142 The Irish Naturalist. 



Club ; while within the last two years it has been our pleasant 

 duty to record in these pages the foundation of similar 

 societies in Cork and Limerick. I have thought that a short 

 sketch of the history and work of each of these Clubs may be 

 of interest to readers of the Irish Naturalist ; and we shall 

 begin with the oldest and also the largest of the Irish Field 

 Clubs, the 



Belfast Naturalists' Field Club. 

 We find the stimulus which resulted in the foundation of 

 this Club in the courses of lectures in geology, botany, and 

 zoology delivered in Belfast under the auspices of the Science 

 and Art Department by Mr. Ralph Tate (now Professor Tate, 

 E.G.S., of Adelaide University) during the winter of 1862-3. 

 Mr. Tate possessed in a rare degree the power of interesting 

 his hearers, and drawing them with him into the regions of 

 science, and his lectures were largely attended, and his 

 students remarkably successful in the examinations that were 

 subsequently held under the Department. As a practical out- 

 come of Mr. Tate's teaching and example, we find, in the 

 Belfast Press of January, 1863, letters advocating the formation 

 of a Naturalists' Field Club. The first suggestion came from 

 " W. T. C" (William T. Chew), and his letter was soon followed 

 by two others, signed " A Young Geologist " (Hugh Robin- 

 son), and " S. A. S." (Samuel Alexander Stewart). With the 

 heart)' co-operation of Mr. Tate, the preliminary steps were 

 soon taken, and a public meeting was held in March, when 

 the Club was formally constituted, and members were enrolled. 

 Looking at the prospectus which was then issued, of which I 

 possess almost the only copy now in existence, we find that 

 the first President (then "Chairman of Committee") was 

 John Grainger, M.A., subsequently Rev. Canon Grainger, d.d. 

 The first Secretaries were Mr. Tate and Mr. Chew ; while the 

 two other originators of the Club took places on the Committee. 

 Of these, Mr. Chew's name disappears early from the Club 

 records, owing to his removal to London. Canon Grainger 

 and Mr. Robinson maintained a warm and active interest in 

 the Club until their deaths, but a few years ; and Mr. Stewart 

 has, during, the thirty-one years that have elapsed, held his 

 place on the Committee, and holds it still, a loved and honoured 

 member. The prospectus concludes with the list of original 

 members, 107 in number, among which it is pleasant to notice 



