i897-j Contributions to Irish Natural History, 13 



Dr. Browne are prepared to base generalizations upon the long series of 

 enquiries that they have set before themselves. It affords yet another 

 example of their systematic methods of research, by which the Irish 

 peasant is approached, in his past environment, in his present needs, 

 and in his beliefs and aspirations, from a position devoid of prejudice, 

 bias, or misguiding sentiment. May we hope that, in the course of 

 time, ethnographic considerations may be allowed due weight in 

 apportioning public praise or blame, and in reading the bitter book 

 of history ,? At the present time, however, it must be granted that such 

 papers have an essential vein of humour, due to the novelty of regarding 

 our neighbours as objects of Irish Natural history. 



On p. 112, Mr. D. M'Ardle describes "Additions to the Hepaticse of the 

 Hill of Howth, with a table showing the geographical distribution of all 

 the species known to grow there." The author discovered Jungermania 

 attejiuaia at Howth in 1893, the first record of the plant in Ireland ; and 

 he has now added nineteen species to his list previously published 

 Fourteen of these are new records also for the county. Cephalozia Francisci 

 is a second liverwort not yet recorded from any other part of Ireland. 



The geographical table is suggestive, to an outsider, of the wide 

 distribution of almost all species of liverworts. As the author points 

 out, Howth compares most closely with Yorkshire ; but we may suspect 

 that the gaps in the series from the Pyrenees, Scandinavia, France, and 

 German)^, are due to the fact that Mr. M'Ardle, unlike the historic bird, 

 cannot be in all these places at once, and that Ireland is likely for some 

 time to afford him a field of continual discovery and delight. 



GrenviIvIvE; a. J. Coi^e:. 



NOTES 



Our warm congratulations to Prof. SoUas on his appointment to the 

 Chair of Geology at Oxford. But he will be much missed by his many 

 Irish friends, and Irish Geology will be a heavy loser by his departure. 

 Another appointment which arouses similar feelings is that of Dr. A. 

 Francis Dixon, Senior Demonstrator of Anatomy in Trinity College, to 

 the Professorship of Anatomy at the University College, Cardiff. 



BOTANY. 



PHANEROGAMS. 



Dryas octopetala !n Co. Antrim. 



At the March meeting of the Belfast Field Club, Rev. H. W. Lett 

 exhibited specimens of Dryas octopetala gathered last November at Sallagh 

 Braes, remarking that his search for it was undertaken in consequence of 

 the comment which we made on his note on this plant published in the 



