S 4. ^6 THE IRISH NATURALIST ^ jjjttotttlTltr |Li?ittrn«l OF GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY, THE OFFICIAI, ORGAN OF The Royal Zoological Society of Ireland ; The Dublin Microscopical Club ; The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society ; 7 he Belfast Naturalists' Field Club; The Dublin Naturalists' Field Club ; The Armagh Natural History and Philosophical Society ; The Cork Naturalists' Field Club ; The Limerick and Clare Field Club. KDITKD BY GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, Eond. AND R. EEOYD PRAEGER, B.A, B.E., M.R.I.A. VOL. VII. DUBEIN : EASON & SON, EimiTKD, 85 MIDDLE ABBEY STREET, and 40 LOWER vSACKVILLE STREI- T. BELFAST : 17 DONEGALL vSTREET. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT &. Co., LTd, 1898. PiiixTED BY Alex. Tiicm & Co. (Limited), 87, 88, & 89, Abbey-stkeet, Dublin; y "^tXi CONTRIBUTORS TO THK PRKSBNT VOT. UMIC — :(): Lionel E. Adams, b.a., Stafford. N. H. Ai^coCK, M.D., Trinity College, Dublin. G. E. H. Barrkxt-Hamit^ton, b.a., m.r.i.a., New Ross. H. D. M. Barton, Antrim. Rev. vS. a. Brenan, b.a., Kuocknacar3% Co. Antrim. D. C. CampbeIvI,, Ivoudonderry. George H. Carpenter, b.sc, Science and Art Museum, Dublin. Prof. J. W. Carr, m.a., f.i,.s., Nottingham. Dr. G. W. Chaster, Southport. Rkv. MaxweIvI. H. Ci^ose, M.A., E.G.S., Treas. r.i.a,, Dublin. Prof. Grenvii.i.e A. J. Coi,e, f.g.s., m.r.i.a., Royal College of Science, Dublin. H. K. Gore Cuthbert, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. J. H. Davies, Lisburn. Hon. R. E. Dii,i,on, d.i,., Clonbrock, Ahascragh. Charles Eecock, Free Public Library, Belfast. G. P. Farran, Templeogue, Co. Dublin. Rev. HiiyDERic Friend, Tipton, Staffordshire. Dr. W. Frazer, F.R.C.S.I., m.r.i.a., Dublin. Rev. Canon T. B Gibson, m.a., Ferns. R. M. Gii.MORE, Galway. Lena Gyles, Dublin. J. N. HalberT, Science and Art Museum, Dublin. Henry Hanna, m.a., b.sc, Royal College of Science, Duljlin. Ernest W. L. Holt, Royal Dublin Society. J. Hunter, Londonderry. Margaret E- Joyce, Craughwell, Co. Galway. Prof. T. Johnson, d.sc, m.r.la., Royal College of Science, Dublin. Rev. W. F. Johnson, m.a., f.E-S., Poyntzpass, Co. Armagh. J. H. Johnston, Thurles. W. F. DE V. Kane, m.a., d.l-, F.E.S., Monaghan. E. Blake Knox, m.d., Trinity College, Dublin. REV. Wm. M'Endoo, b.a., Tanderagee. Prof. W. C. Macintosh, m.a., ll.d., F.rS., St. Andrew's University. Rachel M. Mahaffy, Howth. Rev. R. M. Miller, m.a., Roscrea. C. B. Moffat, b.a., Ballyhyland, Co. Wexford. Miss D. M. p. Newton, Rathdrum. A 2 List of Contribicton. Dknis R. Pack-Bkrksford, Bageiialstowu. J. H. PAi^MJiK, Dublin. C. J. Pattkn, M.D., Trinity College, Dublin. RoBKRT Patterson, f.z.s., Belfast. R. IvivOVD Patterson, j.p., f.i,.s., Ilolywood, Co. Down. J. St. J. Pnii,i,ips, Belfast. R. A. PhiIvLips, Cork. Rev. O. Pickard Cambridge, m.a., f.r.s., Bloxworth, Dorset. Greenwood Pim, m.a, F.r..s., m.r.i.a., Dublin. Endymion Porter, Belleisle, Co. Fermanagh. R. LiyOYD Praeger, b.e , B.A, M.R.I.A., National Library of Ireland, Dublin. Carleton Rea, B.C.L., M.A., Worcester. R. F. Scharff, b.sc., pIi.d , m.ri.a., Science and Art INIuseum, Dublin. H. J. Seymour, b.a., Geological Survey, Dublin. W. F. Sinclair, Chelsea, London. R. Standen, Manchester Museum. A. G. Stubbs, Gloucester. Allan P. Swan, f.l-S., Dundalk. Lilian M. Swan, Duudalk Emily M. TaTlow, Dnndrum, Co. Dublin. John H. Teesdale, West Dulwicli, London. R.J. Ussher, J.P-, Cappagh, Co. Waterford. Rev. C. IL Waddell, b.d., Saintfield, Co. Down. Robert Warren, j.p., Ballina. R. Welch, Belfast. J. Welland, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin. Harry F. W^itherbv, Blackheath, London. John J. Wolfe, Skibbereen. ERRATA. Page 50, line 29, for ♦• Kitys," read " titys." „ 51, line 19, for •' W. John.ston," read " J. H. Johnston.' 144, „ 16, for "Z>aaa////;/ ........ To face p. 201 Strawberry-tree (Arbutus Unedo) on island in Cloonee Lough (Plate IV.), . . . . . . .To face p. 202 At Cloonee Lough (Plate v.), .... . To face p. 203 I.F.C.U. halting place on Sheen River; Mucksna and head of Kenmare River (Plate VI.), . . . . .To face p. 205 Wolf-Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) spinning nest for her young (Plate VII.), . . . . . . .To face p. 207 Nest of Wood Ant (Formica rufa) near Long Range, Killarney (Plate VIIL), . . . . . . .To face p. 209 Young Caterpillars of Peacock Butterfly (Vanessa io) on Nettle (Plate IX.), . . . . . . .To face p. 210 Upper Lake of Killarney and Long Range (Plate X.), . To face p. 215 The Spotted Slug of Kerry (Geomalacus maculosus); Moll's Gap, (Plate XL), . . . . . . .To face p. 220 Irish Spurge (Euphorbia hiberna) ; among the Arbutus at Cloonee (Plate XIL), . . . . . . .To face p. 227 Section from Bantry Bay to Killarney, . . . • ?