19 1 o. Irish Societies. 223 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



July 30. — Greyabbky and BAi,i,Y\vAvrER Park. — From Newtown- 

 ards the party drove to Greyabbey, passing on the way through the de- 

 mesne of Mouutstewart. At Greyabbey all visited the abbey ruins, on 

 which W. J. Fennell, F.R.I. B. A., gave an interesting informal address. 

 The party then drove to Ballywalter, and explored the grounds and 

 gardens of Balhwalter Park, courteously thrown open to them by Lady 

 Dunleath. After the gardens had been visited, Lady Dunleath joined the 

 part}', and showed them over her aviaries, where a magnificent collection 

 of rare and exotic birds are kept under ideal conditions. It speaks 

 volumes for the perfect surroundings of the birds that on this day the 

 Weaver Birds were busily making their curious nests, and a tiny Virginian 

 Nightingale was hatched. Lady Dunleath had delayed the feeding of 

 the birds until the Field Club arrived, so that they were seen to special 

 advantage. The drive was continued to the Dunleath Arms, Bally- 

 walter, where, after tea, a short business meeting was held — W. J. 

 Fennell in the chair. A cordial vote of thanks was passed to Lady 

 Dunleath for allowing the party to visit Ballywalter Park. A pleasant 

 drive round the coast brought the party to Donaghadee in time for the 

 7.35 p.m. train for Belfast, which was reached in due course after a most 

 enjoyable outing. 



August 13. — Sai,i.agh Braks and Knockdhu. — A party of thirty- 

 seven members and friends of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club con- 

 ducted by the President (Robert Welch, M.R.I. A.), travelled to Larne by 

 the 9 5 a.m. train and drove along the Antrim coast road as far asBallj-gally 

 Castle, where the road turns inland to Knockdhu. The party had five 

 hours at their disposal to explore the magnificent amphitheatre of 

 the Sallagh Braes. The geologists of the part}' spent a busy day, 

 and have an interesting list of rare accessor}' minerals found in the 

 basalts, which will be given in the Club's Proceedings. It was to 

 the botanists, however, that the day gave the finest opportunities. 

 The botanical interest of the Sallagh Braes lies in the vegetation 

 of the cliffs themselves and in the gullies carved out of the face of 

 the escarpment by stream action, and most of the rarer plants of the 

 Antrim basaltic escarpment are to be found there. The list was handed 

 in by the botanists included: — Epilobiicvi angiistt'/oliii/ii, Dryas octopetala, 

 Annaria verna^ Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea, Saxifraga hypnoides., HieracitDii silvati- 

 ctaii, H. stciio/epis, Cystopteris fragilis ; Cniais hinceoladts, a fine colony with 

 pure white flowers ; Circcea alpina. The botanical prize offered on this ex- 

 cursion by the Vice-President (W. J. C. Tomlinson) for the re-finding of 

 Pyrola seainda was won by A. W. Stelfox. A good collection of land- 

 shells was made during the day, among which the best finds reported 

 were Helix laviellaia, H. fiisca, H, rupestris and H, arbiistorimi. The tarn 

 on the moor above the Braes contains five fresh-water species— namely, 

 Litnnaeapercgray L.paliistris^ Fisidmvi ptisilhim, P. nilidum, and P. subtruu' 

 catum. Five species of wood-lice were taken, of which Trichoniscus 



