[Proceedings Belfast Naturalists' 1 Field Club— Appendix, 1876-77.] 



RECENT FORAMINIFERA OF DOWN AND ANTRIM. 



By JOSEPH WRIGHT, F.G.S. 



Notwithstanding the many fine bays and loughs which indent our coast, 

 and the facility thus afforded for studying our recent Foraminifera, the subject 

 has hitherto received but little attention from Irish naturalists. In the year 

 1858 Prof. Williamson published his Monograph on the recent British Forami- 

 nifera (1), and through its pages are frequent references to species found in 

 Ireland. Most of these were collected by the late George C. Hyndman, in 

 Carnlough Bay. The year previous to this a series of dredgings had been taken 

 in Belfast Lough, under the auspices of the British Association ; the fine ma- 

 terial thus obtained was examined by Prof. Williamson, and yielded 24 species 

 of Foraminifera. 



In 1864 a paper was read by Dr. Alcock before the Lit. and Phil. Soc, 

 Manchester, on Natural History Specimens from Connemara. (2.) It included 

 a very instructive and complete list of Foraminifera, numbering no less than 60 

 species. They were all collected from shore sand, and one locality, viz., Dog's 

 Bay, Roundstone, Connemara. From these three sources we have a list of 65 

 species, and they comprise all that was known of Irish Foraminifera up to 



i875- (3.) 



In the autumn of 1875 a number of the Belfast naturalists joined 

 Mr. Thomas Workman, in his yacht Denburn, for the purpose of dredging in 

 Belfast Lough and waters adjacent; and thus commenced a series of dredging 



(1.) Recent Foraminifera of Great Britain, 1858. 



(2.) Proc. Lit. and Phil. Soc, Manchester, Vol. IV., No. 15. Session 1864-5, P- 192. 



(3.) In Thompson's Natural History of Ireland a list of 3T Foraminifera are given, but 

 as in several of these it is uncertain what species were meant, no notice is taken of them in the 

 above estimate. 