• 228 Carrigacappeen ; Cloughvorragh (Plate XIIL), • • To face p. 228 Young Limuiea involuta, ... . • p 265 Photo, hij CJianccllor, Dublin. REV. DR. vSAMUEL HAUGHTON, F . T . C . D . , K . R . vS . ©ije ^ri^ij Jlaturali^t. VOLUME VII. REV. SAMUKIv HAUGHTO M.D., S.F.T.C.D., F.R.S. In the departure from amongst us of Rev. Dr. Haughton (whose death took place on October 31, 1897), Dublin will miss the familiar form of a prominent citizen, well known for his usefulness in various lines of activity, and Trinity College loses a distinguished member and officer of great working capacity, one also who was among the foremost in assisting to carry out her role of the cultivation of knowledge. Dr. Haughton was born in Carlow in 182 1. At the early age of 23 he was elected Fellow of Trinity College, and in 1881 he was co-opted Senior Fellow of the same. Having begun his scientific career as a mathematician and mathematical physicist, by which he obtained his Fellow.ship, he, afterwards, as Professor of Geology and as M.D., became engaged with subjects which come more within the purview of the Irish Nahcralist, such as botany, zoology, and mineralogy. As re- gards physical geology, which sometimes runs into cosmology, his know4edge of mathematics and ph3'sics enabled him to handle problems which could not be successfully attacked by many an ordinary geologist. In this way the versatility of his powers and the variety of his attainments came in with great advantage. We may here observe that this is shown also by his work on the " Principles of Animal Mechanics " (London, 1873). This was a subject in which he took special interest, and to which he paid much attention, for many years. He shows how it illustrates the very important economical principle, displayed also in other regions of Nature, the Principle of Least Action. The treatment in this book 2 The Irish Naturalist. [January, is confined to the vertebrate muscular system of man and lower animals. The combination of Dr. Hau2;hton's know- ledge of anatomy, with his skill in mathematics, which is not often imported into the dissecting room, here stood him in good stead, and enabled him to pursue the subject as could not otherwise have been done. The result, however, is that this book appeals only to a small class of readers, those who inhabit the somewhat confined space in which the areas of anatomy and of mathematics overlap. Dr. Haughton's "Lectures on Physical Geograph}^" 1880, printed in the Dublin University Press Series, exhibit the same combination of varied knowledge. His books on elementary science include a " Manual of Geology," the '* Three Realms of Nature," &c. ; some were written in conjunction with his friend. Professor Galbraith ; most of these w^ere very popular as manuals, and had a large circulation. But Dr. Haughton's great scientific activity found vent chiefly in writing import- ant papers in the publications of many scientific societies, and in various scientific periodicals. We cannot give a list of these here. In the Royal Society's Catalogue of Scientific Papers Avill be found an arra}' of no less than 206 papers by Dr. Haughton, besides a few wTitten b}^ him in conjunction with others. These are on a wonderful variet}^ of subjects, displa3dng an almost encyclopaedic knowledge. His distin- guished merits were widely recognized not only in Ireland but elsewhere. Thus he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1858 (in the Transactions and Proceedings of which Society he appears as a contributor of papers on various important subjects). The University of Oxford con- ferred on him, honoris causa, the degree of D.C.L., and the Universities of Cambridge and of Edinburgh that of LL-D., and the University of Bologna that of M.D., he having already that degree in his own University of Dublin. He was also honorary member of various foreign scientific societies. While these distinctions were bestowed upon him hojioris causa, he was appointed Secretary of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland, with its Zoological Gardens, for a quite different reason, viz., because the Council of the Society saw that he was the person best fitted for the post, which was, at that time, a very arduous one. He fully justified their selection. By the energy, along with the practical capacity, which, for just twenty years, he 1898. j Rev. Samuel Haughton. 