1883-1884.] 245 



must certainly congratulate the club on the large attendance 

 here to-night. I think perhaps I have never seen so many 

 assembled here before. It shows how vigorous the club is, and 

 how pleased people are to come to its meetings. This particular 

 time points to the middle of the club year ; that is, we have 

 now accomplished the six excursions announced in the pro- 

 gramme at the commencement of the season, and we now 

 proceed to begin the winter session, in which the work done 

 during the excursions will be to some extent reviewed and 

 criticised. The excursions this year, owing to favourable wea- 

 ther and favourite localities, were very largely attended. Indeed, 

 I think, probably no summer since the club started has seen 

 such a very large turn-out of members at the excursions, taken 

 altogether. There are a number of most interesting exhibits 

 here to-night, and the formal proceedings will be brief, so as to 

 allow an opportunity of examining them all ; but before you 

 proceed to do so, some gentlemen who have taken the trouble 

 to bring things here will say a few words about them, so as to 

 render the exhibits themselves intelligible to you. After that, 

 as this is an exceedingly good time to join the club, an oppor- 

 tunity will be given to propose new members. 



Mr. Charles Bulla then showed a comprehensive series of 

 fish remains from the Carboniferous Limestone of Armagh and 

 other places. He also showed two specimens of formicaria, or 

 glass cells, for the study of the daily life of ants, one on the 

 principle adopted by Sir John Lubbock, and the other after that 

 of the Rev. Mr. White. In both, when a light was thrown 

 upon them, the ants could be seen busily at work, and their 

 lively actions were the source of considerable comment and 

 entertainment. 



Mr. Chas. Elcock exhibited a number of rubbings taken by 

 him from various ancient monuments in the Counties of Mayo 

 and Galway. One of these is from the fragment still left at the 

 tomb of Thibbot-na-Lung, the son of Grainia Wael, born whilst 

 on the voyage to see Queen Elizabeth, whence he was called 

 Thibbot of the Ship. He was the founder of the present family 



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