1896.97.] 3^3 



Richard Hanna then read a paper on alien plants, or plants 

 which have been artificially introduced. The number and 

 variety of these maybe imagined from the fact that t88 species 

 are given as alien in the London catalogue. 14T species have 

 been found in Down, Antrim, and Derry alone. R. Hanna 

 said his attention was first called to the subject some ten years 

 ago, and since then he owed much to S. A. Stewart and R. LI. 

 Praeger for their help in naming doubtful plants. The hunting- 

 ground is to be found at the heaps thrown out by flour mills 

 and distilleries, also in fields and districts known to have been 

 sown with foreign grass and other seeds, among which many 

 interesting plants often occur. The majority of these alien 

 plants are annuals, but biennials and perennials also occur. 

 R. Hanna then detailed some of his most interesting finds, 

 including the London rocket, which grew so abundantly in the 

 ashes of the great fire of London. It is a curious coincidence 

 that it was first seen here on the ashes of a great heap of 

 damaged flour near Hughes's flour mill. All the native 

 sisymbriums grow there, but it is largely filled up and built 

 over now. Hyoscyamus niger is also common at the Royal 

 Irish Distillery, and it is of interest to note that it is perennial 

 both there and in other places where it had been seen. It is 

 curious also that from a large quantity of seed collected in 1894 

 and sown in various good places not a plant germinated. A 

 number of other plants were described, several specimens being 

 on the walls. 



Some lantern slides bv R. Welch, W. J. Fennell, Wm. Gray, 

 J. St. J. Phillips, and other members, were next displayed by 

 Lizars. They included slides of a series of dykes, glacial beds, 

 glaciers, rock specimens, and features of local geology ; also 

 some of the Kerry bogslide. 



A number of exhibits of geological and botanical subjects 

 were arranged in the lower room. There was also on view the 

 new slicing machine for cutting rock sections, recently presented 

 to the Club by Combe, Barbour, and Combe, and made by them 

 to the design of H. J. Seymour, who explained its action to 

 a large number of members. 



