1924. Irish Societies. 29 



as we have seen that in the Zoo, at any rate, the occupation 

 of a certain selected part of tlie ground was the mark of 

 the master Ruff, it is not difficult to infer that the Ruffs 

 whom ]\Ir. Selous saw fighting so fiercely knew well enough 

 what they were fighting for, and had the best possible 

 reason for insisting against all new comers on the maintenance 

 of their particular " claims." 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



January 15. — The President (J. A. Sidney Stendall, M.B.O.U.) in 

 the Chair, D. J. Carpenter, A.R.Sc.L., dehvered a lecture on " Some 

 Common Objects of the Sea-shore." The characters and habits of many 

 common shellfish, including the limpet, razor-shell, piddock, shipworm, 

 etc., were described, and it was pointed out that other shelly objects 

 (Spirorbis and Serpula) found on seaweed, stones, shells, etc., were the 

 homes not of molluscs but of sea-worms, which had created these stony 

 abodes as a protection against their enemies. Having dealt with various 

 kinds of barnacles and with sea-anemones, the lecturer explained how 

 the sea-mat and the sea- fir, which look so like seaweeds, as well as the 

 lace coralline, which encrusts seaweed, are really the homes of minute 

 animals very like the sea-anemione. Touching on the common star-fish, 

 the lecturer described its method of attacking oysters and other bivalves, 

 and its remarkable power of self-matilation and reparation. The lecture 

 was illustrated by lantern views specially prepared by the lecturer from 

 his own negatives of shells, urchins, etc., collected by himself on the 

 Antrim and Down coasts. The President, the Rev. \\. R. jNlegaw, 

 R. J. Welch, and A. McI. Cleland, took part in the discussion which 

 followed. 



January 29. — The President in the Chair. Xevin H. Foster, F.L.S., 

 delivered a lecture on " The British Gulls, Terns, and vSkua,s," illustrating 

 liis remarks with a series of fifty lanterns lides, chiefly from photographs 

 taken by R. J. Welch. He pointed out that Ckills ma\- generally be 

 distinguished at sight from birds of the other two groups by their fan- 

 shaped tails, the Terns by their forked tails, and the Skuas by having 

 the middle pair of tail-feathers longer than the others. Differences in 

 the habits were also described, and a discusfion followed, in whicli the 

 President, R. J. Welch, and J. R. H. Greeves took part. 



