1905. 1 67 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include four young Badgers from Mr. W. W. Despard, a 

 Kingfisher from Mrs. Nixon, two Rudd from Mr. J. Godden, and a Long- 

 eared Owl from Messrs. C. and J. Freeman. Four Yellow Baboons, pairs of 

 Teal, Pintails, vShovellers, and Wigeon, and a pair of Axolotls have been 

 purchased. The alteration in the out-door aviary, to prepare it for the 

 reception and proper exhibition of the Monkeys and Parrots, is making 

 satisfactory progress. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



May 20. — A party of over seventy members met at the G.N.R. station, 

 and took the it. 15 train for Donaghmore. They were joined en route by 

 other members, and at Dungannon by a part}' belonging to the newly- 

 formed Tyrone Field Club. Arriving at Donaghmore, the party, now 

 numbering over one hundred, and under the leadership of Mr. Bradley, 

 of the local Club, walked to the old cross of this village. The Rev. Mr. 

 Latimer having briefly described the cross, a move was made to the 

 graveyard, in front of which the cross stands. Mr. Brown then conducted 

 the party over his soap-works. A start was now made for Dungannon, 

 and while some of the party took the train the majority walked along 

 the old road, a distance of about two and a half miles, which yielded a 

 large number of wild flowers to the botanists. On arriving at Dun- 

 gannon, the party proceeded up the hill to the site of O'Neill's Castle, 

 of which Mr. James M. Hamilton, Town Clerk, gave a brief account. 

 The party proceeded to Northland House, the seat of the Earl ot 

 Ranfurly, who had kindly granted permission to the Club to visit the 

 park, and also to inspect some of the curios which he had brought with 

 him from New Zealand and adjacent islands. At 5.30 the members 

 assembled at the Northland Arms Hotel. After tea a business meeting 

 was held, the President, Mr. \V. H. Phillips, in the chair, after which the 

 6.45 train was caught, and the party arrived in Belfast soon after eight 

 o'clock. The ornithologists reported that thirty-eight species of birds 

 were observed during the day. The most interesting observation made 

 by them was that of a male Wigeon {Mareca penelope) on the lake in Dun- 

 gannon park. It would be interesting to discover if this bird were breed- 

 ing here, as the species usually migrates northwards at a much earlier 

 date, and so far no authenticated instance of its breeding in Ireland has 

 been recorded. Owing to the excessively dry, hot weather, even the 

 commonest species of land and freshwater mollusca were absent in many 

 typical habitats, and the day's collecting, on what would have been con- 

 sidered good ground under the conditions, resulted in only sixteen 

 species being collected, where over thirty might have been expected. The 



