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held — you will find him mentioned in almost every page. Look at the 

 first volume of his own 'Algae Hibernicae.' Can anything exceed the 

 beauty of his specimens ? Read Doctor Harvey's eulogium in that 

 volume. Examine the splendid collection of Irish Zoophytes — sponges, 

 Crustacea and Millepores, — made by him for the Museum of the Royal 

 Dublin Society. And not to occupy too much of your valuable space, 

 hear what Doctor Scouler, the most acompUshed naturalist of the day 

 [in the strictest sense of the word) says about him at a meeting of the 

 Dublin Natural History Society, held on Wednesday 9th Deer. 1846, 

 Dr. Scouler read a paper on some new species of Zoophytes ; among 

 the first he mentioned was the Ophiurilla, a new and hitherto unde- 

 scribed species from the west coast of Ireland, discovered last summer 

 by Mr. M'Alla. Dr. Scouler also entered into a very detailed history of a 

 new genus of sponges discovered in Connemara about two years since, 

 by the indefatigable industry of Mr. M'Alla, who, of all Irish natural- 

 ists had been the most successful in detecting new and rare species of 

 this curious family. The new genus, to which Dr. Scouler gave the 

 name of Amphitreraa M'Callai, was characterized by some very inter- 

 esting particulars, which Doctor Scouler enumerated, and then pro- 

 ceeded to advert to the number of Crustacea which Mr. M'Alla had 

 added to the Fauna of Ireland, Thia polita, and Steuosoma acuminata, 

 being amongst the number, and concluded by saying that he was 

 equally successful in the Mollusca, and among other interesting species 

 had discovered the Pholas clavata, a West Indian species of boring 

 shell, recorded for the first time as Irish. 



This is but a faint outline of Mr. M'Alla's researches, which have 

 been crowned with such success. I consider that in thus recording 

 them, I am only doing an act of common justice, by removing any er- 

 roneous impressions which may have arisen by Mr. Carter's inadvei*- 

 tence in his Botanical Rambles. I wish the task had fallen into more 

 competent hands ; but I have endeavoured to do it honestly. 



Charles Farran. 



Stradbally, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterfoiil, 

 December 22nd, 1846. 



