1904. Proceedi7i^s of hish Societies. 69 



BoTanicai. Section.— January 23.— Rev. C. H. Waddell, B.D., de- 

 livered the second of a series of lectures on the Umbelliferce. 



DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



February 6.— Excursion to Howth.— Twenty members and 

 friends took the 1.50 train from Amiens-street to Howth station. The 

 party, under the leadership of Mr. F. O'B. Ellison, walked round the cliff 

 path to the summit. On the way they had the opportunity of observing 

 a number of very interesting geological features, such as the outcrop of 

 dolomite in the Harbour, showing characteristic contraction spaces, the 

 cliffs of glacial sands and gravels under the Martello Tower, the remark- 

 able breccia in Balscadden Bay, which fills up the great fault between 

 the Cambrian .and Carboniferous rocks, isolated sea-stacks showing the 

 effects of shore erosion, and andesite dykes intersecting Cambrian rocks. 

 When the party reached the summit they had tea, returning to Dublin 

 by the 5.5 train from Howth after a very enjoyable afternoon. 



February 9.— The President (F. W. Burbidge, M.A.) in the chair. 

 The President delivered an address dealing with the forces brought into 

 play by the action of vegetable life. G. H. Pethybridge, Ph.D., 

 brought forward the question of the relation of local scientific societies to 

 the British Association, and made many suggestions as to the steps which 

 might be taken to advance scientific research. J. Adams, B.A., read a 

 paper on the occurrence of Yew in ajQueen's County bog. The paper dealt 

 very fully with the occurrence of fossil woods in the bogs of Ireland, and 

 showed that a great amount of work remained to be done in the 

 direction of identifying the correct species of the different trees that 

 occur in the prehistoric levels of Irish bogs. Mr. Praeger pointed out 

 the necessity of original work being done in this matter, most writers on 

 the subject being content to collect what some previous writer 

 had said Mr. BurbidgE gave instances of the occurrence of Yew 

 in Ireland. F. O'B. E1.WSON, B.A., gave an elaborate and graphic 

 account of the excursion held on Saturday, February 6. Mr. Howard 

 Fleming was elected a member of the Club. 



ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION. 



January 27 The first Annual Meeting was held in the Museum, 



College Square N., Belfast, Sir R. LI. Patterson, D.L., F.L.S., in the 

 chair. In submitting their First Report, the Council point out that the 

 Association has only been nine months in existence, and that of 

 necessity much of that time was occupied in making arrangements for 

 commencing the various branches of work. These arrangements are 

 now practically complete, and the Council look forward with confidence 

 to the accomplishment of much valuable and original research during 

 1904. A house has been secured at Larne Harbour, and a fine steam 



