26o The Irish Naturalist. November, 



splendid set of foramiiiifeia arranged by Joseph Wright 

 was exhibited. The collection of Irish birds was entireh' 

 remodelled, 1 80 new specimens being added, many from the 

 collections of Sir R. LI. Patterson and Robert Patterson, and 

 a set of maps provided showing the distribution of each 

 species. The egg collection was similarly entirely overhauled, 

 and clutches were presented by R. J. Ussher, N. H. F'oster, 

 and John Cottuey. This collection now contains examples of 

 the eggs of every Irish breeding bird. Among the insects, 

 what is practically a new collection of Irish beetles has been 

 formed, consisting of many thousands of specimens represent- 

 ing 1,150 species. The Belfast Natural History and Philo- 

 sophical Society is to be congratulated on being favoured 

 with the services of so devoted a band of naturalists. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 



THE PRESIDKNTIAI, ADDRESS. 



Punctually at 8.30 on the evening of September loth, the 

 formal business of the Association was opened with the usual 

 large gathering of ivXXy "dressed" members. The Ulster 

 Hall being unfortunately not available, the meeting was held 

 in the Grosvenor Hall. Did the assembly know that the 

 bright array of banners of past-Presidents might not have been 

 there to adorn the scene but for the courageous act of a local 

 clergyman, who, when the area of the Hall had, in the 

 previous week, been several feet under water, " divested 

 himself of some of his clothing," and plunged in to rescue 

 the precious emblems from a drowning table? The farewell 

 words of Principal Rocker, in resigning the Chair of the 

 vVssociation to Professor Dewar, were perfect both in incep- 

 tion and delivery. Professor Dewar's address dealt for the 

 most part with those results in physical science — the approach 

 towards the "absolute zero" and the liquefaction of gases— 

 that have made his name famous. Possibly the address might 

 have been more effective if these abstruse subjects had been 

 dealt with early, and the inevitable references to the progress 



