68 The Irish Naturalist. March 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



January 19.— The President (W. J, FE:NNE:i,r„ M.R.I.A.I.)in the chair- 



W. H. Phillips read a paper on " Varieties in British Ferns," which 

 was illustrated by a number of fresh fronds from his extensive collection 

 of plants. 



Mrs. B. HOBSON read a paper entitled, " Some Souterrains in Antrim 

 and Down." The paper was illustrated by lantern slides, some of which 

 were photographs of carefully prepared plans by Miss Hobson from the 

 sketches and measurements of the writer. 



The third paper was read by W. H. Workman, M.B.O.U., on " Birds 

 and Nests," profusely illustrated by lantern slides, most being original. 

 The pugnacity of the Great Black-backed Gull, Ihe voracit}' of the 

 Black-headed Gull, the wide distribution of the Warblers, and the 

 increase of the Starling in recent j'ears were commented upon. 



R. BeIvL read a paper entitled " Notes on the Discovery of Dopplerite 

 in Sluggan Bog." Mr. Bell said that Sluggan Bog, in the parish of 

 Drummaul, is the largCvSt bog in Co. Antrim, containing upwards of one 

 thousand acres. This district was the scene of a remarkable bog-burst 

 which occurred on the 19th September, 1835, The peasantry of the 

 district were much alarmed as a large body of the bog moved rapidly 

 towards the River Main, covering up corn-fields and meadows and roadsi 

 in some places to a depth of twenty feet. The bog offers to naturalists 

 a tempting field for research. A road-cutting at Ball3durgan shows a 

 fine section of peat resting on tough boulder-clay, containing many 

 erratics of North Autrim type. While searching among the peat in Mr. 

 M'Groggan's peat farm, he discovered a peculiar black layer, of. the 

 consistency of stiff jelly. Further investigation showed that this 

 material occurred in situ at a depth of seven feet below the surface. It 

 was about three inches in thickness, thinning out irregularly to the 

 adjoining peat. The substance is like a velvet}' black jelly, which 

 becomes hard on drying, and breaks with the conchoidal fracture 

 peculiar to amorphous substances. As it was unknown to local geologists, 

 samples were sent to Mr. Richard J. Moss, F.I.C., F.C.S , of Dublin, who 

 made an analysis of it, and determined it to be Dopplerite, a substance 

 hitherto unrecorded in the British Islands, though found in Germany 

 and Switzerland. The discovery seemed of such interest that it formed 

 the subject of a paper read before the Royal Dublin Society. The papers 

 were discussed by the President, Miss Andrews, Messrs. Gray, Hamilton, 

 Patterson, May, Welch, Foster, and Milligan. Two new members were 

 elected. 



February 2. — The members were invited by the President and Mrs. 

 Fennell to a reception in the Museum. Tea was dispensed from eight 

 till nine o'clock, and afterwards Dr. TEMPEST Anderson, F.G.S., 

 delivered a lecture on the West Indian volcanic eruptions in 1902, in 

 which he gave a most interesting account of a visit paid by him, in 

 company with Dr. J. S. I'lett, to the scene of the disturbances in St. 

 Vincent and Martinique. 



