no The Irish Naturalist, [April, 



February 29.— Botanicai. Section.— Rev. C. H. WaddeIvI. described 

 the dermal tissues of plants and the various kinds of hairs and glands. 

 A number of spring flowers illustrating various genera which the 

 members had brought in were then examined. 



March 5. — Microscopicai< Section. — The President of the section, 

 Rev. John Andrew, opened the meeting by a few remarks dealing with 

 the practical work connected with microscopy. Mr. Andrew introduced a 

 practical lesson on the making of rock-sections for the microscope bj- a 

 short paper, the points of which were illustrated by specimens of chips in 

 the various stages of preparation. The paper and the practical illustrations 

 of how to proceed were instructive, and may encourage some of our 

 microscopists among the geologists to try their hand. After some conver- 

 sational remarks, the President called upon Mr. W. B. Drummond, M.B., 

 CM., to read a short paper, entitled " Hints on collecting marine zoo- 

 logical specimens." Marine field w^ork naturally divides itself into three 

 sections, viz. — The study of the littoral fauna, by shore-hunting ; of the 

 surface fauna, by tow-netting ; of the fauna of the sea-bottom, by dredg- 

 ing or trawling. The tow-net, dredge, and trawl, and their uses, were 

 described. Also the processes of killing, fixing, hardening, staining, and 

 mounting. In preparing delicate specimens the process of fixing is par- 

 ticularly important, as, if not resorted to, changes in the microscopic 

 appearances occur very rapidly. Less delicate specimens, such as the 

 copepods, may be simply hardened in dilute spirit and mounted in glyce- 

 rine jelly. The technique of mounting and staining will be found very 

 fully described in Bolles Lee's " Microtomist's Vade Mecum." After the 

 reading of the papers, the members present examined some fine rock- 

 sections of Mr. Charles Elcock, shown by different instruments, but the 

 centre of attraction was around the microscopes of Messrs. James Stelfox 

 and W. S. M'Kee, who were showing working specimens of that very 

 beautiful and interesting little artisan, the Melicerta, and other living 

 organisms. 



Dubinin Naturai^ists' Fiei.d Ci^ub. 



March 9.— The President (Prof. GrEnvii^i^E C01.E) in the chair. 



Mr. R. Li^. Praeger described a pine forest buried below marine clay 

 on the foreshore near Bray. 



On the top of the Boulder-clay and glacial gravels is a bed of coarse 

 grey sand, without marine organisms. Overlying this is the old forest 

 bed, a peaty deposit about a foot thick, full of trunks, branches, and 

 roots of the Scotch Fir, and yielding its cones in hundreds. Overlying 

 this is fine blue clay full of marine shells such as are found on muddy 

 shores between tide-marks. This clay is in one place over six feet deep. 

 Above all is the coarse shingle of the existing beach. The various 

 changes of level and conditions, which this series proves, were pointed 

 out, and specimens of the different beds exhibited. The paper will 

 shortly appear in our pages. 



• A discussion ensued in which Mr. H. L. Jameson, Prof, Johnson, Mr, 

 N. Colgan, and Prof Cole took part- 



