1899.] Proceedings of Irish Societies. 263 



Dublin Naturalists' F'ield Club. 



October 25. — The winter session was opened with the usual conver- 

 sazione. In addition to the Club members and their friends, representa- 

 tives of the Belfast and Limerick Field Clubs were present, to whom, on 

 behalf of the Club, the President, R. LI. Praeger, B.A., B.E., offered a 

 hearty welcome, but especially to Professor A. C. Haddon, D.Sc, F.R.S., 

 on his safe return from his successful expedition to Torres Straits and New 

 Guinea. The lantern exhibit which the latter had agreed to give was 

 the feature of the evening, the lantern being worked by Mr. Greenwood 

 Pirn, M.A. 



Professor Haddon showed a series of slides illustrating sacred stones 

 and shrines in the Murray Islands, Torres Straits. A shrine which con- 

 sisted of one or two large clam shells gave an abundance of cocoa-nuts ; 

 another was a collection of clam shells containing small stones, which 

 ensured a good fruit harvest ; rudely carved stones placed in gardens 

 made the yams and sweet potatoes grow. One block of lava on a small 

 cairn on the shore was a fish charm, and if boys threw stones at it the 

 fish migrated. A rude stone figure represents a woman who is supposed 

 by the natives to have made a hill 600 feet in height. Photographs of 

 other stones illustrating local legends were also shown. A couple of 

 views were shown of Port Moresby, the capital of British New Guinea. 

 This is the centre of a large pottery industry, and seventeen slides were 

 shown illustrating all the stages in the manufacture of a pot by women. 



The exhibition concluded with a series of slides illustrating various 

 games of Pepuan children, beginning with a string puzzle like our cat's 

 cradle, and ending with several round singing games, some of which 

 bear some resemblance to games played at home. 



The following exhibits were on view, being in many cases the results 

 of the past summer's field work: — Mrs. D. R. Alcock, Australian and 

 Swiss flowers; Dr N. H. Alcock (Hon. Sec), photographs of bats, and a 

 collection of living bats ; Miss Bernard, sketches made on the Lough Ree 

 excursion ; G. H. Carpenter, B.Sc, and J. N. Halbert, new insect-cases 

 for the Museum collection of Irish animals; G. P. Farran, a blind Pump 

 Shrimp from Templeogue ; Prof. Grenville A. J. Cole, F.G.S., and J. A. 

 Cunningham, B.A., A.R.CSc.L, specimens and illustrations of the older 

 rocks of County Donegal, collected in August, 1899 ; Mrs. G. A. J. Cole, 

 water-colour drawings of sections of igneous rocks ; Mrs. W. S. Green, 

 Sp'ru/a, Ianthina shells from Inishbofin ; Miss Hughes, drawings illus- 

 trative of British Ferns; Prof. T. Johnson, D.Sc. (Hon. Sec), Sderotia 

 and other botanical objects ; \V. F. de V. Kane, M.A., F.E.S., Bormitia 

 Lilljeborgii (new to Britain) and other Entomostraca ; Miss A. L. Massy, a 

 series of marine shellsTrom the Malahide estuary; D. McArdle, rare Irish 

 liverworts and mosses; F. W. Moore, M.R.I.A., a collection of succulent 

 and other plants, many new to cultivation ; F. Neale (Hon. Sec. L.F.C ) 

 Brimstone butterflies and Ichneumon imagos; A. R. Nichols, B.A., deep- 

 sea animals from the " Challenger " Expedition ; Miss Patton, Natural 



