r897-] Carpkntkr. — Irhh Animals in the Dublin Museum. 131 



opens from the western end of the room, the collection of nests 

 and eggs now closely adjoins the stuffed specimens of the 

 birds. 



The changes thus briefly described are meant to bring 

 together in compact arrangement a series illustrating the 

 present fauna of Ireland. And it is to be hoped that these 

 collections of our native animals will serve a two-fold pur- 

 pose — giving the casual visitor, whether native or stranger, 

 some idea of the number and variety of living creatures which 

 inhabit our country, and at the same time helping students of 

 the various groups of Irish animals. It need not be pointed 

 out how these students can re-act on the collections, and by 

 their co-operation render them more w^orthy of our metropolitan 

 museum. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRISH NATURAL HISTORY. 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 3rd series, vol. iv., 



No. I (December, 1896). 



In this somewhat bulky number, there are several papers dealing 

 especially with the Natural History of Ireland. Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger 

 issues his "Report upon the Raised Beaches of the North-Bast of 

 Ireland, with special reference to their Fauna" (pp. 30-54, and Plate I.) 

 He thus completes his examination of the beds that fringe the coast, 

 having given us, five years ago, a memorable series of observations on 

 the " Estuarine Clays " of the same area. It is interesting to note that 

 Mr. Praeger supports, on the whole. Prof. Hull's statement as to the 

 increase of elevation above the sea in the raised beaches as w^e go north- 

 ward. The beaches rest upon the marine clay, which probably runs 

 down all the eastern coast ; and the spots specially examined are 

 Greenore, Carlingford, Greencastle (opposite Greenore), Killough, 

 Sandeel Ba^-, Ballyholme Bay, Carnalea, The Kinnegar (Holywood), 

 West Bank (Belfast Lough), Kilroot, and Larne. Records of the fauna, 

 so far as known, are quoted, in most cases from personal observation. 

 Indeed, it is only at Kilroot and Larne that the author has been able to 

 glean much in this matter from previously published memoirs. Some 

 of the deposits commonly known as "raised beaches" are, it is pointed 

 out, in reality raised sea-banks, such as the Kinnegar and the Curran of 

 Larne. 



