T904. Procecdhigs of Irish Societies. lyi 



through these latter accumulatious that the present bed of the Dodder 

 River has been cut. The party on proceeding up the valley had an 

 opportunity of viewing the bold heights which the Boulder-clay forms 

 on the east side of the river, fifty to sixty feet over the floor of the valley 

 being often reached. Large masses of gravel cemented into conglomerate 

 by the action of water containing lime in solution were very conspicuous 

 on the western side of the valley. By this time the party had reached 

 Mr. O'Byran's Lodge, and were compelled to take shelter from heavy 

 rain which commenced to fall. After tea an effort to reach the upper 

 lake was made by the more adventurous of the party, but the continued 

 rain made walking very difficult. The party then walked back to 

 Tallaght, and returned to town by the steam tram. Mr. Felix E. 

 Hackett, B.A,, B.Sc, was elected a member. 





NOTES, 



ZOOLOGY. 



The Manx Shearwater. 



Crossing over to Belfast from Liverpool at about six o'clock on the 

 morning of i8th June, and a mile or two south of Skullmartin Light- 

 ship, our steamer the " Caloric," passed through the largest company of 

 Manx Shearwaters I ever saw. I saw the birds first about half a mile ofl^, 

 flying about irregularly back and forward in all directions ; but, when we 

 came into the middle of the company, to my surprise some of the birds 

 appeared from below the surface, and flapped off" a few yards before 

 getting into their regular flight on finding the steamer so near them 

 Many of these birds were not more than ten yards from where I was 

 standing on deck. I seemed to be locking right down on them, some of 

 them coming to the surface not more than five to eight yards from the 



ship's side. There may have been from about 150 to 200 of the birds 



certainly not less than the former number— and it was one of the most 

 interesting, and indeed beautiful, sights of the kind I ever saw, for I 

 know of no bird of more graceful flight and easy elegance of movement 

 than the Manx Shearwater. The large number seen that morning, in a 

 locality far removed from any breeding station of the species that I am 

 aware of, is curious, as I should have supposed that the important family 

 duty of feeding their young would have detained the majority of the 

 birds nearer their nesting haunts than this till later in the season. 



R. Li<oYD Patterson. 

 Croft House, Holywood. 



