20 



The Irish Naturalist. February, 1920. 



Hypamhlys huccaius, a female taken in May amongst 

 herbage on the side of the road between my house and 

 Poyntzpass. This seems to be a rare species as Dr. Roman 

 says it is not represented in the Swedish collection in the 

 Riksmuseets though he has specimens in his own collection. 



I have to thank Dr. Roman very much for his great 

 kindness in determining these insects for me and for the 

 information which he has given concerning them. 



Poyntzpass. 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



December 10. — The Club met at Leinster House. W. F. Gunn 

 exhibited a sUde of a transverse section of the peduncle of the Yellow 

 Water-Lily {Nuphar lutea) showing idioblasts in the cells of the pith. 

 These idioblasts are of a compound stellate or star shape and are studded 

 all over with minute tubercles. The section was double stained. 



H. A. Lafferty exhibited microscopic preparations showing the 

 sclerotia of a species of Botrytis on flax seeds. It is believed that this 

 fungus causes a diseased condition of the flax plant in the field, and in- 

 vestigations are in progress which, when completed, will elucidate this 

 important point. 



Dr. G. H. Pethybridge showed microscopical preparations of the 

 fungus causing the so-called American Black Rot of the apple, Sphaeropsis 

 tnalorum Berk. The material was received in September from Co. Kil- 

 kenny in the form of three apples suff^ering from a form of rot, quite 

 unusual in this country, which had in each case started from the eye of 

 the fruit. In the United States of America, and particularly in the State 

 of New York, this fungus does extensive damage in the apple orchards. 

 Not only docs it attack the fruit but it is also the cause of a leaf-spot 

 disease as well as of a twig and branch cankiT. In England the fungus 

 has been recorded as occurring on apple leaves and twigs, but up to the 

 present it does not appear to have been observed as a cause of fruit-rot. 

 In the present case only three fruits were found to be attacked and no 

 .signs of foliage or twig infection could be found. It is to be hoped that 

 the climatic conditions of this country will be such as not to favour the 

 spread of this serious disease. Those wlio are interested will find a com- 

 plete account of it in Hulletin J7<) of Ihe Cornell University Agricultural 

 Kxperimcnt Station by T'rof. L. 1^. Ilcslor, who lias recently discovered 

 that the perfect stage of [\\c fungus is ich'utical with Pliysalospora Cydoniae 

 Arnaud. 



