82 The IrisJi Naturalist. 



jiodidm whose male is easily discernible by the aid of an ordinary lens, they 

 are found clinging to other portions of the female. The female of the 

 present species was also shown, and measures about five lines in length 

 from the mouth to the extremity of the ovaries. 



Lejeunea diversiloba, Spruce, was exhibited by Mr. McArdi^e;. This 

 liverwort is one of the Microlejeunese, and is remarkable for the irregu- 

 larity of the lobule. This is often equal to the leaf in size, more 

 frequently half as large, sometimes reduced to a mere rim, and on some 

 of the branches the lobule is altogether obsolete. The plant is very rare, 

 and has only been found at Killarnej^ from which locality the specimen 

 exhibited came. He also showed a drawing of the plant with the pecu- 

 liar parts magnified, as well as the folioles, perianth, and cells. 



Pollen Grains of Enccj)halartus villosus were exhibited by Mr. Henry H. 

 Dixon, in the first stages of germination. The ripe pollen-grain is oval in 

 longitudinal section, reniform in transverse. It has three nuclei, two of 

 which are lenticular, and are applied to the portion of the inner coat 

 of the pollen-grain, opposite the point where the pollen -tube will be pro- 

 truded. The remaining nucleus moves into the pollen-tube as soon as 

 the latter is formed ; neither of the lenticular nuclei, up to the sixth day 

 of germination, when the pollen-tube was about twice as long as the 

 diameter of the grain, had moved into the tube. 



Belp'ast Naturai, History and Phii^osophicai, vSociety. 



January 27th. — The President (Prof. Fitzgerai^d) in the chair. Mr. 

 J. Murphy read a paper on "The Division of Angles and Arcs by 

 Mechanical Methods." 



February 7th. — The President (Prof. FiTzgerai^d) in the chair. Mr. 

 F. Frankfort Moore read a paper entitled "An Artificial Age." 



Bei^fast Naturai^ists' F1E1.D C1.UB. 



January 17th. — The President (Mr. J. Vinycomb) in the chair. Prof. 

 A. C. H ADDON gave a lecture on "The Aran Islands: a Study in Irish 

 Ethnography." There was a very large attendance. The subject-matter 

 of this lecture will be shortly laid before our readers in a paper by Prof. 

 Haddon. 



January i8th. — Mr. W. H. Patterson in the chair. Adjourned 

 meeting. Prof. Haddon described the steps now being taken by a 

 committee of the British Association to carry out an ethnographical sur- 

 vey of the British Islands. A local committee was appointed to carry on 

 the work in Ulster. 



February 9th. — Microscopical Section. The Chairman (Mr. Ai,ex. 

 Tate, C.E.), presided. Mr. H. McCi^eERY read a paper on "The Honey 

 Bee," which was illustrated with the lantern microscope by Mr. John 

 Brown. Mr. John Donai^dson gave an exposition of Photo-micrography, 

 with illustrations. 



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



February 14th. — The President (Dr. M'Weeney) in the chair. Mr. 

 Greenwood Pim read a paper by himself and Dr. M'Weeney on 

 " Some Recent Additions to the Fungal Flora of the Counties of Dublin 

 and Wicklow," which will be published in 7^he IHsh Naturalist during the 

 present year. 



Mr. J. J. Dowi^ing read some notes on the use of a hand-camera in 

 the study of natural history, exhibited a home-made hand-camera, and 

 showed in the optical lantern photographs taken with it. 



Mr. R. M. Barrington showed an Antarctic Yellow-billed SheathbiU 

 {'Ciiionis alba), from Carlingford Lough (see /. Nat. ii., p. 56). 



