DUBLIN NATUKAL HISTOKY SOCIETY. 
31 
fulfilled the expectations of its founders, and it confidently appeals to 
the volume now placed in the Members’ hands as a proof that there 
has been no falling off in interest during the past year. 
The Council, therefore, feels justified in making a strong appeal to 
the lovers of the science in this country, to come forward and grant 
such increased support as will enable the Society to carry out still fur¬ 
ther the object for which it was formed, by placing it in a position 
to illustrate papers recording new or rare species, and also to reprint 
such of the papers read in former years as deserve a more permanent 
and accessible record than the pages of a daily newspaper, especially 
as, by a law passed last session, every class of Members can obtain the 
■ yearly Annals of the Society. 
The Museum of your Society at present contains, of Yertebrate 
Mammals, 18 species, 20 specimens (only partially displayed), two 
unique. Birds, 128 species (245 specimens), many of them rare, and 
several unique as Irish (nearly all exhibited). Beptiles, two species, 
one unique. Batrachia, 3 species (six specimens). Fishes, only about 
20 species (40 specimens), 7 of these, however, of extreme rarity. The 
difficulty of preserving this group except as spirit preparations acts as a 
bar to a full representation of the group. A large and varied collection 
of birds’ eggs is in the course of arrangement in this division. 
Of Mollusca, a large collection is in possession of the Society, but 
not as yet arranged. A nucleus of a collection of Insects has been 
formed during the past year. 
In Crustacea the Society possesses nearly a perfect collection of 
Decapods: 58 species (109 specimens), which have been arranged during 
the past year, and there are many specimens of the other groups in course 
of arrangement. 
The Badiata are represented by 24 species of star-fishes (42 spe¬ 
cimens), partially arranged. 
Zoophytes, a large collection, but unfortunately in a bad condition, 
and as yet not fully arranged. 
The Mineralogical collection includes some fine specimens of rare 
minerals, which have been during the past year fully displayed in the 
cases, and named according to the latest views. 
It will be thus seen that those parts of the collection which are still 
deficient include chiefly objects which, requiring to be preserved as 
wet preparations, entail a necessary yearly outlay, which your Council 
does not at present deem advisable the Society should undertake. The 
rarer species will be almost all found in the collection, and when the 
funds permit a larger outlay of money, the Museum can be easily made 
almost perfect. 
On the motion of the Chairman, the Beport was unanimously 
adopted. 
The Treasurer next submitted his Beport, which showed that the 
total receipts to the credit of the account current was £64 10s. Id., 