3 devoted to the duties of that office, he enabled the Society to tide over difficulties and crises which but for him might have proved disastrous — another illustration, by the way, of the varied character of his powers. He was not only a very eminent man of science, but an unusually efficient man of affairs. We may here refer to the useful part played by him in the building up of the School of Engineering, and in the reconstruction of the School of Physic in the University of Dublin, and in the improvement of the management of Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital connected with that School. He was, for thirty-years, an active member of the Council of the Royal Irish Academy, and President thereof from 1886 to 1891 ; in its Transactio7is and Proceedings most of his principal scientific papers were published. Though absolutely devoid of any selfish desire of ruling, he was a leading spirit in any undertaking in the management of which he was concerned. He always showed great sympathy with Ireland and with Irish causes ; doubtless it was this, together with the general interest in literature which he possessed, which prompted him to acquire a knowledge of the Irish language. His brightness, humour, and remarkable individuality en- deared him to a wide circle of acquaintance who were but little cognizant of his life-work. It has become perhaps too much of a fashion of speech to sa}^ of one of the departed, that they who were most familiar and intimate with him esteemed him most j but never was the saying more strictly true than in his case. DubHn. M. H. ClOSB. A 1 The Irish Naturalist. [January, TUBE-FORMING LARVi^. BY DENIS R. PACK-BERKSFORD. In the interesting paper on tube-forming worms contributed by Mr. Friend to the h^ish Naturalist for November last, he remarks that old writers on natural history often confounded the worms of which he is treating, with the larvae which abound in similar situations, belonging to midges of the genus Chiro- no77i2cs, and which being of a bright red colour are commonly known as " blood-worms." That it is easy enough for un- scientific people to mistake these larvae for worms is clear from the fact that Mr. Friend was himself once taken in by outward appearances, as he describes on page 102 of the last volume. Although having no pretensions to being a scientific naturalist, I have during the past summer been much inte- rested in watching the habits of the larvse, to which reference is made above, and with a view to helping other amateurs like myself to recognise these larvae when they meet them, and to prevent their confusing them with worms, I think an account of my observations may possibly be of interest. The first time I noticed these larvae was early last spring, when searching for gnat-larvae, to show to a young friend. Whether they have been more common than usual this summer or not I cannot say, but certainly I have never noticed them in such quantities before. The old water-barrel in which I first came across them had a layer of mud at the bottom, and this had quite a red colour which instantly disappeared on my ap- proach. After watching a few moments I noticed first one and then another little red worm-like creature coming partly out of his burrow in the mud and waving vigorously from side to side. I at once collected a cup-full of the mud and put it into an old bottle, which was the only form of aquarium handy. When the mud settled down there were none of my little friends visible, they having all buried themselves. In the course of a day or two, however, I was amply rewarded for my trouble, by finding them all emerging from their holes and waving vigorously to and fro. Some too had been so 1898.] Pack-BkrKSFOrd. — Tube-Forming Larvcs. 