14 



The Irish Naturalist. 



January, 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



November i6. — -First meeting of the winter session in the Museum, 

 College Square North, the President (S. A. Bennett, B.A., B.Sc.) 

 gave an address on " Water Plants." Before the proceedings commenced 

 references were made to the recent death of Sylvanus Wear, a member 

 of many years' standing, and the Club's librarian and herbarium curator, 

 a vote of condolence, proposed by the President, and seconded by Mr. 

 J. A. S. Stendall, being passed in the usual way. 



In his address the President stated that in addition to the difficulty 

 of obtaining an adequate oxygen supply there was the difficulty of raising 

 the flowering spike out of the water into the surrounding air. The 

 methods adopted by water plants in solving this problem afforded many 

 instances of remarkably efficient adaptations to external conditions. 

 Tiie luxuriant growth of water plants was discussed, and the history of 

 the spread of the Canadian Weed in the British Islands was given. 

 This pest, which had cost canal companies many thousands of pounds, 

 was first reported from Waringstown in 1836, a doubtful honour to County 

 Down. The phenomenon of heteroph3dly was discussed, the different 

 forms of leaf exhibited by one and the same plant could hardly be referred 

 to the direct action of the environment, as both submerged leaves and 

 floating leaves could already be distinguished in the growing leaf-bud 

 which was forming under water. In future much more weight would 

 have to be given to the part played by descent in the determination of 

 leaf form and less stress laid on the theory of adaptation to external 

 conditions. The address closed with a review of some of the outstanding 

 difficulties of the theory of natural selection, as illustrated b)- the bladder- 

 wort (Utricularia) and the evolution of the buoyant bud. 



The address was freely illustrated by a fine series of lantern views, 

 and at its close was supplemented by some very interesting remarks by 

 Professor Gregg Wilson. 



The Hon. Secretary also presented his report as delegate to the British 

 Association meeting, held in Cardiff during August last. 



November 30. — Sectional meeting in the Museum, College Square 

 North. A paper on " Rats : Their Habits and Economics " was read 

 by Mr. J. A. S. Stendall. After detailing the position of rats in the 

 animal kingdom, the author gave a brief history of the introduction of 

 the Black Rat and its more formidable cousin, the Brown Rat, into Great 

 Britain ; these two animals are without doubt the most highly organised 

 members of their family and the most successful of mammals. The 

 so-called Black Rat is not always black, but consists of three distinct 

 sub-species, the Black Rat proper, the Alexandrine Rat, which is brownish- 

 grey, and the Tree or Roof Rat, which is reddish-brown. The black 

 form of the Brown Rat in Ireland, first described by Wm. Thompson 

 in 1837 as a distinct species, is apparently increasing in numbers. The 

 damage caused by rats was referred to. Their destructive and offensive 

 habits mark them as among our deadliest enemies. 



