334 [Pioc. B.N.F.C. 



forms. Other deep-sea animals, including fishes, depend on 

 long feelers for recognition of food, and many are probably 

 able to find their victims by smell. This is indicated by the 

 occurrence of blind forms in which feelers are not specially 

 developed, and it is the more credible, as we know that many 

 of our shore forms have the same capacity. While offensive 

 apparatus is thus developed to suit the conditions, defensive 

 modifications are also apparent. Thus many fishes are black 

 to escape observation, and almost all crabs and their relatives 

 are red. The redness is undoubtedly a protection, as in the 

 peculiarly filtered light of moderate depths it is even less con- 

 spicuous than black. There are thus many instructive modi- 

 fications of the organisms of the deep sea, and these un- 

 doubtedly help us to appreciate the meaning of what we see 

 every day around us. 



At the close of the lecture, which was illustrated by many 

 lantern views, an interesting discussion took place. 



EGGS OF IRISH BREEDING BIRDS. 



The weekly meeting was held in the Club-room on 

 15th March — the President (Mr. W. J. Fennell) presiding. 

 Mr. N. H. Foster, M.B.O.U., gave a demonstration on " The 

 Eggs of Irish Breeding Birds." In the course of his remarks 

 Mr. Foster said that 290 species of birds were admitted to the 

 Irish list, and of these 135 species breed, or have bred in 

 Ireland within the past century. It was doubtful if any 

 golden eagles, marsh-harriers, or hen-harriers breed here at 

 the present day, though in the middle of the last century 

 nests of these species were by no means rare in this country; 

 while the goldfinch, at one time locally common in Down and 

 Antrim, was now very rare, if not altogether extinct in a 

 state of nature in these counties. Two causes probably con- 

 tributed to the extinction of this bird from our local avifauna 

 — improved methods of agriculture, whereby the birds were 

 largely deprived of their favourite feeding seeds of thistle, 

 ragwort, knapweed, &c., and the attentions of the bird- 



