1915. 



hish Societies. 



87 



subjects, including many rare plants photographed in situ ; N. 

 Carrothers, Plants collected during Club's summer excursions, including 

 Spiranthes Fomamoffiana and Teesdalia nudicaulis from Washing Bay, 

 Co. Tyrone ; John Hamilton, Case of Lantern-Flics ; R. J. Welch, 

 Mollusks, and a series of rude flint implements of uncertain age from 

 North-east Antrim and Derry and Larne Lough ; N. H. Foster, Woodlice, 

 False Scorpions, Centipedes, and Millepedes collected during Long 

 Excursion ; Centipede from Australia. At 9 o'clock a short business 

 meeting was held— -the Vice-President, Dr. A. R. Dwerryhouse, F.G.S., 

 in the Chair — ^when five new members were elected. N. H. Foster then 

 exhibited a series of lantern slides illustrative of British Birds and their 

 nesting habits, and the meeting concluded shortly after 10 o'clock. 



November 17. — Presidential Address. — R. Lloyd Praeger gave 

 a most interesting and instructive address on " Problems of dispersal 

 and distribution in the Irish flora." The paper was discussed by Rev. 

 C. H. Waddell, Messrs. C. M. Cunningham, and N. H. Foster. Three 

 new members were elected. 



December 15. — F. J. Bigger gave a paper on " Social Archaeology," 

 dealing with a most interesting area in County Leitrim, especially that 

 near Lough Melvin. The paper was well illustrated with lantern slides, 

 mostly from his own negatives. 



January 19. — Dr. J. K. Charlesworth lectured on the " Palaeon- 

 tological Evidences of Evolution." The lecture was well illustrated with 

 lantern slides of extinct animals. A discussion followed on the probable 

 causes of the extinction of Dinosaurs and other great beasts, the excessive 

 formation of bone and their great size being instanced among others as 

 likely reasons. 



February 16. — W. B. Wright, B.A., F.G.S., delegate from the Irish 

 Field Club Union, gave a lecture on " Recent Advances in Glacial Geology." 

 An animated aiscussion followed in which the President (R. LI. Praeger), 

 Messrs. W. A. Traill, A. W. Stelfox, S. A. Bennett, R. J. Welch, and 

 W. J. C. ToMLiNsoN took part. 



March 23. — Three short papers were submitted to this meeting. 

 R. LI. Praeger spoke on " Sedums or Stonecrops," and displaj^cd a large 

 series of native and foreign plants belonging to this group. W. J. C. 

 ToMLiNSON read a paper on " The Plants of Lough Neagh," the more 

 interesting species being illustrated by specimens from the Club's her- 

 barium. Miss M. W. Rea spoke on " Mycetozoa," illustrating her remarks 

 by a series of mounted specimens, also details of their structure under the 

 microscope. 



The Mycetozoa comprise a group of organisms which in the early stages 

 of their life -history show affinity with the lower forms of animal life, 

 while, on the other hand, in the fruiting period they belong to the Fungi. 

 On being moistened the spores germinate and swarm -cells emerge, each 

 possessing a nucleus, and one or more digestive vacuoles. They soon 

 develop a flagellum by the aid of which they swim about. At the opposite 

 end of the swarm -cell delicate pseudopodia convey food to the vacuoles, 

 in which it is digested, the waste matter being left behind. After a time 

 the swarm cells unite to form a plasmodium or mass of naked protoplasm. 



