1891-92.] 4 2 7 



P.L.S., resided at Tillysburn, and after Grainger's first introduction to him, he 

 became a constant visitor at his house, and an ardent student of Coleoptera, in 

 the knowledge of which Mr. Haliday was the first Irish anthority. 



One day in 1845 William Thompson, meeting young Grainger in Belfast, 

 brought him into Hodson's, in High Street, then the leading book- shop of 

 the town, to show him the first part of a magnificent new work on British 

 Mollusca, which was being brought out by Edward Forbes and Sylvanus 

 Hanley, and, on Mr. Thompson's recommendation, Grainger became a sub- 

 scriber to the work, and during the four years occupied in publication, he read 

 every part, and pored over the illustrations with the greatest delight and 

 interest, and there acquired the intimate and critical knowledge of British shells 

 that was so useful to him in his geological studies in after years. 



Meanwhile, during all the period that had elapsed since he first began collect- 

 ing, his museum had been constantly enriched by presents which he obtained 

 from the captains of his father's vessels on their return from foreign ports. The 

 ships traded with Charlestown, Quebec, New Orleans, Buenos Ayres, Chincha 

 Islands, Zanzibar, Bombay, and Calcutta, and from these widely-separated 

 spots came shells, corals, fishes, skulls and horns, snakes, nuts and seeds, native 

 weapons and utensils ; and many of the specimens thus obtained are among the 

 finest objects that now enrich his collections. 



The year 1849 brought with it another change of scene. John Grainger 

 passed the entrance Examination of Dublin University, taking 7th place in 

 order of merit, and entered Trinity College. Here his natural history tastes at 

 once made themselves felt, and with the assistance of Edward Perceval Wright 

 and Edward Hogan, then students like himself, the "Dublin University 

 Zoological Association ' ' was formed, Grainger holding the office of President, 

 and Hogan and Wright being joint Secretaries, for the first session, at the 

 end of which time Grainger resigned his post to Bobert Ball, Curator of the 

 University Museum, and as an Irish naturalist second only to Thompson. It 

 was in connection with this Society that the Natural History Review was founded, 

 edited by E. P. Wright, and others. This Society held monthly meetings, at 

 which papers were read and discussed, their Proceedings appearing: quarterly 

 in the Natural History Review. Among the leading members were Thomas 

 Warren, well-known as a conchologist ; Harvey, afterwards the first British 

 authority on seaweeds ; and A. H. Haliday, who had recently come from Belfast 

 and taken up his residence in Dublin, and who took a lively interest in the 

 welfare of the Society and the scientific work of its members. 



Such time as the young student could spare for recreation were spent in 

 collecting. The classic ground of Portmarnock and Malahide yielded to him 

 many of their molluscan treasures. The quarries at Howth were ransacked for 

 Carboniferous fossils, and, in company with Mr. Haliday, delightful days were 

 spent in searching for beetles and capturing rare moths and butterflies. 



Vacations were spent at home, where the naturalist's time was fully occupied. 



