igtt Irish Societies. 69 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a Rhesus Monkey from Miss F. K. Thompson, 

 a Canadian Lynx from the President (Sir Charles Ball), a Mongoose from 

 Mr. F. G. Paine, a Syrian Bear from the Royal Artillery Battery, 

 Farnborough (per Major F. L. Sharp), Badgers from Messrs. Phclan and 

 O'Connell, a Grey Seal from Sir Charles Petrie, a Squirrel from Dr. R. 

 R. Leeper, Goldfinch -Canary Mules and Linnets from Mr. W. Hall and 

 Mr. R. Carley, two Kestrels from Mr. W. W. Despard, a Heron from 

 Mr. R. R. FitzHerbert, and a Viviparous Lizard from Mr. R. S. 

 Chatterton. 



A Black Ape has been purchased. This interesting Celebean species 

 has not been represented in the collection for many years, and the fme 

 specimen now acquired forms a valuable addition to the Monkey House. 

 Two Squirrel Monkeys, which have lately been obtained by exchange, are 

 also nio;t attractive creatures. The young female Syrian Bear, which the 

 Society has been given through the kindness of Major Sharp, was for 

 some years a regimental pet. She is very tame and climbs the pole in 

 the bear pit with much agility. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



February 8. — The Club met at Leinster House. A. R, Nichols, M. A , 

 (President), in the chair. 



Dr. G. H. Pethybridge exhibited a specimen of the fungus Geaster 

 fornicatus Ft., one of the so-called "earth-stars " which had been found 

 in the neighbourhood of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. This species has not 

 previously been recorded as occurring in Ireland. The specimen was 

 somewhat aberrant from typical forms of this species, in that the 

 endoperidium was almost sessile. Comparison with a series of forms 

 preserved in the British Musc'um (Natural Historj'), kindly carried out by 

 Miss Lorrain Smith, showed, however, that the specimen in question was 

 G. fornicatus. 



W. F. GuNN showed a specimen of Tingis histricellus, a plant bug from 

 Ceylon, which feeds upon and causes injury to several economic plants in 

 the island. It is characterised by extreme modification of the elytra, the 

 sides and surface ot which are armed with extremely stout and strong 

 spines, giving the insect a peculiarly formidable appearance. Shown 

 under a binocular microscope as a low-power object, it incidentally 

 demonstrated the advantages of binocular vision for certain classes of 

 objects, whereby great focal depth is secured, and the co-relation of the 

 various parts more easily seen than is possible with a monocular. 



A. R. Nichols exhibitetl a portion of a bifurcating branch of the 

 deep-sea Polyzoon Kinetoskias Smithi, showing the greatly elongated 

 and highly specialized avicularia and their method of attachment to the 

 zooecia. The specimen was dredged by the Fisheries Branch in 661-672 

 fathoms off the south-west coast of Ireland. This rare and remarkable 

 polyzoon has previously been obtained only off the coasts of Norway 

 and ofi the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia. 



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