1904-1905.] 327 



are left in the wound with the poison covering them, which 

 soon causes torpor and death. The habit of this creature 

 was to cling by its base to the rocks, and, expanding the ten- 

 tacles, wait for any passing fish or crab to touch them. When 

 this took place the fish was immediately enveloped in the 

 tentacles and forced down into the stomach, the latter con- 

 sisting of a short flattened sac communicating directly with 

 the mouth. The Anthea cereus divides itself longitudinally 

 from the disk downwards, thus forming two distinct animals. 

 The lecture was illustrated by diagrams. 



" OBSERVATIONS ON OUR HOME HILLS." 



The fourth meeting of the Winter Session of the Society 

 was held in the Museum on 21st February, and was attended 

 by a large number of members and friends. Previous to the 

 meeting half an hour was devoted to the informal *' Science 

 Gossip," at which a specimen of the tree-frog was exhibited 

 by Mr. W. A. Green. At eight o'clock the President (Mr. 

 W. J. Fennell, M.R.I.A.I.) took the chair, and called on Mr. 

 Robert Bell to read the first paper, entitled " Observations on 

 Our Home Hills." Mr. Bell said: — Probably no area within 

 the three kingdoms of such limited extent as the hills in our 

 vicinity exhibited so many formations worthy of the atten- 

 tion of the geological student. Almost all the rocks yielded 

 fossils, and rock exposures were frequent and easily acces- 

 sible along the hillsides. The picturesque range of moun- 

 tains that overlooked Belfast was crowned with Tertiary 

 basalt. Underneath were the Mesozoic rocks, the only rocks 

 of that period now found in Ireland, and therefore of con- 

 siderable interest. The Mesozoic rocks consisted of the fol- 

 lowing formations in ascending order : — Triassic sandstone. 

 Lower Lias, and Upper Cretaceous. The Trias was divided 

 into the Bunter and Keuper series. Bunter sandstones might 

 be observed at Fortwilliam Park and Skegoniel Avenue. 

 Keuper clays wore to be seen in some brickfields on the 

 Springfield Road, and attained a thickness of 800 feet. The 



