1904. 2t 



IRISH SOCIETIES. ;: 



EOYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a Golden Eagle from Mr. J. P. Porter (this in- 

 teresting bird, originally obtained on Achill, has been in the donor's 

 possession for twenty-five years), a Hare from Mr. B. Heron, a Grass 

 Snake from Mr. F. W. Burbidge, a Rhosus Monkey from the Countess of 

 Kilmorey, and a Suricate from Mr. T. Carter. The Raccoon, which had 

 previously escaped from the enclosure and taken refuge in the Lion 

 House, again acted in the same way, and for more than a month 

 remained by day sheltered beneath the eaves, coming down each evening 

 in search of food, until she was captured by the night watchman and 

 restored to her comrades. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



No\^MBKR II. — The Club met at Leinster House. 



F. W. MooRK exhibited sections through the flower of Masdevallia 

 nielanoxantha. This rare Orchid is a native of Ocana, South America, and 

 up to recent years had only been known from dried specimens. It had 

 been confused with Masdevallia Schlimii^ which, however, is quite distinct, 

 until living plants were introduced by Mr. Sander. The united sepals 

 are large, and of a deep blackish-brown colour, the surface being 

 covered over with a series of minute warts and ridges, the cells of which 

 contain the colouring material. 



G. H. Carpenter showed a dissection of the head of the small 

 ■aiyr\a.^odi Scohpendrella ittwiaculata, demonstrating the existence of man- 

 dibles, maxillulie, and two pairs of maxillae, and proving thereby the 

 close correspondence between the head of this creature and that of the 

 lowest insects {Colle7nbola and Thysamird). The further agreement of the 

 primitive insects with Scolopetidrella in the trunk segmentation, and 

 the evident relationship between Scolopetidrella and the Centipedes and 

 Millipedes suggests that Scolopendrella may fairly be regarded as approxi- 

 mating to the common ancestors of the Tracheate Arthropoda. The jaws 

 of Scolopendrella have been figured by the exhibitor in the Proc, R. Irish 

 Acad., vol. xxiv.. Section B., 1903, p. 328. 



D. M'Ardi,E exhibited Lepidozia trichoclados, C. Miill., and Lepodozia 

 setacea, Web. The former is now considered to be a good species. A full 

 account, with differential remarks between it and L. setacea, with plate, 

 will be found in Herr MuUer's paper in Hedwigia, 1S99, p- 197, and an 

 excellent description of these two hepatics by Mr. Macvicar in the 

 /ournal of Botany, yol. xl., p. 157, 1902. 



On account of the similarity of the leaves of the two plants^ Lepidozia 

 trichoclados has been frequently overlooked. The distinguishing 

 characters of the two plants were shown under microscopes; in 



