160 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



At the meeting of the Zoological Society held on March 17th last, 

 Mr. J. T. Cunningham read a paper in which were described experi- 

 ments he had made on two cocks of the Long-tailed Japanese Fowls in 

 his possession, to ascertain what effect the artificial treatment asserted 

 by some to be practised by the Japanese fanciers would have. The two 

 birds had been hatched on the same date (Jan. 13th, 1901). One of 

 the birds was left to nature, except that the tail was tied up in paper 

 when the bird was at liberty, to keep the feathers from injury. In 

 this bird the longest feather was 2 ft. 4| in. in length in 1902, and 

 growth ceased in March, and the feathers were moulted normally in 

 the following autumn. In the other bird the feathers were stroked 

 every day between the finger and thumb so as to pull slightly on the 

 roots. In this specimen growth continued till the middle of July, and 

 a length of over 2 ft. 9 in. was attained in some of the feathers of the 

 first adult plumage. The author considered still more important the 

 fact that ten of the feathers came out under the treatment, and that 

 successors to these immediately grew again, and continued to grow 

 through and beyond the following moulting season. The author con- 

 cluded that the great length of feather and suppression of the moult 

 were produced by the Japanese fanciers in the same way, by thus 

 stimulating the feathers, and extracting them when or before they had 

 completed their growth. 



On March 24th a meeting was held at Belfast in the Museum, 

 College Square, for the formation of an " Ulster Fisheries and Biology 

 Association." Prof. Gregg Wilson, Prof. Milroy, C. M. Cunningham, 

 and W. Bankin were elected members of the Council, and Mr. Hugh 

 H. Smiley the first President of the Association. The Earl of Shaftes- 

 bury, who was the chairman of the meeting, stated that the object of 

 the Association was to investigate the flora and fauna of the local 

 shores and fresh -water loughs. Prof. Gregg Wilson remarked : — " The 

 day when everyone would be a good bit of a naturalist was coming very 

 soon. In particular the study of plants and animals in their natural 

 environment, in their homes, was to be specially encouraged. In the 

 not very far distant future the Association hoped to have an aquarium 

 for the study of living animals. They had arranged for the first 

 distinct bit of work in Belfast Lough — the study of objectionable 

 ' lodgers ' in Cockles and Mussels." 



