1317-1B] -jrj 



also helped in th'is direction. Rats and mice were harmful, also 

 the house-sparrow and the wood-pigeon. Numerous lantern 

 slides were used to illustrate the lecture, the lantern being 

 manipulated efficiently by Mr. A. R. Hogg. In the discussion 

 which followed the question was asked as to the money value of 

 a working man's time put into a plot. The opinion was that in 

 England it repaid the time spent. It was also stated that 

 Archaeological finds of coins had turned up occasionally, 

 especially in the S.-E. of England. 



The meeting shortly afterwards terminated with the election 

 of Mr. Robert D. Monson an Associate, and Daisy and Desmond 

 M'Carthy Junior members. 



"distribution of some of our local plants." 

 The fifth meeting was held in the Museum, College Square 

 North, on igth March when Mr. S. A. Bennett, B.A., B.Sc, gave 

 a lecture on the " Distribution of some of our Local Plants." 

 The Vice-President, Mr. A. M'l. Cleland occupied the chair. 



The lecturer said that the problem of distribution was bound 

 up with the origin of the plants — where they came from and how 

 they came to be in their present surroundings. That evening, 

 however, they were confining themselves to their present day 

 distribution and would discuss the obstacles which prevented the 

 more general dispersal of some members of the local flora, in 

 so far as these obstacles could be illustrated by reference to the 

 Counties of Down and Antrim. Mr. Bennett went on to say that 

 it was our duty to preserve all plants not injurious to man, and so 

 a knowledge of the species by which we were surrounded would 

 be stimulated. In order that Field Botany should not degenerate 

 into mere collecting and labelling of specimens, it should be 

 accompanied by field observations on the relation of plants to 

 their environment. The distribution of all species should be 

 studied in our own neighbourhood and then correlated with that 

 in larger areas. Again a local area could be divided into two 



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