1902. Pro ceedhigs of Irish Societies. 117 



described in all its important details. After pointing out the diflference 

 between the homodont dentition of reptiles, and the heterodont dentition 

 of mammals, the lecturer described the teeth of herbivores at some length, 

 and laid special stress upon the correlation of growth shown in the 

 ruminants by the curious relation between the canine teeth and horns. 

 For instance, deer which have powerful horns have no canine teeth, 

 whereas deer which are hornless have well-developed and powerful 

 canine teeth. Teeth of continuous growth were treated with some detail, 

 illustrations being furnished by the swine, the rodents, and the elephants. 

 After mentioning the powerful teeth of the carnivores, the lecturer con- 

 cluded with a reference to the remarkable dentition of the Kangaroo. The 

 lecture was illustrated by over fifty specially-prepared lantern slides and 

 a large series of typical skulls and teeth. After some discussion, in 

 which Mr. Gray and Mr. Welch took part, the audience came forward to 

 examine the examples on the table. 



March 18.— Mr. J. Vinycomb, M.R, I. A., presided. 



Mr. Robert May read a very interesting paper on " Old Ulster rush- 

 light candlesticks, cruises, and other allied objects." Over fifty 

 specimens were exhibited by the author in illustration of his remarks. 



Mr. Wilson moved, and Mr. Swanston seconded, that the paper be 

 published in extenso in the Proceedings of the Club. 



Mr. Joseph Wright, F.G.S., read a communication on *' Foraminifera 

 from Boulder Clay." Boulder clay forms the subsoil of the greater part 

 of the British Isles, extending from sea-level to a height of 1,500 feet 

 above the sea. These clays, when examined microscopically, have been 

 found to contain the shells of foraminifera, which must have lived at 

 these places when the clay was being deposited. Almost all the forms 

 that have been found are referable to species which are at present living 

 at various depths off our coast, differing from them only in being some- 

 what smaller in size. Many of the forms are lovely objects under the 

 microscope, and so minute in size that it has been estimated that one 

 hundred thousand specimens would fit on a sixpenny piece. These 

 microzoa, and also shells more or less broken, have been got in clays and 

 gravel at the following places, at from 1,000 to 1,300 feet above the sea :— 

 Three-Rock Mountain, County Wicklow; Moel Tryfaen, Wales; Ayr- 

 shire, Scotland; and Divis Mountain, County Antrim. 



The recent examination of boulder clay at Knock Glen has given very 

 interesting results ; seventy-six species of foraminifera were obtained at 

 this place, many of them being very rare forms. Seven of them are 

 known as recent British species, only from deep water off the west coast 

 of Ireland, three of these being also recorded from the west coast of 

 Scotland. The occurrence of these species would lead us to infer that 

 the clay at the Knock Glen was deposited when the land stood at a 

 much lower level than now, when the tops of our highest mountains 

 were alone above the sea, and when the British Isles were a group of 



