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Irish Societies. 
253 
November ii.— The Club mot at Lcinster House, the President in the 
Chair. 
N. CoLciAN exhibited a preparation showing the cerebral ganglia with 
the eyes and auditory capsules or otocysts of the nudibranch, ILolis 
papulosa. Many of the numerous calcareous otoliths, or car-stones, 
included in the otocysts were seen to be ruptured by the pressure of the 
cover glass, so as to show their quadripartite structure. 
In a second slide the remarkable stellate hairs of a Mediterranean 
Euphorbiaceous plant, Crozophora tinctoria, were shewn. In this species 
the dense clothing of stellate hairs is associated with stellate scales 
resembling those which form the grey felting on the under -side of the 
common Sea Buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides. 
W. F. GuNN showed a slide which was interesting as a relic of the last 
Franco -Prussian War, It was a portion of one of the despatch films sent 
into Paris by Carrier Pigeon post during the siege of 1871. These des- 
patches were printed from type, photo -micographed on a thin film of 
gelatine, rolled up, and inserted into a quill, and attached to the wings 
of pigeons. On arrival at their destination they were re -photographed 
to their original size. By this means a very long despatch could be con- 
veyed by a single bird. 
BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 
July 25. — Washing Bay. — A long deferred visit was paid to Washing 
Bay by a party of twenty -four members, mainly from the botanical section 
of the Club. This inlet of Lough Neagh lies at the extreme south-western 
corner of the great lake, in County Tyrone, and is not easy of access. 
Leaving Belfast by motor at one o'clock, the little village of Maghery was 
reached. Here the vehicle was left and the party proceeded to the ferry 
and crossed the Blackwater, which a': this spot divides the counties of 
Armagh and Tyrone. The sandy shores of the lake proved excellent 
collecting ground for the botanists, as well as the great stretch of bogland 
which lies to the south of the lake. Among the most interesting plants 
found on the lake shore was Spiranthes romanzoffiana, an. addition to the 
flora of Tyrone ; also Teesdalia nudicaulis, Ciciita virosa, and Anthemis 
Cotiila. The last -mentioned plant grew on a sandy bank of the lake shore 
near Doon Point in an apparently natural habitat. It is, however, not re- 
garded as a native plant in the district. On the Armagh side of the river 
Butomus umhellatus w^as noted, with Lysimachia Nummularia. On the bog 
Drosera anglica and Rynchospora alba were recorded also. 
DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 
July 18. — Excursion to Lough Bray. — About twenty members and 
friends left Dublin at 10.45, and were met at Bray by their conductor, 
R. jSI. Barrington, with two brakes, the start for Lough Bray being made 
before 11.30, A halt was made near Glencree Reformatory for the purpose 
of inspecting a small patch of boggy ground, long known to local botanists 
as a favoured habitat of the Ivy -leaved Bell-flower. This pretty plant 