5 accommodating as to make their burrows beside the glass, so that I was able to watch them ver}^ easily and to study their mode of procedure. Having worked the hole underground to their satisfaction, they proceeded to search all round the mouth for building materials, and a regular tube was then built up bj^ impercep- tible degrees over the mouth of the burrow, the whole being about half as long again as the animal inhabiting it. In some cases the tubes were nearl}^ all underground, in some about half and half, and in some the tubes were made alto- gether above the level of the mud, sometimes on the side of the glass, at others on bits of sticks or grass. I have since found these tubes on the sides of a cemented tank several inches above the bottom. These lar^^se are voracious feeders, like all their kind, and I found that if I put a dead leaf or bit of decaying grass into the bottle, they nearly all came out of their tubes and did not leave the leaf till they had picked it clean, when they returned home. I could not be certain that each animal invariably returned to his own burrow, though in many cases I was able to watch they certainly did so. Sometimes, too, they would leave their holes and wriggle to near the surface of the water, where they would stop for some little time before going down again. Although it is believed that these excursions are made for the purpose of breathing air, I could never make out that they did so, as they were never still for a moment. The waving mo- tion of their bodies was kept up, even when deep down in their tubes, and seemed to be used to keep the water in circu- lation, and assist respiration, which is believed to be carried on by means of the two pairs of appendages on the last ab- dominal segment but one, and the shorter appendages on the last segment. The caterpillar-like appearance of the creatures — the head provided with short antennae and strong biting mandibles — the pair of sucker-feet with circles of hooks, on the first and also on the last segment of the body— stamps them at once as larvae, and distinguishes them clearly from annelids of similar habits. I was not, therefore, surprised to see them gradually become less and less vigorous in their movements and even- tually turn into pupae, which after a time wriggled out of their 6 The hish Naturalist. L January, tubes and rising to the surface, with many violent contortions emerged as full-blown flies. Being anxious to try and study the earlier stages of these larvae I returned to my water-barrel, and before long found floating on the surface a small mass of jelly, the lower portion of which was filled with eggs, laid in a long spirally-coiled gelatinous tube. The top portion, which consisted of long threads of jelly, seemed to be used to keep the lower part afloat, and, probably, in other cases, to anchor it to floating leaves, etc. These eggs I watched hatching. The grubs were at first minute and colourless. They gradually increased in size and colour, till they were, roughly speaking, about one inch in length and of the beautiful blood-red colour already described. The pupa is provided with tw^o tufts of breathing filaments, set one on each side of the thorax, and also with another tuft on the tail, all pure white. These distinguish the creature very clearly from the common gnat pupa, there being no sign of the air-tubes or horns which one sees on the latter, the fact that the Chironoimis pupa never leaves its burrow till ready for its final change necessitating the adapta- tion described. The imago of a ChiroJiovms midge is, to the unscientific eye, very like a common gnat, but its earlier stages are so very distinct from those of the gnat, and the flies are in reality so dissimilar that they are classed by entomologists in separate families. The resemblance between these larvae and the worms de- scribed by Mr. Friend can, of course, only be a very super- ficial one, but still the colour, the fact that they both build tubes, are very gregarious, and are both found in the same sort of places, all help to make it easy for the casual observer to confound them. Fenagh House, Bagcnalstown. 1898.] 