The Irish Naturalist. 



December, 



DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



October i6. — Excursion to Portmarnock and Malahide. — About 

 twenty members of the Club, under the leadership of W. F. Gunn, travelled 

 by the 12.45 train to Portmarnock. A somewhat threatening morning 

 developed into a delightful afternioon, with good light, and just the 

 faintest suspicion of haze over the sea, — an ideal October day for a Field 

 Club ramble. On assembling a short distance from the station, the 

 conductor in a few words indicated the nature of the excursion and some 

 of the objects which would probably be found. In the absence of A. 

 W. Stelfox, he co-opted C. B. Moffat to look after the interests of the 

 zoologists, and J. de W. Hinch to demonstrate the geology of the 

 district. ' A start was then made across the golf links for the Silver 

 Strand. After a short halt for lunch the party proceeded along the 

 strand, shells and other marine objects of interest being gathered. 

 Amongst the former Scaphander, Trochus, Aporrhais, and various bivalves 

 were obtained. Helix itala, H. nemoralis, and H. acuta were abundant 

 on the grassy mounds, and in the hedge rows, but no specimens of H. 

 pisana were taken. A number of birds were noticed, the most abundant 

 probably being Dunlins. 



Miss Edith Wade undertook to make a census of the plants in flower, 

 and her list (no doubt incomplete) totalled over thirty species. Passing 

 the " Ussher " Natural History Hut, Malahide was reached with ample 

 time to partake of tea. N. D. Panter was unanimously elected a member 

 of the Club, and one new candidate was nominated for election at the next 

 meeting. A pleasant feature of the excursion was the unusual interest 

 shown by the majority of the members in the pursuit of their particular 

 phase of nature study. 



DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 



October 13. — The Club met at Leinster House. H. A. Lafierty, 

 A.R.C.Sc.I., was elected President, and Prof. J. Alfred Scott, M.D., 

 Vice-President for the session. 



H. A. Lafferty exhibited microscopic preparations showing 

 germinating teleutospores of Melampsora lini. Desm., the parasitic fungus 

 which causes " firing " in flax. The spores were found to germinate 

 only after a prolonged rest Of several months, and the method followed 

 the usual course as described for other forms belonging to this genus. 

 Each teleutospore produced a promycelium which eventually became- 

 four-celled, and from each cell a short tapering basidium was produced 

 which bore at its apex a single spherical or pear-shaped basidiospore. 



Sir F. W. Moore exhibited Thielavia baricola parasitic, on the roots 

 of dwarf French Beans. The conidial stage breaking up into separate 

 cells was shown. Up to the end of July the host plants were vigorous 

 and healthy; by 21st September seventy per cent, had been killed by 

 this pest. 



