Tender Mercies of the Post. 265 



have too often seen of the force used, that they have 

 a wicked delight in trying how many they can 

 damage. The floatings (I think from Seaton) had 

 the wrapper and cover of the box punched quite 

 through, the pieces lying loose on the material like 

 gun-wadding. Happily the contents in this case were 

 such as would receive little harm." How this should 

 make corresponding naturalists relish the blessings of 

 modern civilization and revere the inventor of the 

 Parcels Post, for undoubtedly, even at the present 

 day, parcels sent by letter post are liable to receive 

 damage in a very unaccountable manner. 



To conclude the Irish experiences, it may here 

 be stated that in 1874, Robertson had another 

 pleasant journey to Westport and Roundstone, this 

 time in company with the Rev. A. M. Norman. 

 An intended record of the results of this trip never 

 saw the light, but Norman sent the sponges they 

 had collected to Dr. Bowerbank, then engaged in 

 describing for the Ray Society all the sponges of 

 Great Britain. Dr. Bowerbank made out that their 

 collection contained no less than twenty-seven new 

 species, but Norman, to whose friendship the comple- 

 tion of Bowerbank's work was subsequently entrusted, 

 formed a somewhat lower estimate of the real number 

 of novelties. Nevertheless, the richness of the Irish 

 locality in these organisms was well established, and 

 in the preface to the fourth volume of the British 

 spongiadae, published after Dr. Bowerbank's death, 

 and edited by Norman, the latter says : 



" A large number of the localities to which the 

 editor's initial is attached will be found to be situated 



