296 



[Proc. B.N.F.C. 



at the date of his visit he was shocked to find that the heath had 

 in most places been ruthlessly uprooted, and was lying about in 

 withered heaps. He subsequently discovered that this had been 

 done by the small farmers of the surrounding lowland, in order to 

 procure suitable bunches for Potato "Spraying" purposes, most 

 of those concerned being too poor to purchase spraying machines. 

 The strong, straight, rigid stems of Erica mediterranea, already 

 clothed with new shoots for next season's growth, seemed to 

 provide a handy substitute. It is sad to contemplate, from the 

 botanical point of view, the upshot of this thoughtless vandalism 

 if it be continued for a few seasons. 



The lecturer concluded by commending very highly the 

 newly-published book of Mr. Praeger's, entitled A Tourist's Flora 

 of the West of Ireland ; and also spoke warmly of the hospitable 

 attentions botanists and others visiting Roundstone would receive 

 at the comfortable little Roundstone Hotel, now kept by Mrs. 

 Redman. 



"SOME ORIGINS OF THE IRISH PEOPLE." 



The second meeting of the Winter Session was held in 

 the Museum, on Tuesday, 21st December — the President 

 (Mr. N. H. Foster, M.B.O.U.,) in the chair, when Major Berry, 

 M.R.I. A., read an interesting and most exhaustive paper on the 

 above subject. Commencing at the very beginning of things, the 

 lecturer spoke of the gradual solidifying of the earth from a 

 gaseous state. He gave a comprehensive survey of Ireland's 

 condition during what may be termed the turbulent geological 

 ages, showing how it was alternately attached to and separated 

 from the great land masses. He described archaeological finds of 

 rude stone implements, which were, in his opinion, of pre-glacial 

 origin, and formed the earliest traces of mankind found in Ireland. 

 He next gave an interesting resume of the great races of antiquity, 

 and their successive waves of migration westward, which displaced 



