1902. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 51 



Fifty lantern slides were exhibited, illustrating the various types of 

 nests in situ, 2lm^ included colonies of Kittiwake Gulls, Gannets and 

 Guillemots. A collection of nests presented by the lecturer to the 

 Science and Art Museum was also exhibited, by permission. 



The chairman, Mr. Burbidge, mentioned a heronry in Co. Wicklow, 

 the owner of which had informed him that a Heron, after laying a second 

 clutch of eggs, was accompanied while hatching them by her young of 

 the first brood, which sat beside her on the nest. 



The Rev. J. E- B. BI/I^ison mentioned the Ring Dove as an exception 

 to the rule, that birds which lay white eggs place them in covered nests. 

 He described a Dipper's nest he had seen, which was constructed on the 

 top of a post driven into the bed of a stream, and which stood in the 

 eye of a bridge as an upright for paling. Mr. Ellison also stated that 

 where patches of shells occurred on the strand in a suitable locality 

 he knew from experience that the eggs of the Lesser Tern were to be 

 expected. 



Mr. Burbidge exhibited : — i. A hardy orange tree — two branches with 

 fruit of Citrus trifoliatus, a deciduous species from the north of China and 

 Japan, The yellow fruits are downy outside, and the size of large 

 apricots. 



2. A hybrid groundsel from Cork, resulting spontaneously from Senecio 

 squalidus, a species introduced from Greece, and our native S. vulgaris. 

 It resembles the common groundsel in habit of growth, but its flowers 

 are larger, being furnished with ray florets. 



3. A vegetable parasite, Cuscuta rejiexa, growing on ivy, and bearing 

 clusters of small white and flagrant flowers along its wiry twining stems. 



Mrs. Maconchy, Miss L. S. French, Mr. F. O'B. Ellison, and Mr. J. A. 

 Thunder, were elected members of the Club, and two nominations for 

 membership were received. 



January 14.— Annuai. Meeting.— The President (G. Pim, M.A.) in 

 the chair. The Annual Report was submitted, from which it appeared 

 that at the beginning of the year the Club membership reached a total 

 of 170 ; on the ist January, 1902, the number was 152, 24 new members 

 having been elected, and 42 removed from the list. Of these latter the 

 Committee regret to have to record the deaths during the past year of 

 Mrs. C M. B. vStoker, Prof G. F. Fitzgerai^d, and Mr. Thomas 

 Greene, the first two of whom were members of the Club since its 

 foundation. The average attendance at the Winter Business Meetings, 

 seven in number, was about 35. The Irish Field Club Union held its 

 third Triennial Conference in Dublin, from June i8th-22nd, which was 

 fairly well attended. Under the auspices of the Field Club Union, Mr. 

 Seymour lectured at Belfast in February, and Dr. Pethybridge at 

 lyimerick and Cork in November. 



The Winter Session opened on November 5th with a Conversazione, 

 which was attended by 140 members and visitors, including repre- 

 sentatives of the Belfast Field Club. 



