[ 195 ] 

 PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



RoVAIy ZOOIyOGlCAt, SoCIIiTY. 



Recent donations comprise a Muscovy Duck from Miss Stubbs; three 

 Belgian hares from H. Thynne, Esq. ; four Golden Orioles from the Gal- 

 way stall at the "Kosnios" bazaar; a White Pheasant from Mr. Hunt; a 

 Eair of Peafowl from the Governors of the Hospital for Incurables, Donny- 

 rook; a Blue-breasted Lory from Miss McCausland; a pair of American 

 Blue Robins from Mrs. O'Conor; three Ring-Doves from F. C. K. Cooper, 

 Esq. ; a Ring-necked Parrakeet from T. J. Lane, Esq. ; and a pair of Kestrels 

 from Constable B. Collins. A Yak has been born in the Gardens: an 

 Ostrich, seventeen Prairie Marmots, and three monkeys have been ac- 

 quired by purchase. 



12,000 persons visited the Gardens in May. 



Dubinin Microscopicai, Ci^ub. 



Aprii. 20th.— The Club met at Dr. Scharff's, who showed the shell 

 of Helix lamellata — a terrestrial mollusc. Apart from its rarity, it is in- 

 teresting chiefly from the fact that it is almost confined to the British 

 islands, which seems to suggest the probability of its having originated 

 there. The epidermis of the shell is thrown at regular intervals into 

 most delicate folds, giving it the lamellar structure from which the species 

 derives its name. 



Dr. McWefne;y showed a simple form of moist chamber which he had 

 found very efficient. It consists of a coffin-shaped glass vessel about half 

 an inch deep, and covered with a glass lid which fits accurately. The 

 micro-mount — in water or nahrlosung — is simply placed in this vessel, a 

 few drops of water having previously been introduced. The lid is put on, 

 and the preparation remains unaltered for weeks, as evaporation is pre- 

 vented by the saturation of the air contained in the vessel. It may be 

 removed at any time for examination under the microscope, and the 

 glass lid enables one to see with the naked eye whether any obvious de- 

 velopment (or multiplication) of the enclosed objects has taken place. 

 The whole apparatus can also be readily sterilised, but it is hardly adapted 

 for repeated examination with the oil-immersion, owing to the difficulty 

 of cleansing the upper surface of the cover-glass. 



The same exhibitor showed a stick of Acrospemuim gramimim, Lib., a 

 curious spheriaceous fungus, with a singly erect flesh-coloured perithe- 

 cium, one-twentieth of an inch high. The cylindrical asci each contain 

 eight filiform spores, which are of such tenuity, that it takes an ex- 

 tremely high power and good definition to distinguish them individually 

 as they lie within the asci. The ascigerous condition of this fungus is 

 stated by Mr. G. Massee, of the Royal Herbarium, Kew (to whom speci- 

 mens had been forwarded by the exhibitor), to have been only recently 

 recognized, and the species itself has not hitherto been met with in Ire- 

 land. He also showed the Cordyceps found on Policies lardaria^ already 

 noted in the /. Nat. (p. 146). 



Prof. G. A. J. Coi,f showed a section of silicified oolitic limestone 

 of Middle Devonian age, from near Ilfracombe, exhibited on behalf of 

 Mr. F. Chapman, F.R.M.S., and described by him in the Geological 

 Magazine, 1893, p. 102. In this rock the first signs of shearing have been 

 set up under earth pressure, and the oolitic grains show interesting 

 elongations, deformations, and even truncations where they have been 

 pressed against one another. A number of sinuous fissures have de- 

 veloped in the mass. 



Prof. T. Johnson showed Wildmania miniata, f. amplissi?na, Foslie. 

 At a recent meeting of the club he had shown herbarium specimens of 

 this one-layered Porphyra-likQ: red alga, but was not able to say whether 



