52 The Irish NaUiKalist, [Feb., 



Prof. Herdman, President of the Liverpool Marine Biological Association, 

 to invite members to join that Society's Easter trip to Port Erin, Isle of 

 Man. 



Limerick Naturai^ists' Fiei^d Ci<ub, 



January 14. — The fourth annual meeting of the Limerick Naturalists' 

 Field Glub vv^as held in the Board-room of the Savings Bank. The 

 'attendance was very large, the Board-room being inconveniently over 

 crowded. Mr. Archibald Murray, President of the Club, occupied the 

 chair. 



The Chairman having opened the proceedings, 



Mr. Neale, Hon. Secretary, read the annual report, of which the 

 following is an abstract : — 



The Committee are pleased to be able to state that the record has been 

 one of unbroken progress, not only in numbers, so far as the increase of 

 mere membership is concerned, but also in the increased interest taken 

 in its working, both as to meetings and excursions. This has been 

 proved in regard to the former by the response to the proposal that a 

 course of botanical lectures would be carried out in the now current 

 session, should a sufficient number be found willing to attend them. 

 No less than fifty entered their names within ten days after the 

 announcement had been made, and almost four-fifths of these have 

 attended the lectures held up to the present. 



The excursions of the Club during 1896 were successful, and the four 

 carried out were well attended. The wet weather of the latter part of the 

 summer and autumn compelled the abandonment of the other two, 

 much to the regret of all concerned. The thanks of the Club are due to 

 E. J. Phelps, Esq., of Waterpark, Castleconnell, for his invitation to 

 provide tea at Doon Island wood. The meetings and excursions of the 

 Club during 1896 were— January 23rd, Annual Meeting; February iSth, 

 adjournment of same; March 3rd, Photomicrographic Demonstration, 

 with hints on slide making, by Drs. W. A. and G. Fogerty ; March 24th, 

 Microscopic Fungi, by Mr. W. Thorp ; April 14th, Lantern Exhibition by 

 the Photo Section ; November 17th, Butterflies, how and where to find 

 them, by Mr. F. Neale ; December nth, Irish Animals, old and new, by- 

 Mr. G. H. Carpenter. Excursions — May 14th, Caherconlish — Ahern's 

 Carboniferous Limestone Quarry, the Demesne, and the Poriphyritic 

 Basalt exposure in the vicinity; June nth, Iniscaltra, or Holy Island, 

 Lough Derg; July 15th, Ciamaltha, or Keeper Hill, Co. Tipperary; July, 

 31st, Glenomera Wood and Valley, Co. Clare, 



It is a matter for regret that we cannot yet say much actual field work 

 has been done by our members in any department of natural science, 

 the only botanical record of interest reported during the year being 

 the occurrence of Viper's Bugloss {Echiuni vulgarc) found growing on 

 the railway line near Foynes by Mr. R. D. O'Brien. In ornithological 

 matters it may be well to note that the Nightjar was comparatively 



