152 The Irish Naturalist. September, 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



May 9. — The Club met at Leinster House, N. Colgan (President) in 

 the chair. The officers of 1916-17 were re-elected for 1917-18. 



Prof. G. H. Carpenter showed a preparation of the jaws of a common 

 Wireworm (larval Agriotes) and called attention to the lately pubhshed 

 account of the external anatomy of this insect by Mr. G. H. Ford 

 in the Annals of Applied Biology, (vol. iii., pp. 97-115, pis. xvi-xvii.) 

 The structure of the jaws as demonstrated was seen to be well illustrated 

 by the figures in this paper. 



Mr. R. C. Taylor showed Argulus foliaceus taken from a salmon killed 

 in the Shannon, July, 1916, about 47 miles above Limerick; also two 

 species of Caligidae, one from a salmon taken at the same time and place 

 as the former, the other from one killed, March, 191 7, in the Boyne above 

 Beauparc. It appears unusual to find these copepod parasites on salmon 

 so far up the river during the summer months. 



June 16. — Excursion to Portmarnock and Malahide. — A party 

 of twelve members travelled by rail to Portmarnock and walked thence 

 along the " silver strand " by the sea path to Malahide, where they 

 visited the Royal Irish Academy's " Ussher Hut," now in use as a marine 

 biological laboratory. J. N. Halbert and R. Southern demonstrated 

 there a number of rare and interesting littoral animals and entertained 

 the Club to tea. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



March 13. — The Vice-President (Joseph Maxwell, J. P.) in the chair. 

 W. B. Wright, F.G.S., delivered a lecture on " The Applications of 

 Geology to the Development of Mineral Resources." He pointed out 

 that if a line were drawn through England from York to Dorset it would 

 be found that in the country to the east of this line the rocks of the Car- 

 boniferous period were concealed by a cover of rocks of the Mesozoic or 

 Secondary period, but that to the west of the line the Palaeozoic rocks 

 containing the Coal-measures were mainly on the surface. Hence almost 

 all the English coalfields lay in the western side of the line. As it was now 

 possible to mine to a depth of 4,000 feet it might be that by boring through 

 the Mesozoic cover coal would yet be attainable. Mr. Wright said that 

 systematic investigation might reveal the existence of coal-beds under- 

 neath the Tertiary basalts of South Antrim, of which the Dungannon 

 and Coal- island coalfields in County Tyrone were providing the western 

 outcrop. 



April 17. — Annual Meeting. — The Vice-President, Joseph Maxwell, 

 in the chair. The Committee's and Librarian's Reports were read by 

 Dr. Charlesworth ; the Treasurer's Statement of Accounts by Nevin H. 

 Foster ; the Report of the Botanical Section by N. Carrothers ; the 

 Report of the Geological Section by Miss E. L. Andrews ; the Report of 

 the Zoological Section by C. G. Robertson; the Report of the Archaeological 

 Section by Robert May; and the Reports of the Junior Section and 



