jc^ The Irish Naturalisf.^' ■ July, 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



May 21.— Excursion to Hii,i.sborough.— This excursion created a 

 record, as one hundred and sixty-seven members and friends attended. 

 The party travelled to Hillsborough by the 1.45 train, and were met by 

 Mr. Nevin H. Foster (Hon. Secretary), who was both guide and host for 

 the day. By permission, the demesne of the Marquis of Dowushire was 

 first visited, and proved a good collecting ground. On arrival at the lake, 

 a swan sitting on her nest was pointed out, while dotted over the water 

 were to be seen Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, and Uttle Grebes. But the 

 scene which elicited most numerous expressions of admiration was the 

 fine collection of conifers growing by the upper end of the lake. These 

 afforded typical nesting sites and feeding places for the numerous Great, 

 Blue, and Coal Tits, Redpolls, Golden-crested Wrens, and Siskins, which 

 flew about from tree to tree. On the way to the old castle the members 

 were disgusted at the blot on the fair landscape made by the keepers' 

 •• museum." Hanging on a tree, in various stages of putrification, were 

 half a dozen Owls and the same number of Kestrels, along with Sparrow- 

 hawks and Stoats. Merely from the low standpoint of game preservation 

 little objection can be taken to the two latter, but how many years must 

 elapse before the ignorant gamekeepers learn that Owls and Kestrels are 

 the best friends they have, and should be strictly protected? It has 

 been pointed out over and over again in various journals and newspapers 

 that Owls and Kestrels live chiefly on rats and mice, and are most bene- 

 ficial in clearing off enormous quantities of these pests. Rats will destroy 

 all the eggs they can get at, therefore keepers should., in their employers' 

 interests, preserve Owls and Kestrels as the deadly enemies of rats, but 

 ignorance and prejudice are hard to overcome, and so the innocent suffer 

 for the guilty. To add to their feelings of disgust the members were 

 shocked to observe that in most cases the legs of the victims showed 

 clear evidence of a lingering and painful death by the odious pole-trap^ 

 Fortunately the Pole-trap Act, which has recently passed through Par- 

 liament, will put an end in future to such barbarity, which is a disgrace 

 to civilisation. 



Some damp, mossy glades in the woods were searched for the smaller 

 land shells. Here Hyalinia radiatiila was found, with its rare pale-green 

 variety. The lakes yielded abundance of Planorbis albiis. Rather fine 

 specimens of Valvata cristata were plentiful near the margins, with some 

 large Pisidhim fontiuak. Near the old castle the very local Limax flavus 

 lives in old trees. One of the tree snails, Balea, was observed on old 

 trees, but in small numbers. After being photographed, the large party 

 went to the Corporation Arms Hotel, where tea was kindly provided by 

 Mr. and Mrs. N. H. Foster. Afterwards a short business meeting was 

 held, and twelve new members elected. 



The 6.30 train brought the members back to Belfast. 



