1924. Irish Societies. 99 



December 13. — The President in the Chair. The evening was 

 devoted to exliibits, among which A. W. Stelfox showed a series of the 

 Irish Buinble-Bees and their parasitic kinsfolk the Psithyri, giving a 

 brief account of the procedure of the latter : J. P. Brunker showed a 

 Pigeon's nest, the interest of which consisted in its being entirely made 

 of the bristles of old brushes ; and M. J. Gorman a series of potatoes 

 affected with black scab and other diseases due to fungus attack, the 

 exJiibitor giving a short account of recent investigations into this subject. 



January 10, 1924. — Annual General Meeting, — The outgoing 

 President in the Chair. The annual report read by Mrs. Long showed 

 that seven evening meetings had been held during the year, and 

 excursions made to Kilbride valley (May 5th), Powerscourt (June 9th), 

 Lambay (July 4th), Glenasmole (July 14th), Wicklow (September 15th), 

 and Howth (October 6th). The report and statement of accounts having 

 been adopted, the names of the Officers and Committee elected for 1924 

 were read out as follows : — President, J. de W. Hinch ; Vice-President, 

 A. W. Stelfox ; Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Long ; Treasurer, C. B, Moffat ; 

 Committee, Miss Booth, Miss Cooper, Mrs. Harford, jSIrs. Hornsby, 

 F. W. Rogers Brambell, J. P. Brunker, Joseph Doyle, Isl. J. Gorman, 

 W. F. Gunn, Athole Harrison, Augustine Henry, R. Lloyd Praeger. 

 The newly elected President being then called to the Chair delivered 

 an address to the Club on the Post-Glacial Geology of the Dublin District. 



February 14. — The President in the Chair. Professor Bayley 

 Butler gave an address illustrated with lantern slides on " Some 

 Mechanical Problems of the Sea-shore." The lecturer spoke of the 

 problems that are created for slow-moving creatures like the mollusca 

 by the rise and fall of the tide, and after explaining some of the 

 contrivances by which these difficulties are met he discussed the serious 

 perils caused to marine animals by changes of temperature, even a small 

 rise being often fatal, while changes in the degree of salinity constituted 

 a further problem. 



March 13. — The President in the Chair. A paper on " Woodcraft 

 in relation to Natural History " was read by Athole Harrison, who gave 

 an attractive picture of the extent to which habits of close observation 

 add to the pleasure of every country walk. Many instances were given 

 of the value of a correct interpretation of the meaning of sounds and 

 of footprints and other tracks, while plant-lore and weather-lore also 

 came in for a share of notice. The paper gave rise to an animated 

 discussion in which many members took part. Some exhibits were 

 also shown, including a sample of granite from Rockall, by the President ; 

 flowering plants of Saxifraga oppositifolia — illustrative of the difference 

 between Irish and Welsh forms of this species — by the Vice-President ; 

 and a collection o| sea-weeds from Encounter Bay, South Australia, 

 by Mrs. Long. 



April 26. — -Excursign to Balrothery Esker. — Leaving Terenure 

 by steam-tram at 2 p.m. and reaching Balrothery at 2.15, a party of 

 eight, conducted by the President, took the route past Timon Castle 

 to Green Hills, the conductor expounding the nature of the fast 



