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PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAI, ZOOI^OGICAI, SOCIETY. 



Recent donations comprise a monkey from Hon. B. J. Plunket; a 

 Badger from R. T.Woods, Esq.; a Barn-Owl from Rev. N. Murphy; a 

 Sparrow Hawk from Sergeant Parry; and a Russian Rabbit from S. Clarke, 

 Esq. The Lord Lieutenant visited the gardens on the 26th October, and 

 received an address from the Council. 



7,300 persons visited the gardens in October. 



DUBININ MICROSCOPICAI, CI.UB. 



October 20Th. The club met at Dr. J. A. Scott's, who, with Dr 

 Frazer, expressed the grief of the members at the death of Mr. G. Porte, 

 one of the founders of the Society. 



Dr. Scott showed sections taken from a case of actinomycosis which 

 was observed in the lower jaw of a cow, by Sir Charles Cameron in the 

 Dublin abbatoir. These sections, which were stained by Gram's method 

 with gentian violet, showed both the " mycelial" and "club" forms of the 

 micro-fungus, and left no doubt as to the true character of the disease. 

 Although this disease of the domestic animals is very common in England 

 and Scotland, and on the Continent of Europe, hitherto no case has been 

 recorded from Ireland. A dried specimen of bone disease in the lower jaw 

 of a horse, showing the characteristic lesion produced in the bones when 

 affected by actinomycosis, is preserved in the Museum of the Royal 

 College of Surgeons in Ireland, but no history whatever is attached to 

 the specimen, which has been for a long time in the museum. Dr. Scott 

 has been informed by Sir Charles Cameron, that he, on a couple of 

 occasions, observed similar cases, but they were not subjected to micro- 

 scopical examination. 



Dr. McWeeney showed sections of the intestine of a rabbit affected with 

 psorospermosis. In the interior epithelial cells of the mucous mem- 

 brane, the various stages of development of this intracellular protozoan 

 parasite could be distinctly traced. Dr. McWeeney gave a brief account 

 of the life-history of this species, named by Leuckart Coccidiuvi perforans, 

 now recognized, however, as identical with C. ovifonne, commonly found 

 in the liver of rabbits, and pointed out the great interest possessed by 

 these intracellular parasites in view of the growing probability that such 

 organisms play an important part in the causation of cancer. 



Prof. A. C. Haddon showed spicules of an unknown species of sponge, 

 with remarkable creeping habit, found on a shell from Dublin Bay. 



Mr. G. H. Carpenter showed the terminal joints of the false leg of a 

 p3'cnogon, Nv'nphon galliaini, Hoek, from the west coast of Ireland. 



Prof. Cole showed sections from a block of limestone from near Tuam, 

 containing Hemitrypa hibernica, supporting his contention that the two 

 layers are organically connected, and that the outer one is not due to a 

 parasite. 



Mr. W. N. Allen showed drawings of Cephalozia francisci, a liverwort found 

 by Mr. McArdle at Howth. 



Mr. J. E. Duerden exhibited Plumidaria haleciodes, Alder a hydroid new 

 to Ireland. A small colony was found growing on Stenorhynchus. It was 

 obtained by the Dredging Committee of the Royal Irish Academy in 

 1885 from Berehaven. 



BEIvFAST NATURAIv HISTORY AND PHII,OSOPHICAI, SOCIETY. 



November iST. The President, Prof. M. F. Fitzgerald in the chair. 

 Mr. John H. Greenhill, Mus. Bac, read a paper entitled "The Subject 

 of Electric Lighting," illustrated by experiments. 



