2 26 The, IrisJi Naturalisl. October 



appears to be the abundance of the moss Rhacomitrium lannginosumy which 

 forms a very compact and carpet-like covering to the rocks from which 

 apparently the deep peat which probably once covered them has long 

 ago been denuded. The Starr_y Saxifrage {Saxifraga stellaris) was observed 

 in flower along the banks of the mountain streams. After enjoying a 

 capital meal at the hotel at Drumgoif, the party returned to Dublin by 

 train from Rathdrum. 



August 6. — Prospkrous Bog.— A small party of members and friends 

 under the leadership of the Vice-President (W. F. Gunn ) journeyed to 

 Prosperous Bog, about 5 miles S.W. of Sallins. The cut-away portion of 

 the bog was first traversed and a number of interesting plants were 

 found. The uncut portion of the bog was then crossed where the vege- 

 tation consisted of heather, Cladonia rangiferina^ Scirpus ccEspitostts, Moliiiia 

 civnilea, and in the damp hollows several species of Sphagnum. Anion g 

 other plants noticed y^SiS A)id?'orfieda Polifolia. This being the first excur- 

 sion of the Club to this district, the conductor offered a double magni- 

 fying lens for the first addition to its flora. A. K. Moeran was elected 

 a member. 



EEVIEWS. 



ENTOMOLOaY FOR THE YOUNG. 



Jack's Insects. By Edmund Sei^ous. With 44 illustrations, by 

 J. A. Shepherd. Pp. 350. Loudon : Methuen and Co., Ltd. Price 6^. 



Books which embody natural history teaching in a tale are becoming 

 common nowadays, and the volume before us is an excellent specimen 

 of its class. Much information on insects from all parts of the world is 

 given, and the story, w^itli many flashes of humour, goes merrily on. 

 The comedy on the modern nomenclature of mimicry is especially amus- 

 incr, but is a children's book the place for such satire as this } 

 The moral of the story is that to study live insects is better than to 

 collect dead ones — a conclusion in which the author will find many sup- 

 porters among our readers. Still he carries his protest against 

 museums and cabinets to extreme lengths, and had Mr. Shepherd spent 

 some time in a museum, studying how the nervures on insects' wings 

 really run, his drawings might have gained in accuracy without losing 

 in life and humour. 



G. H. C. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



We have received tlie " Annual Report and Proceedings " for the year 

 1909-10. This contains as usual accounts of the summer excursions, and 

 abstracts of the communications brought before the Club at winter 

 meetings. The part is well illustrated, and we note a marked improve- 

 ment in the printing as compared with some previous issues. 



