4^ The Irish Naturalist. February, 



BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL 



SOCIETY. 



January 6.- A meeting was held in the Museum, when a lecture was 

 given by Joseph Barcroft, M.A., B.Sc, on the subject " Respiration." 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



December ii.— Mr. J. Vinycomb in the chair. Mr. Wii,i,iam Gray 

 submitted his report, as delegate from the Club, to the Glasgow meeting 

 of the British Association, and explained the objects and methods of 

 work of the Association, in view of the forthcoming meeting in Belfast. 

 A series of lantern views, illustrating the Glasgow meeting and 

 excursions, were shown by Messrs. Fennell. Phillips, and the speaker. 



December 17.— Mr. \Vm. Gray in the chair. Mr. F. C. Forth, 

 Principal of the Technical Institute, delivered an address on "How can 

 the Municipal Technical Institute aid the progress of Natural Science ? " 

 The paper was discussed by Messrs. C. M. Cunningham, R. Welch, Adam 

 Speers, B.Sc, A. Milligan, R. May, John Hamilton, St. J. Phillips, and 

 the chairman. 



Before the meeting a number of members assembled for the usual 

 half-hour " science gossip." Mr. Cunningham exhibited an abnormality 

 in the dentition in a skull brought from the Seychelles Islands, while 

 other members exhibited objects of interest. 



December 26.— The usual informal mid-winter excursion was held, 

 the locality selected being Dundrum. A party of fourteen turned out, 

 and an instructive day was spent. The great Anglo-Norman castle was 

 visited, and some hours devoted to the extensive sand-dunes, the best 

 finds being a good hollow scraper of flint, and specimens of the rare 

 Thistle, Carlma vulgaris, were collected by Mr. Praeger, being the third 

 station in the county. Some observations made on the shore by Mr. 

 Welch will be published subsequently. 



CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



November 19. — A lecture was delivered by George H. Pethybridge, 

 Ph.D., B.Sc, on "Plant Habits and Habitats." There was a large 

 attendance. The lecturer spoke at length of the different forms plants 

 took when growing, and suggested, from personal experiments, some pro- 

 bable cause. He also pointed out the influence of environment on plants, 

 showing how the same plant assumes a totally different form according as 

 its environment changes or is changed. Dr. Pethjbridge sjDoke of the 

 rivalry among plants, and gave examples of some cases where a plant 

 spread and ousted nearly all others from a neighbourhood. The lecture 

 was illustrated by numerous lantern slides. After a vote of thanks to 

 the lecturer, the proceedings terminated. 



