52 The Irish Naturalist. [Feb. 



BEI.FAST NaTURAIvISTS' FiEI^D Ci^UB. 



January 8th. — The Geological section met, when Alec G. Wilson, Hon. 

 Sec. of the Club, gave some notes on a recent visit to Dungiven, The 

 Cretaceous rocks exposed there are specially interesting, being believed 

 to represent a higher zone than is found in County Antrim ; and are 

 noted for the numerous gastropods which they contain. A series of 

 fossils obtained during the visit was exhibited. Much interest was 

 aroused by some specimens of the porphyritic Rhyolite which occurs near 

 Hillsborough, exhibited by Mr. Wilson, who succeeded in obtaining this 

 rock, which is rather difficult to discover or obtain, as the quarry is 

 flooded and no longer worked, and consequently overgrown with herbage. 

 Extracts from an important pamphlet by P. F. Kendall, F.G.S., on the 

 Glacial Geology of the Isle of Man, were also read. Rock specimens were 

 presented by A. G. Wilson and R. Bell, who also presented a rock section 

 for the microscope of the dyke of basaltic Andesite found by him at 

 Ballygomartin. 



January 21st. — The President (Mr. F. W. Lockwood) in the chair. 

 Mr. G. H. Carpenter, delegate from the Dublin Naturalists' P'ield Club, 

 lectured on "Our Plants and Animals: Old Inhabitants and New Arrivals.' 

 The lecture, illustrated by lantern slides of specimens and scenery, dealt 

 with the problems of geographical distribution, and covered much the 

 same ground as the address to the Dublin Club to be printed in full in 

 our next issue. 



The President expressed the pleasure it had given the Belfast Club 

 to hear Mr. Carpenter's views on such an interesting subject. 



Mr. W. Gray was sure that Mr. Carpenter had not put forward his 

 theories in a dogmatic spirit, but with a view to stimulate research. It 

 was possible that the absence of records of a species from a certain dis- 

 trict meant only that no one had looked for it there. 



Prof. Symington said that no laboratory worker could disparage the 

 labours of a systematic or faunistic naturalist, with the example of Darwin 

 in view. 



Mr. Carpenter, in reply, thanked the Club for their kind reception. 

 He quite agreed with Mr. Gray that there was need for caution, and 

 remarked that such speculations as he had put forward, must rest on the 

 records of animals and plants whose range had been fairly ascertained. 



Dubinin Naturawsts' Fiei.d Ci,ub. 

 January 14th. — The Annual General Meeting was held at the Royal 

 Irish Academy House. The President (G. H. Carpenter, B.Sc.) occupied 

 the chair, and there was a good attendance of members. The Secre- 

 tary, in response to a call from the chair, read the Annual Report, 

 which showed that during the year the membership had risen from 158 

 to 194. Reference was made to the decease of two original members of 

 Committee— Dr. V. Ball and Mr. A. G. More. During the year six busi- 

 ness meetings and seven excursions were held, and a conversazione in 

 addition. Special reference was made to the good work done on the 



