1 88 The Irish Naturalist. [August, 1S99. 



PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



Royal Zoological Society. 



Recent gifts include a Silver Pheasant and a Peahen from Captain 

 A. E. Boxer, a cockatoo from Mr. R S. Swirles, a Gannet from Mr. P. 

 Cummins, four Redpolls, two Greenfinches, a Chaffinch, and a Bullfinch 

 from Mr. D. E. Kirkpatrick, a Hooded Crow from Colonel Alexander, 

 and a pair of Kestrels from Mr. A. E- Darley. A pair of African Tantalus, 

 a pair of Ravens, two pairs of Mandarin Ducks, and two Gazelles have 

 been bought. 



Over 16,000 persons visited the Gardens in June. 



Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. 



JunR 24. -The third field meeting of the season was held at Dundrum 



Castle, and was attended by a large number of members and friends. 



The formal meeting was held on the top of the Donjon Keep, and was 



presided over by the President of the Club. After the election of members 



and the transaction of some formal business, one of the members gave a 



description of the main geological features of the district, embracing 



volcanic, metamorphic, sedimentary, and ceoliau rocks. After exploring 



the castle and its surroundings, the party split up into different sections, 



each taking its own subject for investigation. Some members explored 



the sand-dunes and collected worked flints, flakes, scrapers, and 



pottery. Another division visited, sketched, and photographed the 



cromleac and standing stone at Sliddery ford, also the round tower and 



ancient church at Maghera. The district in the vicinity of Dundrum has, 



time after time, been visited by botanical explorers. The Rock Cress 



(Arabis hirsutd) w 7 as found in some quantity at the castle. It is 102 years 



since Templetou, the pioneer of northern botany, first noted this plant 



on the walls of Dundrum Castle. An interesting plant found in the pond 



near the castle was Syme's variety of Moore i of Apium inundatum. In the 



short time available a good number of scarce plants were picked up. 



Amongst these may be mentioned the Musky Storksbill {Erodium 



moschatum) and the much smaller but not at all common Erodium 



maritimum : also, the White Campion {Lychnis vespertina), Viper's Bugloss 



{Echium vulgare), Hound's-tongue {Cynoglossum officinale). By the kind 



permission of the manager the express from Newcastle picked up the 



partv at Dundrum for Belfast. 



