^9^*^ Itish Societies. 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



. Recent gifts include a Maxwell's Duiker, a Crested Eagle, and a Para- 

 doxure Cub. from vSir Philip Crauipton Sniyly ; nine pigeons, from Mr. 

 J- Clifton ; a Common Gull, from Mr. F. W. Powell ; a Magpie, from Mr. 

 W. W. Despard ; two Egyptian Geese, from Lady Dunleitli ; a Merlin 

 from Mr. A. Rohu ; two Turtle Doves, from Mr. H. B. Rathborne ; a 

 Sparrowhawk, from Mr. W. Freeman ; a Kestrel, from Miss Bowles ; and 

 a Slowworm, from the Hon. Mrs. E. Guinness. A number of Pied Wag- 

 tails have been added to the collection of Irish birds. 



ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY. 



NovembP-;r 30. — The stated general meeting of vSt. Andrew s Day. 1909 

 took the form of a Darwin Commemoration, in celebration of the cen- 

 tenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the fiftieth anniversary of the publi- 

 cation of the •' Origin of vSpecies." The President. Dr. F. A. Tarleton, 

 F.T.C.D., opened the meeting with a tribute to Darwin's greatness as a 

 naturalist and the extent of his influence on scientific thought. Prof. 

 G. A. J. Coi^e then spoke on Darwin's geological work, pointing out that 

 geology had been the leading interest of his earlier years, and emphasis- 

 ing the importance of his geological researches during the vo^-age of the 

 Beagle. Darwin's theory of coral-reef formation had been abundantly 

 confirmed b}- the recent deep boring at Funafuti. Dr. R. F. Schari-f 

 discussed Darwin's influence on the study of animal an.l plant distribu- 

 tion, a subject which had appealed to him through his collecting and 

 observation on the Galapagos Islands. The tlieor)' of the permanence 

 of the great oceanic basins was, however, losing ground among modern 

 students of distribution, who are sceptical as to the value of " accidental " 

 means of dispersal. Prof. G. H. Carpenter dwelt on the importance of 

 Darwin's zoological studies in South America as leading his mind to the 

 conception of the principle of organic evolution, and on the immense 

 influence of the theory of Natural Selection over modern zoological 

 study. It was pointed out that Darwin himself was no believer in the 

 '•'ail-sufiicienc}' of Natural Selection,"' and that his disciples should pre- 

 serve an open mind in face of modern advances in the study of heredity 

 and variation. Prof. T. Johnson discussed Darwin's influence on 

 botanical science, gave instances of the light thrown upon the 

 history of the vegetable kingdom by recent discoveries among fossil 

 plants, and elucidated the theory of natural selection with special 

 reference to plant structure. Prof. A. F. Djxon spoke of Darwin's in- 

 fluence on the study of Anthropology, emphasising the presence in the 

 " Descent of Man " of many ideas that have borne fruit in recent dis- 

 coveries and the confirmation afforded to the main thesis of that book 

 by the structure of the most primitive of human remains. 



