The Irish Nahiralist. 
December, 
IRISH SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Recent gifts include a Diana Monkey from Mr. L. V. Creegan ; Guinea- 
pigs from Miss E. Maguire ; Rabbits from Rev. K. Dunlop, Miss 
Maguire, and Mr. Mc Arthur ; a pair of Upland Geese from Col. Tottenham , 
a Sulphur -crested Cockatoo from Mr. D. H. Walsh ; a pair of Grass Parra- 
keets arid a pair of Bullfinches from Mr. A. W. Berman ; and two Peafowl 
from the Hon. A. S. G. Canning. 
DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 
October 14. — The Club met at Leinster House, D. M'Ardle (President) 
in the Chair. 
As a sequel to his exhibit on December 10, 191 3 [Irish Naturalist, 
pp. 48, 223, supra) when the Celery leaf-spot fungus [Septoria petroselini 
var. apii) was exhibited for the first time (at any rate as far as 
the British Isles are concerned) attacking wild celery plants, Dr. G. 
H. Pethybridge now showed the successful results of inoculating the 
cultivated celery with spores derived from the pycnidia of the fungus 
found this summer again on wild celery plants from the previous 
locality in Co. Galway. Measurements of the lengths of the spores 
from the wild plant showed them to be slightly shorter than those 
from cultivated plants, and hence it might have been supposed that 
two different species of Septoria w^ere in question. However, inocu- 
lation of the cultivated celery from the fungus on the wild plant produced 
in the former the symptoms typical of the leaf -spot disease as seen now 
unfortunately so commonly in our vegetable gardens owing, it is believed, 
primarily the use of affected celery seed. This suggests of course that the 
disease has originated in some locality by the migration of a parasitic 
fungus from a wild plant to its cultivated variety. This has probably 
occurred within comparatively recent years, and it is interesting to note 
that although the parasite does not very seriously injure the wild plant 
yet its effect on the cultivated one is often disastrous. 
W. F. GuNN showed seeds of Buttonia Natalensis, a rare shrubbery 
plant which is parasitic on the roots of an arborescent Euphorbia. It 
belongs to the order Scrophulariaceee, and in consequence of its beautiful 
red flowers, which are much sought after, it has been almost exterminated 
in its native district in Natal. The seeds are of a brownish red colour, 
and surrounded with hyaline network which forms hexagonal and other 
shaped cavities. The seeds which were kindly presented to Mr, Gunn 
by Mr. N. E. Brown, of Kew Herbarium, were only secured after a long 
search, and wqtq protected until ripe. 
Prof. G. H. Carpentiir showed a newly-hatched larva of Hypoderma 
lineaium, which had been found in lluid s([in'e/A d from a minute hole in a 
cow's skin at Athenr}?-, Co. Galway, as described in the Irish Naturalist^ 
vol. xxiii., p. 2iy. T. R. Hewitt described his observations on the 
corresponding larvae of H. bovis boring into the skin of calves at Bally- 
haise, Co. Cavan {I.e., pp. 219-221). 
