PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
157 
pleasing to observe, that among the onerous duties devolving on Mr. Bain in the 
College Gardens, he has directed his attention to the grasses of the country, so as 
thoroughly to understand their character and practical value to the agriculturist. 
Mr. Andrews also brought to notice and exhibited specimens of Trichomanes 
speciosum, and Ophrys muscifera, which were sent to him by Mr. Thos. Chandlee, 
of Cork, who promised to be a most assiduous botanist. Mr. Chandlee had already 
drawn up a flora of the Phsenogamous and Cryptogamous plants of Fermoy. Mr. 
Chandlee observes, that he was in company with Mr. Isaac Carroll, of Cork, when 
the Trichomanes was discovered in a locality north of the County of Cork. The 
hill on which it grew is situated on the confines of Cork and Limerick, and is com¬ 
posed of conglomerate. It displays a curious formation, as if the whole hill had 
been split, and one half sunk considerably below the other. The perpendicular 
face of the rock thus exposed is much disintegrated, and shows many horizontal 
fissures, in one of which, on pulling aside a tuft of withered ferns, the Trichomanes 
was discovered in considerable luxuriance. A remarkable feature was the dryness 
of the spot. The altitude of the mountain was about 1,000 feet. The Ophrys 
muscifera (Fly-orchis) was found in a bog between Ballitore and Athy, County 
Kildare. 
Dr. Kinahan exhibited a specimen of Discomyza incurva (the species kindly 
determined by A. R. Hogan, Esq.). This fly, now first added to the Irish lists, 
was found by him at Firhouse, County Dublin, in the shell of Helix nemoralis, 
where the insect had evidently undergone its transformation, as, when found, it 
was in the act of cutting its way out through the epiphragm. It was captured in 
the early part of April, 1854. 
Mr. Williams then addressed the chairman, and said, with reference to the pro¬ 
ceedings of the last meeting, and the discussion which took place relative to the 
observations made by Mr. Ffennell on the habits of the salmon, he (Mr. Williams) 
had received two communications from parties who had noticed the report of these 
proceedings in Saunders' News-letter , and which did not agree with the views that 
Mr. Ffennell had put forward. One was from a gentleman who had devoted much 
attention to the subject of the fisheries, and who possessed sound practical know¬ 
ledge and experience of the habits of the salmon, especially with reference to the 
Bandon river, and that part of Ireland. He would, with the permission of the 
chairman, read the remarks that had been communicated to him. 
The Chairman said he was afraid so much business had been before the meeting 
that the lateness of the hour would not permit any discussion; but, perhaps, it would 
be better to record the statement that had been communicated. 
Mr. Williams then read the following :— 
“ I consider Mr. Ffennell is mistaken in his theory, that the male salmon first 
ascend the rivers on the approach of the spawning time, as, from close observation 
of the habits of the fish for eight or nine years at least, I am convinced that on 
the approach of the spawning season both male and female salmon arrive at the 
pitting ground together, or nearly so. In the 4 Bandon’ the greater number of 
the large breeding fish do not make their appearance until the middle or latter end 
of November ; and we never see a spawning-bed on that river much before the 
25th of December. I have seen male fish, killed in January and February, in com¬ 
pany with pea-fish, and both were full of sea-lice, had not spawned, and had all 
the appearance of having only just come up from the sea. With respect to another 
part of Mr. Ffennell’s theory, that 4 the male salmon, after having their desires 
accomplished, desert the females on the beds to complete the operation of spawn¬ 
ing it seems to me that he means the fish actually copulate, and that the male 
fish impregnates the immense body of ova contained in the female (and reaching 
in a compact mass from the vent to the gills), in the ordinary way adopted by land 
animals—viz., by copulation. This I take to be an impossibility; besides, if it 
was so, why should so much care be taken by artificial breeders of salmon to use 
the milt of the male fish with which to impregnate the ova of the female, after 
having pressed it from her ? I have, hundreds of times, seen the pea- fish for a 
considerable time on the pit, upon which she remained quite motionless; at inter¬ 
vals she would rise twelve or sixteen inches from the bottom, throw herself on her 
side, and 4 rig’ in a curious way, which I consider to be the means to facilitate the 
