2 The Irish 'Naturalist. January^ 



Microscopical Club, and the Cork and Armagh Naturalists' 

 Field Clubs, accorded a hearty welcome to the new magazine^ 

 The editors reminded us that a study of natural science 

 has a most important bearing on the industries of the 

 countr}'^ and that they hoped by spreading scientific 

 information and encouraging scientific tastes, to have some 

 influence for good on the labours of the people generally. 



In a scientific journal like the Irish Naturalist with a 

 necessarily small circulation neither the editors nor the 

 contributors receive any remuneration. Their labour is- 

 given free of charge because they are keenly interested in 

 spreading a taste for natural history among the people and 

 because they enjoy work which advances our knowledge of 

 nature. During the thirty years' existence of the journal 

 many articles and notes of the greatest interest have been 

 published. Scores of species of animals and plants new to 

 science have been described in its pages and hundreds 

 that had not previously been recorded from this country. 

 At the conclusion of the twenty-fifth volume an author 

 index was published, and anyone who is anxious to know 

 the names of the contributors and the subjects of their 

 contributions in the twenty-five volumes can refer to it. 

 I need, therefore, only give a general survey of the subjects 

 dealt with and mention the names of a few of the more 

 prominent authors. 



Natural Hibtory in a wide sense includes Zoology^ 

 Botany and Geology, and nearly all the papers that appeared 

 in the thirty volumes can be easily grouped under these 

 three headings. A few are of wider scope or are only 

 indirectly connected with these subjects. Mr. Praeger was 

 chiefly instrumental in bringing about an Union of the 

 various Irish Naturalists' Field Clubs. This Union met 

 from time to dme at different places when subjects of 

 scientific interest were discussed, and special observations 

 were made on the natural history and archaeology of the 

 district. Full reports of these conferences were published 

 in the Irish Naturalist. The journal also contains most 

 valuable reviews of the natural history books issued 

 during the past thirty years and reports of the Proceedings 

 of all the Irish natural history societies. The Royal Irish 



