Annual Report. 5 



of the Society, the time has come when it is right that we 

 should lay before the members a short report on the progress 

 made during that time as regards our inquiry into the nature 

 and distribution of the Vertebrate Fauna of the Province. 

 Much time has been occupied in enlisting the services of com- 

 petent observers in various parts of Ulster. The result has 

 been on the whole satisfactory, as we have now a body of 51 

 observers scattered through Ulster. Large districts are, however, 

 still unrepresented, as the following list will show : — County 

 Donegal, 10 observers ; County Londonderry, 6 observers ; 

 County Antrim, 12 observers; County Down, 11 observers; 

 County Armagh, 5 observers ; County Tyrone, 4 observers ; 

 County Monaghan, i observer ; County Fermanagh, 2 ob- 

 servers ; County Cavan, o observer — total, 51. From this it 

 will be seen that, while the North-Eastern counties are being 

 fairly well worked, the number of observers in Monaghan, 

 Fermanagh, and Cavan especially, is much below what is 

 desired, and we trust that by next year these deficiences may be 

 filled up. With a view of systematising the information obtained 

 from our observers we have issued a number of schedules, copies 

 of which we submit herewith. These have proved decidedly 

 successful in extracting general information. Up to the present, 

 forty-one have been returned to us duly filled, and a large 

 number still remain in the hands of observers. In addition to 

 these, correspondence on many special points is being constantly 

 carried on, and we may mention that up to the present date 

 304 letters have been written and 270 received. In the present 

 incomplete state of our work, which indeed is only commencing, 

 it is undesirable that we should attempt to enter into particulars 

 as regards the information already collected, but we venture to 

 believe that the foregoing statement will satisfy the Society that 

 we are endeavouring to carry out the work towards the accom- 

 plishment of which we applied for their assistance." 



The Financial statement showed a balance of ^28 odd in the 

 hands of the Treasurer. 



