22 The Irish Naturalist. [January, 



Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society. 



November 8. — The President of the Society, Thomas Workman, J.P., 

 opened the Session with an Inaugural Address, his subject being 

 " Incentives to the Study of Natural History. 1 " A vote of thanks was 

 passed to the President. Some recent valuable donations were on 

 exhibition. 



December 6. — A meeting was held in the Museum, when a paper was 

 read by Walter Chambers, C E. Subject — •■ Refuse Disposal and 

 Sewage Purification." The paper was illustrated by diagrams, etc , 

 and was followed by a discussion. 



December 13.— A special meeting was held when a paper was read by 

 Arthur J. Martin, Assoc. M. Inst. CE. (one of the Managing Directors 

 of the Septic Tank Syndicate, Ltd., Exeter), on : 'The Purification of 

 Sewage by Bacteria," illustrated by limelight views. A discussion 

 followed 



Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. 



November 15. — The President, Rev. C. H. Waddell, B.D., delivered 

 his inaugural address on " Plant Societies, and the Distribution of Plants 

 in N.E. Ireland." The lecturer said the social aspect of the life of 

 plants is an interesting study and aid to understanding the way in 

 which the genera and species are distributed. There is a striking 

 parallel between the process by which the races and societies of plants 

 have spread over the earth and the history of the races of men. An 

 account was then given of what may be called the ethnography of 

 plants. The flora of Ireland is mixed, not a pure race indigenous to the 

 soil. The main stock is British, but Ireland possesses in the South-west 

 a small but interesting group called the Cantabrians, whose headquarters 

 is in the Pyrenees. By means of a map, which showed how Europe 

 formerly extended its coast line north-west, and included the British 

 Isles, it was pointed out that in this way these Spanish plants reached 

 Ireland. A still smaller group of American plants, which include the 

 " Blue-eyed Grass," Pipe wort, and others, probably reached Ireland from 

 the west b}' way of Greenland and the Faroes. The main progress of 

 plants, however, as of animals, is westwards, and it was shown how the 

 British flora, like the nation, consists of a mixed race of immigrants 

 from various parts of Europe, which have now settled down into a 

 natural plant-society. The Canadian Weed was mentioned as an instance 

 of a colonist. A natural plant-society is one which can maintain itself. 

 Such a community as springs up on a garden plot or along a newly 

 made railway is unnatural, in the sense of not being a well-proportioned 

 and self-supporting community. In a short time the weeds and casuals 

 will take their departure if left to nature, and a natural and well- 

 balanced community will take its place, such as we find on undisturbed 

 ground, or in an old meadow. Environment has, of course, much to do 

 w.th the character of the plant-society of a place. The bog, the wood, 

 the mountain, have special plants of their own which we find associated. 

 The rocks have an important influencs on the flora, and North-east 



