122 The Irish Naturalist. [May, 



rye grasses. Arrangements were made for mounting a number of 

 plants kindly presented to the herbarium by Mr. R. L. Praeger, Miss 

 Knowles, and Rev. C. H. Waddell, for which Miss S. M. Thompson 

 kindly presented printed labels. 



Dublin Naturalists' Field Club. 



March 14.— The President (R. Lloyd Praeger, B.A., B.E.), in the 

 chair. Forty members and friends were present. Mr. J. N. H ALBERT 

 read a paper on the " Irish land and water bugs," illustrating his remarks 

 by a fine set of lantern slides prepared from specimens in the Science 

 and Art Museum. The Hemiptera or " Bugs " comprise such insects as 

 the aphides or green flies so injurious to greenhouse plants, the bark- 

 lice of our fruit trees, including the cochineal insect of commerce, the 

 common froghoppers, and the true plant and water bugs. They all 

 have the mouth parts formed for sucking, the majority derive their 

 nourishment from plants, but some are carnivorous. Amongst the 

 aquatic kinds we find some walking or skating on the surface of the 

 water, these have their limbs highly specialised for this purpose, whilst 

 others enveloped in a covering of air bubbles live in the depths beneath, 

 paying occasional visits however to the surface to renew the stock of 

 air. In the so-called Water Scorpion of our ponds the first pair of legs 

 is modified into formidable pincer-like organs for the capturing of its 

 prey. Most of the aquatic species can fly well, so that they can migrate 

 should the small streams and ponds frequented by them dry up. The 

 Bed-bug is known to be an introduced insect in Britain ; it did not become 

 a pest in England until after the Fire of London, when it is supposed to 

 have been imported in great numbers with the lumber used in the 

 rebuilding of the city. Mr. H. K. G. Cuthbert (Hon. Treas ), and Mr. 

 F. W. Burbidge, M.A., spoke on the paper. Dr. N. H. Alcock (Hon. 

 Sec), showed a set of his beautiful lantern slides of various bats, taken 

 mostly from life, and illustrating their habits. Miss F. Conan showed a 

 specimen of the lace-bark tree from Barbadoes. 



April ii.— The President, R. Lloyd Praeger, B.A., B.E., in the 

 chair. Prof. GrenyillE Cole, F.G.S., gave a paper on the " Structure 

 of Ireland." An interesting account of the mode and time of the origin 

 of the various mountain ranges of Ireland was given ; explanation of the 

 cause of the great central plain was offered ; the relation of Ireland to 

 the lost western continent and to Europe ; the cause of the difference of 

 the east and west coast, the lava flows of the north-east and its extinct 

 volcanoes were all considered and fully illustrated by a fine series of 

 lantern slides. The President and Mr. Henry J. Seymour, B.A., spoke 

 on the paper. Misses F. and A. M. Joly were elected members. 



