Proceedi?igs of hish Societies. 259 



At eight o'clock the President of the Club (Mr. G. H. Carpenter, B.Sc), 

 who was attended by the Secretary (Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger, B.B.), took the 

 chair, and opened the proceedings. He bade welcome to the many 

 members and visitors present, expressing the hope that many of those 

 who now came as visitors would soon attend as members. He referred 

 to the success of the summer excursions of the Club, now over for the 

 season, and especially to the important joint meetings that had been 

 held at Drogheda in connection with the Belfast and North Staffordshire 

 Naturalists' Field Clubs, and at Fermoy in conjunction with the Field 

 Clubs of Cork and Limerick. Such meetings of the different clubs were 

 sure to assist their mutual aims. He was pleased to say that arrange- 

 ments were in progress for the holding of a conference of all the Irish 

 Field Clubs next year at Galway, when they would together explore the 

 lovely and interesting district of Connemara, and take council together 

 iegarding their mutual interests. 



He then called on Mr. David M'Ardle, who showed some specimens 

 and lantern-slides of rare Irish liverworts. These plants grew in damp 

 places, and among moss, and many of them were of much beauty and 

 rarity, and their distribution on the surface of the globe was very 

 peculiar. Mr. R. Welch, of Belfast, next showed a series of lantern views 

 from photographs taken on the recent excursion of the Belfast Natur- 

 alists' Field Club to Portsalon and Rosapenna, North Donegal ; also a fine 

 set of seagulls on the wing, taken from Southport Pier and on the 

 Northumberland moors. Mr. Carpenter followed with photographs, by 

 Mr. F. T. Kason, of the Irish house-spider ( Tegenaria hibernica) and its 

 web. A second lantern exhibition was given later in the evening, when 

 Professor Sollas, F.R.S., showed a photograph of a model, produced by 

 spreading a sheet of gold-leaf over a film of gelatine, and allowing the 

 latter to dry slowly. The puckerings and cracks, and circular elevations 

 caused by air bubbles which are produced in the goldleaf resemble in a 

 remarkable degree the features of the moon's surface. Dr. M'Weeney 

 exhibited a very fine series of bacilli of diseases, such as diphtheria, 

 cholera, and tuberculosis, and explained lucidly the nature of these 

 minute organisms. Professor Haddon subsequently described a series of 

 beautiful views, by Mr. R. Welch, of Irish country life, illustrating the 

 occupations, conveyances, and monuments of the people in the more 

 remote parts of the country. 



Displayed on tables in the various rooms were a large number of 

 exhibits of scientific interest. These included microscopical preparations 

 of the sea-midge, Clunio marinus, shown by the President. The male of 

 this insect, though very rare, was known to occur in the district, but the 

 female, which was also shown, has never been found before it was 

 taken on the Club's excursion to Ballybrack in April last. Mr. H. K. G. 

 Cuthbert showed an interesting set of inquiline Hymenoptera and their 

 hosts. Mr. J. N. Halbert exhibited local insects taken in Ireland during 

 the year, among which were several not previously found in the country. 

 Professor A. C. Haddon, F.Z.S., showed specimens of Irish Foraminifera, 

 and enlarged models of the same, which gave an excellent idea of the 

 beautiful and varied shells of these minute organisms. Professor T. 

 Johnson, D. Sc, was represented by a series of Irish sea-weeds, and 

 some microscopical botanical preparations. Several interesting speci- 

 mens from the Science and Art Museum were exhibited, including the 

 beautiful green fungus Chlorosplenium, found by Miss Kelsall, and some 

 fossil corallines from Dublin Bay, by Professor O'Reilly. Mr. F. W. 

 Moore, F.L.S., exhibited a number of rare exotic plants in the live state, 

 including insectivorous species. Dr. Scharff, B. Sc, contributed a col- 

 lection of the land and fresh water shells of County Dublin— a very 

 complete series ; and also showed the first Irish specimens of a planarian 

 worm, Rhynchodesvius terrestris. Professor Grenville Cole had on view a 

 magnificent series of photographs taken among the higher Alps by the 

 late W. F. Donkin; he also exhibited models and photographs illustrating 



