i899-] Proceedings of Iiish Societies. 45 



shaped receptacles which contain the gemmae, some of which were forced 

 with the mucus in which they float, through the tube of the " flask," 

 and on each of them a well-marked root-hair was developed. Under 

 favourable circumstances the)' are capable of producing perfect plants. 

 This is one of the most remarkable instances of a sexual reproduction 

 known among this curious family of plants. 



Mr. Greenwood Pim exhibited Cercospora reseda (Fckl.), a fungus 

 which attacks Mignonette, and sometimes causes great injury to it. The 

 mycelium ramifies through the leaf and produces outside numbers of 

 large cylindrical, many-septate conidia, exceedingly like those of some 

 species of Hclmiuthosporium, but Helminthosporia are usually saprophytic 

 on decaying wood, leaves, &c, while Cercospora is a true parasite, attack, 

 ing and destroying the living leaves. 



Dr. N. H. Aecock exhibited the retina of the bat Vesperugo pijtistrellus^ 

 Schreb., showing details in the structure of the rods and rod nuclei, with 

 the absence of cones from the portion exhibited. 



Dr. Alcock showed also a section through the cardiac glands of the 

 Dog's stomach, stained by Heidenbain's method, showing portions of the 

 ducts of the parietal cells. 



Mr. Moore showed Xyleborus morigerus, an insect which has been 

 known in gardens in Britain for about seven years. It is known to 

 gardeners as the " Dendrobe Beetle," and is most destructive to orchids, 

 [t is a very minute beetle and attacks orchids by burrowing into the 

 stem to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on the inside of the pseudo-bulbs, 

 leaving only the hard outer cortex, and so kill the shoot. It has been 

 found in orchids coming from East Indies, South America, and the 

 Papuan regions. Being very minute it easily escapes detection, and in- 

 creases very rapidly. 



Belfast Naturae History and Philosophical Society. 

 January 10. — A meeting was held in the Museum, when a paper was 

 read by Mr. John Brown-, subject — The viagraph, a new instrument for 

 testing road surfaces. The paper was illustrated by diagrams, and by 

 an exhibition of the viagraph. A discussion followed. 



Beefast Naturaeists' Field Ceub. 

 December 20. — The second meeting of the winter session was held, 

 when three papers were read. Mr. W. Gray, M.R.I.A., occupied the 

 chair. Before proceeding to the business of the evening, reference was 

 made to the loss the Club had sustained in the death of Mr. Lavens 

 Ewart, the late President. Several members spoke, and it was resolved 

 to send a letter of sympathy to Mr. Ewart's family, expressing the 

 esteem in which Mr. Ewart was held, and deeply regretting his loss. 

 Mr. James St. J. Philips (Hon. Sec.) then read some notes on the 

 geological features of Kerry, as observed on the Irish Field Club Union's 

 excursion. The coastline of Kerry, deeply indented by long inlets, 

 was compared with the comparatively unbroken lines of the Antrim and 

 Down coasts. Reference was made to the geological formations repre- 

 sented in a section between Bantry Bay, Kenmare, and Killarney, and 



