1902. 47 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a Chacma Baboon from Mr. Crawford Donnelly, 

 a Badger from Mr. W. R. Fetherstonhaugh, and a Golden Eagle from 

 Mr. Watson. A Racoon and a pair of Ibexes have been bought. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



December ii. — The Club met at Leinster House. 



Mr. F. M. SeIvI^Ens exhibited a living specimen of Daphnia hyalina 

 obtained from a pond at Sutton, Co. Dublin. There are two peculiarities 

 which mark it out from some of the other forms. These are the tall 

 helmeted head, which closely approaches, or may even exceed, one-third 

 of the entire body-length, and the long shell-spine. The terminal claws 

 on the tail are smooth, whereas in some of the other species these claws 

 are furnished with lateral spines arranged side by side like comb-teeth. 



January 8. — The Club met at Ivcinster House. 



Mr, Moore showed hairs from the calyx of Steriphoma paradoxa. The 

 buds of this plant appear to be of a bright orange-red colour, which is 

 due to the presence of crowded compound stellate hairs which cover the 

 calyx thickly, especially the lower portion, and which contain brightly- 

 coloured sap. The walls also seemed to be stained inside. They formed 

 a very pretty object when examined under the microscope. 



Mr. M'ArdIvE exhibited a specimen of the rare Cephalozia Francisci, 

 Hook., which was collected by himself and the Rev. Canon I^ett, at 

 Pontoon, on the rocky shore of Lough Conn, Co. Mayo, in May last. 

 He also showed a figure of the plant by Mr, \V. N. Allen, which was 

 drawn from specimens collected on the Hill of Howth in 1893, and is 

 included in Mr. M'Ardle's paper on the " Hepaticse of the Hill of Howth," 

 Proc. R.I.A. (2), vol. iii. The other localities known in Ireland are near 

 Bantry, Co. Cork, together with J. Ttirneri. Miss Hutchins sent it 

 to Sir Wm. Hooker about the year 181 1, who records it in his work on 

 the British Jungennanice^ at tab. 49. Fc»und also at Kinnahalla, in the 

 Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, in fruit, by Rev. Canon Lett, June, 1883. 

 Found in England and Scotland ; and on the Continent, sparingly. 



Dr. Scharff exhibited an exceedingl)' minute species of gastropod 

 marine shell {Adeorbis wiisukatus) dredged off Ballycastle, Co. Antrim. 

 The species was described as new to science, and figured by Dr. Chaster 

 {Journ. of Conchology, vol. viii., 1895 1897, p, 373), who had also sent a note 

 about it to the Irish Naturalist (vol. vi., p. 125). It differs from A. imper- 

 spiciius by its smaller size, and especially by the remarkably deep spiral 

 groove on the underside of the shell. Dr. Chaster has since found the 

 same species on the west coast of Scotland, at Plymouth, and at Tangier. 



Mr. G. H, Carpenter showed the specimensofpuparia of the Grouse- 

 fly {Ornithomyia avicularid) which he described and figured in the Iiish 

 Naturalist^ November, 1901. 