7 BPII.OBIUM ROSEUM, SCHR. NATIVE IN IREIvAND. BY J. H. DAVIES. lyATK in the season as it is — October, 1897 — I have just now had the satisfaction of finding this Willow-herb in both the counties of Down and Antrim. In the former it occurs on a wall, overshadowed by a hedge, at Ballyskeagh, close by the bridge over the I^agan Canal ; in the latter, in an old plan- tation by the River Lagan at Glenmore, and also by a stream- side not far away, on a moist shady wall overgrown with Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and Marchantia polymorpha ; and in all these places it is associated with the ubiquitous E. viojitaniim. That the .species in both counties is truly native, there seems nothing to suggest the slightest misgiving. Many times I must have seen it in these spots before, and partly perhaps because it was not in my mind, but chiefly because I was unacquainted with lis fades, I have hitherto failed to recognise it, and have passed it by as the common species {E. viontamtm) amongst which it grows. It might still have been unnoticed were it not that some reference was made to it in a recent letter from m}^ constant correspondent, Mr. Foggittj who supplied me with precise information as to the character of the places in which he usually meets with it in Yorkshire, and I was thus led to make particular exami- nation oi Epilobia growing in such situations as he indicated. According to the authors of " Flora of the North-East of Ireland" (1888) its only previous claim to a place in the list of Irish plants is that in the Babingtonian herbarium there is a specimen marked " Belfast, 1846, W. Thompson." Both Mr. Stewart and the late Mr. T. H. Corry, as I know, have made diligent search for it about Belfast and in other places where it is said to have been found, but in vain. It is, therefore, recorded by them within brackets, as a casual only.^ In Cybele Hiberjiica it is noted for the north-eastern district only, and that as doubtfully native. The localities of " Banks of Lagan near Cranmore" and " Glen in the Holywood Hills" are mentioned as requiring confirmation, "since they may prove the plant to be an undoubted native." The identifica- tion, therefore, near the side of the canal at Ballyskeagh, which is little over two miles from Cranmore, and by the bank ^See note in " Flora N.E. Ireland," p. 54. 8 Tlie hish Naturalist. [January, of the Lagan near lyisburn, some two miles farther up the river, may be considered a very near approach to the desired confirmation as to Templeton's Cranmore station, rejected on the ground of erroneous determination, and will thus be of interest to Irish botanists. Mr. Praeger, in Irish Naturalist, vol. vi., p. 93 (1897), records E. roscum as having been dis- covered by him near Queensboro', Co. I^outh, in 1S96, and attaches to the name a mark denoting that he considers the plant to have been probably introduced there. It is not supposable that a plant so well fitted for wide dissemination is not to be found elsew^here in the district, but the 3'ear is too far advanced to search for it with much likelihood of success. In fact, the flowers remaining when the species was first detected were so few that I could not identify, with certainty, more than some twenty plants, though there were many others which I believed to be the same ; but in the absence of inflorescence it was unwise to be positive. Kxcept in the flower the plant here appears to be more variable than E. montaiium. The raised stem-lines are absent in some examples, and in others the}' are only faintly dis- cernible. The leaves, which are rather flaccid, are in some instances less narrowed at the base than is the case in others, and their petioles differ in length, though in all the plants the leaves are more evidently stalked than in the other species. The characteristic form of the flower, however, seems to be constant It is not rose-red, as described by some writers, but very pale, almost white, with rosy streaks ; in size smaller than in E. viontanum^ the petals exceeding the calyx-segments by about only one-fourth, and the stigma is clavate, never four- cleft as in the other species. The whole plant is more glabrous, and so fragile that, unless some care be taken in gathering, the stems are very easily broken. Though having no lack of confidence in the accuracy of my diagnosis of the plant, I should not have remained satisfied without verification by some of those who had more ac- quaintance with it than I could claim, and specimens were accordingly <-ubmitted to Mr. Foggitt and Mr. Stewart, both of whom assure me that the determination is correct. Glenmore Cottage, Usburn. 1898.] 