bers of the Club :— Dr. W. A. Dixon, Miss Mabel F. Elliott, B.A. : Charles 

 E. Howlitt, Mrs. Howlitt, and Miss C. Matheson. Mr. Pim subsequently 

 gave a short demonstration on the specimens obtained during the day, 

 and the party returned to town by the 7 o'clock train. A paper by Dr. 

 M'Weeney embodying the results of the day will appear in our January 

 number. 



November 5. — The Dublin Naturalists" Field Club inaugurated its 

 tenth winter session with a conversazione. There was a large 

 attendance of the members and their friends, and the interest of the 

 proceedings was enhanced by the presence of representatives of the 

 F'ield Clubs of Belfast, Cork, and Limerick. Scientific matters chiefly 

 occupied the evening, and a large and varied collection of objects of 

 scientific interest filled the library and lecture hall. The President 

 (G. H. Carpenter) showed the Mitchelstown Cave fauna and also rare 

 insects and spiders taken on the week's excursion, made by the combined 

 Field Clubs of Ireland to Gal way and Connemara in July. Indeed, the 

 results of this excursion were visible on every hand ; among the exhibits 

 resulting from that expedition being rare beetles (Mr. Halbert), Seaweeds 

 (Professor Johnson and Miss Hensman) ; Mosses and Liverworts (Mr. 

 M'Ardle) : Land Shells (Dr. Scharff'), and Flowering plants (Mr. R. 

 Lloyd Praeger). 



The Vice-President (Professor Cole) showed natural glass from the 

 volcano of Tardree, Co. Antrim, and also the first sheets of the 

 Geological map of Europe, now in course of publication by the Inter- 

 national Geological Congress. Mr. H. K. G. Cuthbert had a case 

 illustrating recent additions to the Irish insect fauna. Mr. A, H. P^oord, 

 F.G.S., exhibited a fine series of fossil shells of the Nautilus group, from 

 the Carboniferous limestone of Ireland. Professor Haddon, M.A., had 

 on view an exquisite set of water-c(5lour drawings of sea-anemones, 

 chiefly from the brush of P. H. Gosse. Dr. C. H. Hurst demonstrated 

 with a number of microscopes the metamorphoses of the gnat. Mr. 

 Lyster Jameson showed specimens of Irish bats and other Irish mam- 

 mals. Mr. A. V. Jennings showed lichens. Dr. M'Weeney demon- 

 strated fungus growth, with specimens of large and of microscopic size. 

 Mr. A. R. Nichols showed marine shells from Baltimore; and another 

 fine series of marine shells was shown by Mrs. Tatlow, who obtained 

 them in three days on Magilligan Strand, Co. Derry. Professor Sollas, 

 F.R.S., had on view maps showing the distribution of esker ridges in 

 Ireland, and also relief maps of Ireland, showing the relation between 

 the elevations of the country on the one hand, and glacial striae and 

 geological formations on the other. Dr. Creighton, of Ballyshannon, 

 showed a form of tow-net with which he has obtained good results on 

 Lough Erne, 



