80 NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



tastes and means lead them to introduce to cultivation such a beautiful 

 tribe of plants. What can be more beautiful than the ferneries of 

 Mr. Bewley, of Eockville, Blackrock, and of Dr. Hudson, of Low- 

 ville, Merrion? They are of the greatest interest, not only for the 

 extreme beauty of the arrangement of the houses, but for the rarity and 

 novelty of many of the ferns introduced to cultivation, which few would 

 otherwise have the opportunity of knowing and of examining. Those 

 gentlemen always kindly permit those interested to see them, and much 

 information can be gleaned from their intelligent gardeners. 



During the reading of the paper some beautiful drawings taken on 

 the spot in New Zealand were shown. The Rata, Karaka, Tree-ferns, 

 &c, were conspicuous. There were also exhibited to the members 

 a beautiful series of Hymenophylla and Leptopteris. 



WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1871. 



E. Perceval Wright, M. D., V. P., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the previous Meeting having been read, compared, 

 and signed, the following donations to the Library were laid before the 

 Meeting: — Parts I., IT., and III. for the year 1870 of the "Proceed- 

 ings" of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London, 

 " Canadian Journal of Science for May," " Journal of the Eoyal His- 

 torical and Archaeological Association of Ireland," vol. i., Fourth 

 Series; " Journal of the Linnean Society," vol. xi., No. 56; "Atti 

 della Societa Italiana di Scienze Naturali Milano," Parts 1 and 2, 

 vol. xiii. ; " Proceedings Natural History," Hermannstadt. 



The thanks of the Society having been voted, 



Dr. A. W. Foot made the following communication and exhibition 

 of 



Some Native Hymenoptera. 



The few Hymenoptera which I had an opportunity of collecting in 

 a short holiday in the country last summer are laid before the meeting. 

 The collection includes thirty-one genera and sixty-three species. 



This great order of insects is divided into two sections by the cha- 

 racter of the ovipositor. In one section — Terebrantia — it takes the 

 shape of a saw, auger, or other boring instrument ; and to this section 

 belong the Sawflies, Woodborers, Gallflies, and Ichneumons. In the 

 other section — Aculeata (from aculeus, a sting or prickle) — the oviposi- 

 tor has a needle-like character, and in the females and neuters, being 

 connected with a reservoir of poison, can be used as a weapon of 

 defence. This section comprises the Ants, Sandwasps, Wasps, and 

 Bees. 



The Terebrant Hymenoptera are divided into two sub-sections — 

 the Phytophaga (plant- eaters), comprising the Sawflies and Wood- 

 borers; and the Entomophaga (insect-eaters), including the Ichneu- 



