1906. 
Proceedings of Irish Societies. 
IRISH SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
Recent gifts include a pair of Tiger Cubs from H. R. H. the Prince of 
Wales; a tame Leopard, two years old, from Capt. MacCarthy; a pair of 
Swans from the Board of Works; two Finches from Constable J. 
O'Shaughnessy, and three Swans from Mr. H. B. Rathborne. A pair 
of Marmosets, ten Jackass Penguins, and a King Vulture have been pur- 
chased, and a Barbary Lamb has been born in the Gardens. 
DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 
April ii.— The Club met at Leinster House, Dr. R. F. ScHAEpy, 
President, in the chair. Dr. G. H. Pethybridge exhibited sections of 
the haustoria on the roots of Cow- Wheat {Melafupyrum pratense). This 
plant is one of the group of semi-parasitic Rhiuauthaceae, and although 
green, and thus able to manufacture its own food, it is partly dependent 
for its nutrition on other plants, to the roots of which it attaches itself 
by the absorbtive suckers on its own roots. 
H. C. Draper, P\C.S., showed a "dark-room" lamp of somewhat 
novel construction, suitable for use in micro-photography. A four-volt 
" Osmi" lamp, in connection with a portable accumulator, is immersed in 
a glass cell containing a saturated solution of potassium bichromate, and 
the novelty consists in surrounding the lamp and lamp-holder by an 
air-bell, preventing contact of the solution with the fittings. An " Osmi" 
lamp mounted in a rectangular wooden case, open on one side, grooved 
to take a quarter-plate focussing screen, was also shown. This arrange- 
ment gives a soft diflfused light, suitable for microscopic illumination. 
By substituting photographic plates, cleared and stained with suitable 
tints, the light may be modified. 
H. W. Dari^aston sent for exhibition an interesting series of bo- 
tanical and zoological slides. 
BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 
Aprii. 10.— W11.1.1AM Gray, M.R.I. A., submitted his report as delegate 
to the meeting of the British Association, and made some valuable sug- 
gestions as to how the Club might help the Association's work. 
Aprii. 25. — The Annual Meeting was held in the Museum, the President 
(W. H. Phillips) in the chair. There was a fair attendance of members. 
A short notice of the occurrence of foraminifera in gravels was given 
by Joseph Wright, F.G.S., who said he had recently received from Mr. 
John Brown, F.R.S., a ball of rolled clay taken from a gravel pit at his 
