194 ^^^ Irish Naturalist. 



BEI/FAST NATURAWSTS' FIEI^D CI.UB. 



October 28th. The Winter Session was opened by a social meeting 

 in the Exhibition Hall, at which the attendance of members and ^dsitors 

 was nearly 600. A large variety of exhibits was on view, of which some 

 of the more interesting were a large collection of drawings, engravings, 

 etc., illustrative of the histor}- and progress of Belfast; the Club's new 

 photographic albums, in connection with their archaeological survey of 

 Ulster, in which were over 300 platinot3'e photographs of Irish antiquities; 

 photographs taken by members on last sea.son's excursions; collections 

 for which Club's prizes were awarded last year, including beetles (Rev. 

 W. F. Johnson); Carboniferous fossils and geological sketches (Miss S. M. 

 Thompson) ; geological photographs (Miss Tate) ; and microscopic slides 

 (H. McCleery); ferns, British and exotic, were shown by W. H. Phillips, 

 F-R.H.S., and Charles McKimm ; recent additions to the flora of the 

 north-east of Ireland, and rare plants of Co. Armagh, by R. Lloyd Praeger, 

 M.R.I.A. ; and a fine collection of geodes from Iowa, U.S.A., obtained 

 by W. E. Praeger. A number of members were also in attendance with 

 their microscopes, and during the course of the evening there was a 

 lantern display. 



NOTES. 



BOTANY. 



UUSCI, 



Some Mosses and Hepatic^ of the Ben Bui^ben District. It 

 may be interesting to give notes of some of the rarest species of Mosses 

 and Hepaticae which I collected last summer during a short excursion 

 with the Belfast Field Club to the district. The following species were 

 found at Bundoran: — DUrichu7n flexicaule (Schleich.) Hampe; Mollia cris- 

 pula (Bruch.) Lindb. ; and Mollia verticillata (E.) Eindb. On the south-east 

 slope of Ben Bulben I found Scapania curta Mart., and Leptodontium Jlexi- 

 folium (Dicks.) Hampe, growing abundantly on dr}' peat}' banks. The 

 latter may easily be recognised in the field by its reddish-yellow colour, 

 and leaves crisped when dry. Dr. INIoore records, but wntli some doubt, 

 two stations for this plant — Cushendall and Killiney. It is well to have 

 another certain locality for a plant which does not appear to be common 

 in Ireland. It has been pointed out in Messrs. Barrington and Vowell's 

 paper on the Ben Bulben flora, that the place marked King's Mountain 

 on the Ordnance Map should be Sea-Fin, King's Mountain being the point 

 above Glencar Eake. Sea-Fin is a locality given for ArenaHa ciliata Linn. 

 {Flor. Hib.) I saw the plant growdng there, and also gathered the follow- 

 ing mosses in a ravine on the south side of the same mountain: — Sivartzia 

 inclinata, Ehrt. ; Orthothecitim rtijicens, Dicks.; Antitrichia airtipendtila (L.), 

 Brid. ; Blepharostoma ii-ichophylhun, E. ; and Bryiim concinnaiu??i, Spruce. 

 The latter resembles B.piliforme, Dicks, but is distinguished by its pointed 

 leaves. Only stunted and barren specimens are met with in this country, 

 but I am told it grows much finer in the Tyrol. The only other Irish 

 localities are in Kerry and Sallagh Braes, Co. Antrim. In Slish Wood, 

 on the shores of Eough Gill, were found Ditrichicm flexicault (Schleich) 

 Hampe; Hyp. stellat2(?/i, \qx. protcnsuni, Brid.; Lccrsia contorta (Waif.) Eindb., 

 all limestone-loving plants, and Scapania resupinata (Einn.) Dumort. ; Ade- 

 lantJms decipicns, Mitt., and Plagiochila tridenticulata, Tayl., a species hereto- 

 fore only recorded from the south. Some confusion seems to have arisen 

 between Ben Bulben and Bulbein Mount in Co. Donegal, and plants said 

 to have been found at the former by R. Brown, belong to the latter 

 locality, e.g., Hyp. dcntiailaUim, var. y8. obhisifolinvi. Hook, and Bazzania t7i- 

 angtdaris, Schleich. He and Templeton made a tour together through 

 Co. Donegal, when these plants were probably collected. — C. H. Waddell, 

 Saintfield, Co. Down. 



