86 The Jrisk Naturalist. [April, 



the labour bestowed upon it. There is a certain zest en- 

 gendered in the hunt for fossils hardly to be realized by those 

 who have not taken part in it. There is the ever present 

 expectation of some new and interesting form being dis- 

 covered which may open up fresh channels of enquiry relating 

 to the fauna of the district or may even have a relevancy 

 reaching far beyond it. Considerable practice with hand and 

 eye, and some book knowledge are among the most essential 

 equipments of the successful collector. As to books, M'Coy 

 is indispensable ; his " Synopsis of the Carboniferous Fossils 

 of Ireland," though defective through the lapse of time, is a 

 storehouse of information, and has become a classic in its 

 way. Published in 1844 under Sir Richard Griffith's inspira- 

 tion and guidance it reflects the utmost credit upon patron 

 and author. Phillip's " Illustrations of the Geology of 

 Yorkshire, Part II. — The Mountain Limestone" (1836), also 

 contains descriptions of many Irish species. Among foreign 

 works De Koninck's splendid monograph upon the fossils of 

 the Carboniferous Limestone of Belgium 1 must be constantly 

 in the student's hands, as it contains many species found in 

 Ireland, and is admirably illustrated. But to enumerate even 

 the most important works and papers at any length would 

 occupy far too much space. 



It will doubtless interest the members of this Club to learn 

 that some progress is being made towards monographing 

 Irish Carboniferous fossils anew. I have myself undertaken 

 the Cephalopoda, by way of making a beginning, and my 

 work is being published by the Palaeontographical Society of 

 London, which devotes itself to the publication, with ample 

 illustrations, of the fossils of the British Isles. 



1 Faune du Calcaire Carbonifere de la Belgique, 1880-1885. {Annates du 

 Musee cTHist. Nat. de Belgique, torn, ii , v., vi., viii., xi.) 



