14 The Irish Naturalist. January, 



Irish provinces. The sporangia walls are evanescent and easily rupture, 

 liberating the crowded yellow spores which are marked by pitted shallow 

 bands forming a triangular recticulation on the exterior surface. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



October 24. — Annual Conversazione. — The Winter session opened 

 with a conversazione held in the Carlton Hall, at which about 250 

 members and friends were present. Members contributed the following 

 exhibits : — Geology — Minerals from Co. Antrim, Robert Bell ; core of 

 Permian conglomerate, R. May ; fossils from Bundoran and Hillsport, 

 A. M'l. Cleland ; specimens illustrating the growth of coal, A. M'l. 

 Cleland ; fossil and recent Foraminfera viewed with the microscope, 

 Joseph Wright ; models of Inishowen and Belfast districts, J. K. 

 Charlesworth ; models made from maps by pupils of Richmond Lodge, 

 .Miss Houston. Botanical Specimens — Prof. R. H. Yapp, N. 

 Carrothers, Rev. W. R. Megaw, A. W. Stelfox, Sylvanus Wear, Miss S. 

 Blackwood, J. R. H. Greeves, H. C. Baker, S. A. Bennett, and James 

 Orr. Zoological Exhibits — Nevin Foster, E. Foster Green, S. Stendall, 

 R. A. Phillips, A. W. Stelfox, and Miss M. W. Rea. Arch^ological 

 Exhibits — Wm. Gray, Miss Maudsley, Mrs. A. M'l. Cleland, Miss S. 

 Blackw'ood, W. A. Green, and R. May. Miscellaneous Exhibits — 

 W. A. Green, photographs of the linen industry ; S. Stendall, kinemato- 

 graph film, " Life of the Spider." 



After tea the Vice-President (Joseph Maxwell) took the chair, in the 

 absence of the President (Captain A. R. Dwerryhouse) at the seat 

 of war. In the course of his remarks the Vice-President said that among 

 those present were two of the original members of the Club. Evidently 

 natural history pursuits did not necessarily shorten life. Indeed, they 

 were the best antidote possible to the troublous times through we were 

 passing. Even at the front some enthusiasts found opportunities of 

 pursuing their favourite studies. At this stage the following prizes 

 were presented to members of the junior section by the Chairman : — 

 Botanical Enigma Prize, 1915-16, John Dean ; Zoological Enigma Prize, 

 19 1 5-16, Miss Nora Humphreys ; Botanical Enigma Prize, 19 16-17, Miss 

 Dorothy Armstrong ; Zoological Enigma Prize, 1916-17, Alfred George. 

 Mr. Maxwell concluded his remarks by announcing that Alderman S. T. 

 Merrier, J. P., Chairman of the Library and Technical Instruction Com- 

 mittee, Belfast Corporation, had offered two prizes to the boy and girl 

 who had the best kept notebooks at the end of the forthcoming Winter 

 Session. One ordinary and five Associate members were then elected. 

 The remainder of the evening was taken up by an exhibition of kine- 

 matograph films dealing with natural history subjects, the lantern being 

 manipulated with his usual ability by Alexander R. Hogg. A few 

 photographs taken on some of the club excursions were also shown. 



November 21. — AIex. M'l. Cleland gave a lecture on " The Roman 

 Engineer : 50 b.c. — 200 a.d. — the Vice-President (Joseph Maxwell) 



