%\t i#tsi fWutalists' Jfieiir Club. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE YEAR 1865-66. 



En presenting their Annual Report at the close of the year 1865-65, the 

 Committee of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club are happy to be in a 

 position to state that the practical usefulness of the Society has not 

 diminished, although the attendance of the members at the Field Meetings 

 during the past session was not as numerous as heretofore. The popularity 

 which the novelty of the undertaking at first commanded, has, to a certain 

 extent, fallen away ; but this and other hinderances are more than com- 

 pensated for by the character of some of the members, whose zeal and 

 determination is calculated to increase the interest, further the object, and 

 secure the permanence of the Club. 



During the past Session, Messrs. Patterson and Brett, who acted as 

 Secretaries, resigned that office. The circumstances which occasioned their 

 resignation, together with the delay in transferring their duties to the 

 present Secretaries, caused some interruption to the business of the Session. 



Five Field Meetings only were held last Summer, and the Committee 

 regret that the attendance was not as numerous as might be expected. 

 They hope, however, that the arrangements to be made for the coming 

 Session, to encourage the free interchange of opinions, and afford informa- 

 tion on the field, thus increasing the value of the meetings, will be appre- 

 ciated by the members generally, and that they will avail themselves of the 

 opportunity thereby given of acquiring a practical knowledge of natural 

 science, and investigating the very many interesting phenomena which 

 come within the sphere of the Society's operations. 



On the 20th May, last year, the first Excursion for the Session was made 

 to Woodburn River, a locality of special interest for the Geologist, and 

 particularly so since the publication of Mr. Tate's very excellent paper on 

 the " Cretaceous Rocks of Ireland." Throughout the district instructive 

 sections occur, including outcrops of the black argillaceous shales of the 

 Lower Lias, the glanconitic sands, and grey marls of the Hibernian 

 green&ands, the chloritic sandstones, and the Upper Chalk, each Joed being 

 characterised by its own set of fossils, some being particularly rich in 

 species. The relation of those beds to the keuper marls of the New Red 

 Sandstone is well defined, and can be readily traced, and as the whole 

 district is intersected by Trap dykes which occasion numerous faults and 

 dislocations, it becomes a very good field for Geological explorations. At 

 this meeting the following fossils were collected : — Tcrebratula biplicata, 

 'ii/nr/ii)iicl/(i robusta, Pecten virgatus, Peclen orbicularis, 

 Pecten quinquecostatus, Spondylus spinosus, Lamina accuminata, Amorphos- 

 p \ngia globularis, and others more common. The season and locality were 

 also favourable for botanical specimens, and as the members examined 

 the district from the Woodburn River, to the Knockagh Mountain, they 

 were enabled to add the following species to their herbaria : — Saxifraga 

 'ianuM, Carex dioica, Melicaunijlora, Vdlerianellct 

 Equisetum uanbrosum, EpHobium an gusti folium, also the adder's 

 tongue lorn (Ophiogloaxuiii vulgatum) and the rare moss (Splachnum ampul- 



On Saturday, the 10th July, the second Excursion was made to Temple- 



patrick. Captain Bi yoke having granted permission, the members had an 



opportunity of seeing the Castle, the residence of Lord Templeton, and 



which presents a fair example of the domestic architecture of Queen 



th's time, Raving inspected the Castle and grounds, the party 



