1898.1 • 247 



PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



Royal ZoologicaIv Society. 



Recent gifts include a pair of American Black Bears, from the Countess 

 of Caledon, eight Jerboas from Dr. C. B. Ball, a parrakeet from Mr. 

 Jas. Doyle, a monkey from Major G. H. Johnstone, a Japanese Mouse 

 from Mr. H. A. Davis, a pair of Kestrels, a Chough, a Pufl&n, a Guillemot, 

 and a Herring-Gull from Sergt. J. McGoldrick, a Golden Plover from 

 Mr. S. H. Curren, a Dotterel from Mrs. Ireland, a Jackdaw from Mr. J. 

 Horan, seven crocodiles, a monitor, and a tortoise from Dr. B- G. 

 Fenton, and a lizard from Mr. J. N. Mostyn. A pair of Spoonbills, a 

 pair of Purple Herons, a pair of Bitterns, two Ourang-outangs, ten 

 Japanese Paradise Fish, and five Chameleon Fish have been bought. 

 Three Golden Agoutis and three Puma cubs have been born in the 

 Gardens. 



19,300 persons visited the Gardens during July, and 17,232 during 

 August. 



DUBI.IN MiCROSCOPICAIv CivUB. 



June 16. — Mr. Greenwood Pim exhibited Odontia barbajovis, a curious 

 little fungus belonging to the Hydmirii section. It is found encrusting 

 fallen branches, and with a hand-lens a kind of papillose hymenium is 

 visible, the peculiar feature of this genus being the fringed tips of the 

 papillae. The specimens occurred in a collection made by Prof. Johnson 

 at Cappagh, but the plant is easily overlooked as being an imperfect 

 Folyporus, and is probably not uncommon. 



Mr, Henry J. Seymour showed a thin section of the Arran pitch- 

 stone, showing the feathery aggregates of hornblende microlites 

 arranged in fern-like fronds. He also exhibited two photo-micrographs 

 taken by him of this rock. 



Mr. HENRY' H. Dixon showed specimens of Ciiscuta reflexa parasitic on 

 its own branches. It has been said that Ciiscuta never sends haustoria 

 into its own tissues, but the sections exhibited showed well developed 

 cellular haustoria arising from one branch and thrust into the medulla 

 of another. The haustoria, so far as has been at present observed, do 

 not possess the same differentiation of tissues as when penetrating 

 another plant. Thus the lignified tracheidal connection between the 

 wood of the host and parasite, which is usually developed, was not 

 found when the parasite preyed upon its own branches. 



The same member showed sections of the thallus of Conocephalus coniais. 

 The rhizoids and lower cellular layers of the specimens of this liverwort 

 were invaded by a parasitic or symbiotic fungus. The hyphse of the 

 fungus often present an appearance somewhas similar to the internal 

 rhizoids of Luntdaria cnidata, from which, however, they may be dis- 

 tinguished by being in connection with well-developed sporangia, which 

 maybe external to the thallus or imbedded in its tissue The branching 

 of the hyphse and their uniformly smooth walls also form distinctions 

 from the structures referred as well as their multinucleate condition. 