9 THE IvAND MOIvLUSCA OF THE GREAT SKEIvUG. BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D. The Great Skellig or Skellig Michael, lies about ten miles in a straight line from the nearest land — the coast of Kerry. It is one of the most westerly points in Europe, and from that circumstance alone a complete list of its animal inhabitants would be of interest. But I propose to deal only with the land-shells which have been found living on it. Excepting in fine weather with a fair wind, the island is quite inaccessible. The face of the rock rises precipitously out of the water for several hundred feet, and landing is possible on the eastern side only, where narrow ledges project from the surface of the water to the summit of the cliff. In rough weather, the waves envelop the lower part of the rock, whilst the spray mounts up to the summit, which is about 800 feet above high water mark. The flora of the island, as might be expected, is scanty. But I am informed by Mr. Colgan that no list of the plants occurring on the rock has been published. He referred me, however, to a note in the Irish Naturalist (vol. ii., p. 189), on some plants which have been observed on a neighbouring island— the Little Skellig— by Mr. A. Delap. I notice that among these one plant in particular — the Tree Mallow {Lavatera arborea) — is in the British Islands confined to the western shores. Geologically, the Great Skellig, as well as the Little Skellig and the Lemon Rock, forms a continuation of the promon- tary which ends in Bolus Head. The rock of which they are composed belongs to the Old Red Sandstone series. According to Mr. G. H. Kinahan, there are on the Great Skellig green and purple grits and also purple slates full of calcareous layers and patches. From a distributional point of view an enumeration of the animal inhabitants of this lonely island is of great interest. Accidental transport of species by either wind or waves from the mainland is out of the question, since the first generally blows from the west, and waves would probably fail to wash animals on to a safe landing-place. The chance of A3 lo The Irish Nahiralist. [January, birds being carriers of land-shells is so remote a contingency that it need scarcely be looked upon as entering within the range of possibilities. We might therefore consider the natives of the Great Skellig to be the descendants of species which walked or crawled to it on dry land long j^ears ago when the rock was the summit of a mountain standing on a plain which formed part of the mainland. One unfortunate circumstance, however, deprives the animal inhabitants of this proud position. Monks formerly lived on the island, and built a rough stone chapel on the summit with steps leading to it, and it is possible that there was in ancient times free intercourse with the mainland, from which some of the species may then have been accidentally introduced. In more recent years a lighthouse has been built on the island, and an occasional supply of vegetables sent to the keeper might contain a species or two which possibh' could propagate and leave a numerous progeny on the rock. But the moUuscan fauna contains some species characteristic of uncultivated ground, which certainly would never take shelter among vegetables or near houses, so that I think they cannot have been accidentall}^ introduced. Indeed there are but few species in the list which might owe their existence on the rock to accidental introduction. Such are Ao-riolimax agrestis, Hyalijiia ccllarla, Helix rottcndata, and Pupa cylindracca. For samples of specimens from the island, I am specially indebted to the Rev. A. H. Delap, wdio on frequent visits never omitted to bring back with him a little box full of slugs and snails. But other people not less interested in natural science have visited the island. Thus a number of species were recently collected by Prof Boyd Dawkins, and duly recorded by Mr. R. Standen in the Jo2t7ii. of Coiichology (vol. viii., 1897). Mr. R. Welch, of Belfast, kindly supplied me with a list of the shells collected by Mr. S. K. Kirker and by the Rev. H. W. Lett in 1S97. We have, therefore, probably got together a fairly complete list of all the species found on the island, especially when we take into account the list published by Mr. Cockerell ^ of Mr. Delap's earlier captures. ' Zoologist (3rd sen), vol. x., 1886. 1898.] ScHARFi^. — The La7id Molhisca of the Great Skcllig. 