J.90b-19i.U.J ijr 



North Europe can claim to have preserved a fact of the bronze 

 age. Yet, if archaeology is to be believed, this can be said of 

 Ireland, and testifies to the accuracy and marvellous memories of 

 the literary class who preserved these traditions for her when 

 the Romans, and after them the Franks and Saxons wiped them 

 out of Gaul and Britain, leaving Ireland sole guardian of the 

 ancient Celtic lore. 



An animated discussion followed Miss Dobb's paper — Miss 

 Andrews, and Messrs. N. H. Foster, M.B.O.U. ; John M. Dickson, 

 R. Welch, M.R.I.A. ; J. Hamilton, C. M. Cunningham, and 

 William Gray, M.R.I.A., taking part. Mr. Robert Ervine 

 having been elected to membership the meeting terminated. 



"PLANT LIFE IN A BOG. 



At a meeting of the Botanical Section on Saturday, 19th 

 March, Rev. C. H. Waddell, M.A., read a paper on " Plant Life 

 in a Bog." Bog-plants have a special character of their own due 

 to their environment, and the object of the lecturer was to describe 

 their peculiarities and point out how they were adapted for life on 

 a peat soil. Bog-plants, as distinguished from Marsh-plants, are 

 xerophytes or " dry-soil plants." The peat contains humous acids 

 which are not favourable to rapid growth. There is a restriction 

 of transpiration, as is the case also in halophytes, which grow on 

 saline soils. The leaves are narrow, and the leaf-pores often 

 situated in grooves so as to prevent too great transpiration. Peat 

 is poor in bacteria, and is not well aerated, and the acid soil 

 prevents the absorption of water by the roots. The formation of 

 peat was described, and the growth of Bog-Mosses or Sphagnum. 

 Many of our most interesting bog-plants, such as Andromeda, are 

 becoming scarce now with the disappearance of the bogs. 



There are many interesting questions in the life of plants 

 about which little is as yet known, which might be answered by 

 careful observation, and this is the object of Plant-Ecology. 

 Much may be learned from the study of Associations, such as are 



