2^4 The hish NaiUidiist. December, 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



October 12. — The Club met at Leinster House. D, M'ArdlE 

 exhibited Anthoceros punctatus L., one of the frondose Hepaticae, and a 

 slide showing capsule, columella and spores. This curious liverwort 

 differs from all others in the group when in a fertile state. The perianth 

 is tube-shaped ver)' minute ; from it arises the curious capsule which is 

 from I to 2 inches in length. When young it is grass green and not 

 unlike very young shoots of some grasses ; Buxbaum long ago compared 

 the numerous capsules to the shoots of seedling onions. When ripening 

 it turns brown first at the apex, and extends downwards, and dehiscence 

 takes place by the bursting of two opposite longitudinal grooves hitherto 

 covered by a thin pale membrane ; the opening shows a central filiform 

 columella surrounded by spores, with the dispersal of the spores are 

 numerous elaters, flattish and curiously contorted, and from undulate 

 to sinuately branched, others geniculate. The spores are dark brown, 

 echinate, showing when young well-marked trigones. This is a 

 monoecious species, the androeciaare embedded irregularly in the upper 

 portion of the frond, which is of a remarkable dull deep green colour 

 with the margins slightl}' raised and crisped. The specimens were found 

 growing in great abundance by the roadside in the wood of Gowran 

 Castle demesne, which extends for upwards of 8 miles, the place where 

 it was collected would be about half-way and in a direct line N.E. with 

 Goresbridge. This is an addition to District it, and bas not been 

 previously recorded from Co. Kilkenny. The species occurs in England, 

 Scotland, on the Continent, and in N. America. 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Supposed Occurrence of Vitrea (Hyalinia) helvetica in Ireland. 



I am quite in agreement with Mr. A. W. Stelfox in considering that 



an error in identification has been made. Through the kindness of 



several correspondents I have been able to examine large series of Vitreas 



from many Irish localities, including a large number from Whitegate, 



E. Cork (these were a part of the collection from which the late Dr. 



O. Boettger and Dr. Westerlund identified the species), and up to the 



present no example of the Vitrea helvetica group has occurred to me. All 



conchologists are greatly indebted to Mr. Stelfox for his new test of the 



species in this very difficult genus, and so far I have found it infallible. 



There is no need here to discuss the question whether the English shell 



should be known as V. helvetica, Blum, or V. ragesii, B. B. W. What Mr. 



Stelfox and the other competent Irish conchologists state is that no 



shells of the Helvetica group occur in Ireland, and with this statement I 



am in agreement. 



A. S. Kennard, 

 Beckenham, Kent. 



