i9CJ2. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 147 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



Aprii, 22. — Thirty-ninth Annuai, Meeting. Mr. F. J. Bigger, 

 M.R. LA. , presided. Having opened the meeting, he called on the Secretary 

 to read the annual report, giving statement of work done during the past 

 year. The Treasurer (Mr. W. H. Phii.i,ips) submitted a statement of 

 the finances of the Club. It was proposed and seconded that these 

 reports be adopted and that these and the reports of excursions and 

 meetings should be published and circulated among the members. Mr. 

 S. A. Stewart then read the awards on the collections sent in in com- 

 petition for the prizes offered by the Club. The prize for Coleoptera was 

 awarded to Mr. H. Lamont Orr, who presented two hundred and six 

 named species of beetles collected in the district. These were excellently 

 prepared and mounted, and were considered the best collection ever sent 

 in for this prize. The prize for a collection of I^iassic fossils was awarded 

 to Mr. James Orr, whose collection included a number of the rarer forms. 

 The reports of work done in the botanical section and geological section 

 were taken, and the report of the Committee investigating the flora and 

 fauna of Lough Neagh was read by Mr. R. Welch. The election of 

 officers and Committee for the coming year was then proceeded with. 

 The Secretary then read the rules regulating the constitution of the 

 Club. Mr. W. J. Fennell proposed that the rule relating to the office 

 of President should be suspended for the year, and that Mr. Bigger be 

 requested to retain the presidency for another year. This motion was 

 seconded by Mr. John Dickson and passed. Mr. Fennell was elected 

 Vice-President on the proposition of Mr. J. Vinycomb, seconded by Mr. 

 Welch. Mr. W. H. Phillips was elected Treasurer ; Mr. Donaldson was 

 elected Librarian ; Mr. James St. J. Phillips and Mr. Robert Patterson 

 were elected Secretaries. Mr. Coulson proposed and Mr. Foster seconded 

 ten names to act as Committee, and the motion was passed. Members 

 were then invited to bring forward particulars of places that would in 

 their opinion prove of interest as summer excursions. A general discus= 

 sion took place on the merits of the various places suggested, and a 

 long list was left in the hands of the new Committee to select from. 

 The Secretary called attention to the number of prizes offered by the 

 Club for competition among the members, and read a communication 

 from the Library and Technical Committee offering two valuable prizes 

 for the best sets of specimens of building stones found in Ireland. A 

 discussion arose as to the wide area and short time allowed for the 

 collection to be made, and the matter was referred to the Committee to 

 dlraft the necessary conditions. The Secretary read extracts from the. 

 report of the corresponding societies of the British Association. 



The election of eight new members brought the meeting to a closci 



