1 897-] Proceedmgs of Irish Societies. 79 



Except the loss of the two Camels just mentioned, the Society's collec- 

 tion has been remarkably free from deaths. The poisoning of the inter- 

 esting Siamese Brown Macacque by pills administered by some ruffianly 

 visitor is, however, a sad episode of the past year. It is satisfactory to 

 notice that the two Anthropoid apes — the Chimpanzee and Gibbon — are 

 still alive and flourishing. 



Two litters of lion-cubs of two each, were born during the year, 

 and three of the cubs are alive and thriving. Two new lionesses from 

 Africa have been acquired to keep up the breeding-stock, replacing two of 

 the old ones. A litter of four puppies born by the Cape Hunting-Dog died 

 in three days owing to their mother's anxiety to find a concealed spot to 

 lay them in. A second litter is expected shortly and a special burrow and 

 den, which have been prepared, will it is hoped enable the young to be 

 reared. The period of gestation is 80 days and the puppies are black 

 with white patches when born, not with ochreous markings like the 

 parents. 



A large number of donations, recorded from month to month in the 

 Irish Naturalist, have been received. Specially noticable are a pair of 

 South African Crowned Cranes from Mr. L. 0. Hutlon, three Llamas 

 from Mr. J. Nelson ; West African crocodiles and lizards from Dr. E. J. 

 Fenton, and a Moose-cow (of which a good photograph is given) from 

 the Earl of Aberdeen. 



Dubinin Microscopicai. Ci^ub. 



January 21. — The Club met at the house of Dr. W. Frazer, who ex- 

 hibited different specimens of genuine Shagreen and of other materials 

 usually so called, used for decorative purposes, covering spectacle cases, 

 mathematical instruments, &c., with the view of eliciting information as to 

 their nature, especially those of green colour with imbedded small 

 rounded white masses. Any information on the subject will be thank- 

 fully received. 



Prof. Coi,E showed grains separated from Portland Oolite by Mr. R. 

 Welch, with similar calcareous grains, for comparison, from deposits now 

 forming in the Great Salt Lake of Utah. In both cases an algal origin 

 hasbeen claimed for the grains, while many authors support an inorganic 

 mode of deposition. Prof. Cole had been unable to detect algal struc- 

 tures in a large number of sections of the Utah grains. 



Dr. Hurst suggested that as the organic portion of the bodies exhibited 

 by Prof, Cole was probably exceedingly small and therefore liable to be 

 destroyed by the effervescence caused by ordinary methods of decalci- 

 fication, a method should be adopted which he had devised some years 

 ago for a similar purpose, and which had given excellent results. 

 The objects to be decalcified are placed, in water or a solution of 

 corrosive sublimate, in a narrow-mouthed bottle, the greater part of the 

 bottle being empty. A slow stream of CO2 is now passed into this bottle 



