1896.] Proceedings of Irish Societies. 23 



Mr. Ai,EC G. Wii^sON described the geological features of the Galway 

 Conference, illustrating his remarks by numerous fine lantern-slides 

 from photographs taken on the excursion, by Messrs. Welch, Gray, and 

 Fennell. A report on the geology of this excursion, by Miss S. M. 

 Thompson, has already appeared in our September number. 



Miss S. M. Thompson, Secretary of the Geological Section, read a report 

 on the Geological excursions of the past season. We hope to comment 

 upon this paper in our next issue. On the table there was a fine display 

 of rocks, fossils, and glacial erratics, collected on the excursions referred 

 to, and microscopic sections of rocks were also shown. 



Dubinin Naturai^ists' FieIvD Club. 



November 19- — The first business meeting was held. The PRESIDENT 

 (Mr. G. H. Carpenter) in the chair. The Secretary exhibited on be- 

 half of Mrs. Ross a number of prize chrysanthemums. Professor Johnson 

 exhibited a beautifully dried series of alpine plants prepared by Lady 

 Rachel Saunderson. Mr. F. W. Burbidge and Mr. Praeger spoke in 

 praise of the exquisite preservation of these specimens. The ViCE- 

 PrESIdent (Professor Goi^E) having taken the chair, the President 

 delivered an address on the subject, " The Mingling of the North and 

 South." He first referred to the recent formation of the Irish Field 

 Club Union, by means of which the members of the various Naturalists' 

 Field Clubs were getting to know each other and to assist each other in 

 their work. Reference was then made to the Field Club Conference 

 held at Galway in July last, in which all the Irish Clubs and a number 

 of English scientific societies took part. The districts visited on that 

 occasion, it was pointed out, furnished a very remarkable mingling of 

 northern and southern types of animal and plants. The various hypo- 

 theses that have been put forward to account for the strange overlapping 

 of types were reviewed, and the evidence in support of various theories 

 considered. The address, which was illustrated by zoological and 

 botanical specimens and by many lantern slides of plants, animals, 

 maps and scenery, will shortly appear in our pages. An interesting dis- 

 cussion on the paper ensued. 



Prof. T. Johnson complimented the President on his address, and 

 referred to the tradition that some of the Iberian plants had been intro- 

 duced by the Spaniards. Mr. Praeger stated that he had been often 

 struck by the way these western Irish species did not spread, in spite of 

 their abundance in places, and the prevalence of strong winds. He 

 thought this went against any theory of their introduction. Mr. 

 M'Ardi^e referred to the peculiar tropical distribution of a number of 

 the south-west Irish liverworts. Mr. F. W. Burbidge also discussed 

 the question of artificial introduction of species ; and remarked that it 

 did not appear correct to assume that an ice age would sweep all vege- 

 tation off the face of the country, since some of the species which flourish 

 at sea-level in the west of Ireland had been found to grow up as far north 

 as man has yet penetrated. Mr. H. Lyster Jameson referred to the 

 importance of studying these questions of past and present distribution. 



