1899-19°°-] 557 



Materials exist to form a foundation and these at least should 

 be worked up. 



Turning now to the subject of Zoology little has been done 

 in the way of publication since the issue of Thompson's Natu- 

 ral History of Ireland in 1856. I hope we may see some day, 

 a list, worked up to date, of the land and fresh water shells. 



In Entomology we have come far short. It has never been 

 a popular subject in the North of Ireland, and beyond two 

 papers on Beetles and Lepidoptera I do not think that any 

 others have appeared in our Proceedings. 



As an example of the need of working up and placing upon 

 record the productions of our own district let me give an 

 illustration. The sponges are a well defined and exceedingly 

 interesting group. There are a few fresh water species, while 

 most are marine. Attention has lately been drawn to the 

 group and several new fresh water species discovered in streams 

 in the South West turn out to be not only new to our fauna 

 but to be American species, — another of those interesting Irish 

 links of connection with the far West. Our Ulster streams 

 should be carefully scanned for these. I have noticed fresh 

 water sponges in abundance making beautiful sage green 

 patterns on the bottom of sunlit pools in the Lagan and in 

 streams near Saintfielcl but have not had opportunities to have 

 them examined. The eggs containing the beautiful spicules 

 require examination in winter to find out the species. 



It will not be denied that a good novel by some master of 

 the story telling art is of more general interest than some book 

 of reference — a dictionary or book of statistics like Whittaker 

 or the Army List. The interest of the novel lies in its con- 

 nected and detailed delineation of character or in the gradual 

 development of an interesting plot. Turning from literature 

 to science we need more Life histories than dictionaries, more 

 monographs of single species or individuals than monographs 

 of groups or classes. 



Good work — work which will repay the student himself and 

 be of real use in the advance of science — may be done in 



