400 



[Proc. B.N.F.C, 



Zoology was small, and that most of them were present to speak 

 for themselves. Owing to their remoteness from Belfast, it was 

 impossible for Rev. W. F. Johnson and Mr. D. C. Campbell to 

 attend the meeting, and the absence on account of ill-health 

 of Mr. J. N. Milne was deplored, but it was to be hoped that he 

 would soon be completely restored to health, and enabled to take 

 his wonted part in their field investigations. Mr. Foster added 

 that there was little of note to report in the department of Ornith- 

 ology. During the past year the usual records of migration had 

 been kept, and many local lists compiled, which in the future 

 might prove of service. He detailed a couple of observations 

 relating to some of our rarer species of birds made by him during 

 the past year, the first being the finding of a nesting colony of 

 Dunlins, and the successful search for the nest, and the second 

 his pleasure at making the acquaintance (in life) of that interesting 

 and comparatively rare bird in our country, the Ruff. Mr. Foster 

 then went on to speak of the progress made in recording the dis- 

 tribution in Ireland of the Terrestrial Crustacean Isopods, or 

 Woodlice. In this group twenty-five species are now known in 

 Ireland, and of these four are common everywhere. During the 

 past year about forty new county records had been added, which 

 included the finding of a peculiarly marked and distinctive little 

 white animal, Haplophthalmus mengii, in three additional counties 

 — Kerry, Donegal and Londonderry. 



Mr. George Donaldson spoke of the capture of Gonepteryx 

 rhamni, at Newcastle, Co. Down, during the past session. This 

 Butterfly has its headquarters in the southern and south-western 

 counties, particularly those bordering on the Shannon, and its 

 capture is a new record for the north-east. He afterwards showed 

 some nice Cretaceous Fossils from the local Chalk. 



Mr. F. Balfour Browne gave a short account of the habitat 

 and habits of Dytiscus lapponicus, a rare northern Water-beetle, 

 which he, personally had taken for the first time in Great Britain 

 during last Summer. The occasion of this find was a visit to the 



