1900.] Proceedings of Irish Societies. 10 1 



February 16.— Rev. C. H. Waddkll, B.D., presiding. A collection of 

 shell ornaments from Torres Straits and New Guinea were sent for 

 exhibition by Professor Haddon, F.R.S., and illustrations of their 

 practical use were thrown on the screen. 



Mr. R. Ivi^OYD Praeger, B.E., M.R.I.A., delivered a lecture on the 

 result of his botanical excursions over the centre and west of Ireland, 

 illustrated by limelight views on the screen. The lecturer said that, 

 owing to its position as the most westerly portion of the Continent of 

 Europe, Ireland was of peculiar interest to the student of botanical and 

 zoological geography. Here, on the extreme edge of the Continent, we 

 might expect to find vestiges of the plants and animals that had gone 

 before, pushed out to the very verge of the ocean by stronger species 

 spreading from the great Eurasian land area. The present distribution 

 of plants in Ireland was profoundly influenced by soils, and, according 

 as the prevailing rocks were limestone or non-calcareous, a large 

 number of species were often present in or absent from a district 

 Ireland could be divided into several botanical districts, the features of 

 which he would next describe. The natural botanical districts were 

 then described, and illustrated by means of lantern slides and specimens 

 of plants. Turning now to the subject of botanical research in Ireland, 

 a brief sketch was given of the histor}- of Irish botany, from the time 

 when Caleb Threlkeld compiled the first Irish flora in 1726 down to the 

 present day. The most recent work, the second edition of Cybck 

 Hibernica, divided the country into twelve districts, and showed the 

 distribution of each plant according to this scheme. A much more 

 accurate knowledge of plant distribution was, however, requisite for the 

 purposes of the photogeographer. Maps were shown illustrating how 

 H. C. Watson had sub-divided England, Scotland, and Wales into 

 112 divisions, and how, on similar lines, the lecturer had sub-divided 

 Ireland into forty divisions. What was wanted then to render our 

 knowledge of Irish plant distribution complete was full lists of the 

 plants growing in each of these forty divisions. To this task the writer 

 had applied himself four years ago, and he gave details regarding the 

 progress of the work, which was now approaching completion. During 

 the discussion that followed, it was suggested that the county borough 

 council should be asked to restore and complete the botanical collection 

 that formerly existed in what is now known as the Botanic Park, and 

 also to provide an aquarium, both objects being of great value from a 

 technical education point of view, and, with the assistance of the 

 members of the Club, could be established and maintained at very little 

 cost. 



BoTANiCAi, Section. February 17.— Mr. Praeger read a paper on 

 " Plants of the Ulster Borderland." He said that he proposed to exhibit 

 specimens of a number of more or less common Irish plants, which in 

 their northward range either stopped short on the borders of Ulster or 

 were very sparingly distributed in that province, and his remarks would 

 have special reference to the North-east. Some of these plants might 

 still be extended to Ulster, and of others new stations were probably 



