262 The Irish Naturalist. [December, 



Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. 



November i. — Annual Conversazione. — The annual conversazione 

 was held in the Public Library. There was a large attendance of the 

 members and their friends. In the reading-room on the first floor there 

 was a general exhibition of objects of interest, chiefly connected with the 

 members' investigations during the summer, the sections represented 

 being geology, zoology, botany, ethnology, and photography. The 

 exhibitors included Miss M. K. Andrews, Mrs. Patterson, LLD. ; Pro- 

 fessor Symington, F.R.S.B- ; Professor Johnson, (D.N.F.C); Messrs. 

 J. St J. Phillips, B.A. ; F. J. Bigger, M.R.I.A. ; A. Speers, B.Sc. ; R. 

 Welch, J H. Davies, Alexander Milligan, W. Gray, M.R.I.A. ; W. Swan- 

 ston, F.G.S. ; J. Donaldson, J. Wright, F.G.S. ; J. Lizars, R. May, J. 

 Hamilton, Chas. Bulla, R. Bell, G. P. Farrau (D.N.F.C), W. H. Phillips, 

 Alex. R. Hogg, W. J. Fennell, M R.I. A.I. ; and H. L. Orr. The last- 

 named took the Club's prize for a collection of Irish land shells. Mr. J. 

 H. Davies exhibited freshly-gathered mosses of different species, which 

 are to be found in fruit at this season, and the fructification of these was 

 examined with much interest under Mr. Gray's microscope. Mr. Davies 

 had also on the table freshly-collected tufts of Foa compressa lately 

 detected by him on old walls at Lisburn. Mr. Robert Welch displayed 

 a collection of fresh-water shells from Ulster lakes, and shells 

 collected by Mr. Moore lately in Lake Tanganyika, Central Africa, 

 survivals to our day of marine forms hitherto only known fossil in 

 Jurassic rocks. Mr. Moore, Royal Botanic Gardens, Dublin, kindly 

 sent a plant of the tropical yam, and Professor Johnson (D N.F.C.) 

 a number of carnivorous plants. North Antrim land shells, botanical 

 lantern slides, and rubbings of armorial stones from County Antrim were 

 shown by Mr. Bigger, and Mr. Swanston exhibited some maps of ancient 

 Ireland from 1520 to 1700. Mr. H. h- Orr also exhibited a series of 

 British moths and butterflies, mounted on a new plan on blotting paper 

 with sunk cells for the bodies, and glass top and bottom, making each 

 mount practically damp and mite proof. Mr. Gray, in addition to several 

 other exhibits, slides, &c, showed a mass of the diatomaceous earth or 

 Kieselguhr — " Bann Clay " — from Toome,with photographs of the sections 

 on banks of the Bann. Other exhibits included the following: — Rev. C. 

 H. Waddell, B.D. (President), a collection of mosses and liverworts, also 

 botanical slides for microscope and miscellaneous objects ; Mr. S. A. 

 Stewart, a collection of small mosses, mounted for microscope ; 

 Mr. Wm. Porter, a finely-mounted collection of British grasses; Mr. N. 

 Carruthers, a fine collection of dried flowering plants (mounted) ; Mr. A. 

 Gulbransen, microscope slides (botanical). 



After the President had extended a cordial welcome to all present, 

 and referred to the work of the ensuing winter session, an optical lantern 

 demonstration was given, the various views being explained by Mr. Gray> 

 Mr. Fennell, and Mr. Phillips. 



