Lead: Robert Ball , an Irish naturalist, was born in Cobh, County Cork in 1802. Robert had a brother and two sisters. His sister, Anne, was a well-known phycologist, and Mary, an entomologist. He and his family lived in Youghal, County Cork and there, Ball attended a Quaker school where his interest for natural history was developed. After leaving his career of 20 years in the civil service, Ball then became a Director of the Dublin University Museum in 1844. Later on that year he was appointed Director of the Museum in Trinity College. In 1838, Ball developed a dredge net, also known today as "Ball's dredge", to collect marine organisms, which was often used among others.The rectangular net or dredge is connected to a frame, furnished with rods, and connected to a dredge rope. It may seem fairly close to Otto Müller's dredge invention, but it is differed. On March 30, 1857, Ball died as a result of a ruptured aorta.