268 [Proc. B.F.N.C, 



The chair was occupied by the Vice-President (Mr. Wm. Gray, 

 M.R.I.A.). 



In opening the business of the evening, the chairman stated 

 that he presided in consequence of the unavoidable absence of 

 their president, Dr. Macllwaine, who was detained by illness, 

 which he in common with all the members of the Club very much 

 regretted. He was happy, however, to state that Dr. Macllwaine 

 was rapidly recovering, and he trusted soon to see him again pre- 

 siding at their meetings. 



Mr. Joseph Wright, F.G.S., who was requested to report on 

 the recent dredgings in this vicinity, stated that much material 

 had been collected for future examination, but the only forms as 

 yet worked up in detail were the Foraminifera. Referring to the 

 report on this subject submitted at the last annual meeting, he 

 mentioned that the number of Foraminifera found up to that date 

 was eighty-one species. Since then the Club bad visited Strang- 

 ford Lough, and a large quantity of material from the sea-bottom 

 was there procured. A second visit was made to Killyleagh, and 

 further dredgings taken in the deepest parts of the lough ; the 

 results' of these operations proving that Strangford Lough is 

 tenanted by a rich Foraminiferal fauna. Other dredgings were 

 also taken near the Maiden Lighthouses, in which very good re- 

 sults were obtained. The dredgings on the Antrim and Down 

 coasts had yielded many rare species, the total number found up 

 to the present date being no, making 20 species additional to 

 those reported last year. The Foraminifera found on the British 

 coasts number from 170 to 180 species. It will thus be seen that 

 those already obtained from our immediate vicinity amount to 

 about 65 per cent, of the total British forms. Amongst those 

 found in Strangford Lough was the very rare Lagena trigono- 

 marginata. This little rhizopod has also been dredged by Mr. 

 David Robertson, of Glasgow, off the Durham coast, about two 

 years since, this being the only other record of its occurrence in 