11 ZONITID^. Hyalinia ccllaria— (Standen). H. nitidula— (vStanden). H. alliaria* — (Standen, Welch, Cockerell). — It is significant that this, the most sylvan of all the British Hyalinui:, should be the only common species of the genus living on the island. All the specimens I received from Mr. Delap and also those recorded by Messrs. Welch and Standen belong to the greenish form (f viriduld), but Mr. Cockerell mentions having among many specimens seen a few pale brown ones. None of the specimens I examined had a trace of the usual garlic smell. ARIONID^. Arion atcr* — Olive and black varieties. A. subfuscus— (Standen). A. intermedius* (wwm^i-)— Orange-yellow variety. LIMACIDi^E. Li max marginatus* {arbonmi) — a. Uniformly grey without bands ; b. Ivight gre)' with thick black bands on body and mantle. HELICID^. Helix rotundata* (Cockerell, Welch, Standen)— Small, otherwise identical with continental specimens. H. ericctorum* — Immature. H. acuta* — Immature. H. ncmorans* (Cockerell, Welch, Standen). All conical in shape and mostly much weathered. Among twenty-eight specimens I received, there were twenty-seven of a lemon yellow colour {Jibclluld), and one of a brownish red (without bands). Five of the twenty-seven yellow ones were without bands, the remainder containing the following band formulae : — 15 specimens, 12345. i specimen, i (23) 45. 1 „ 10345. ' I „ 00300. 2 „ (12)3(45)- 2 „ (123) (45). Cochlicopa lubrica— (Welch, Standen). Pupa cy II ndracca'— (Cockerell, Welch, Standen), — Mr. Cockerell describes his specimens as pale and almost edentulate, whilst Mr. Standen refers the Skellig form to the variet}- ciwta, but it seems to me to be identical with the variety ancotwstoma, of which we possess specimens in the Dublin Museum from St. Helena and Triest, and which also occurs in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and in Southern Europe, generally. * The species marked with an asterisk are those of which I have myself seen and identified specimens. Science and Art Museum, Dublin. 12 The Irish Naturalist. [January, THE EVOI.UTIONIST IN THE FARMYARD. wild Traits In Tame Animals, being some familiar studies In Evolution. By Louis Robinson, M.D., 8vo, pp. viii., 329. 6 plates and 10 illustrations in the text. Edinburgh and London ; William Blackwood and Sons, 1897. Price \os. 6d. nett. Dr. Robinson's object in this interesting and suggestive book is to point out how the common and easily observed habits of our domestic animals throAv light on the ways of their wild ancestors. The qualities which make our four-footed friends valuable and serviceable to us are traced back, with more or less probability, to the needs of the primitive animal societies before these were disturbed by the appearance of man. Dr. Robinson, appropriately enough, begins with ourselves, and traces the pleasure which the modern naturalist takes in the study of the living things around him to the necessities of his savage ancestor, who depended for his food on his powers of observing natural objects and reasoning from what he saw. The fidelity of the Dog to his master represents the primitive instincts of animals accustomed to hunt in packs and dependent for their success on mutual co-operation. Perhaps' however, some readers of Dr. Robinson's pages will feel too much respect for the modern dog's intelligence to accept the theory that he regards the members of the human family, whose home he shares, as " elongated and abnormally cunning dogs." The contrasts between our two domesticated species of Equus — the Horse and the Ass — are explained by the different surroundings of the two species in their wild vState. The swiftness of the horse was necessary to a plain-dwelling animal w^hich had to flee for life from the pursuit of wolves or wild dogs ; while the habit of shying, sometimes so objection- able in modern horses, tells of a time when a deadly enemy might lurk in any thicket. The sure-footed, rough-coated, strong-nerved ass^ on the other hand, is marked by those characters as originally a mountaineer. The strong aversion to enter a stream of water is believed by our author to be a survival of the instinct which led his ancestors, in their primitive African home, to avoid plunging into rivers which were the abode of crocodiles. Several times in the book does Dr. Robii:.son refer to the " inbred horror of lizards and snakes " shown by most mammals. He believes this to be a "vestigial echo of the long and deadl}^ struggle between the warm and cold-blooded populations which must have gone on without intermission for many thousands of generations." In the case of snakes, at any rate, the poison fangs of so man}^ species seem sufficient explanation of the fear which they inspire. In connection with this subject. Dr. Robinson suggests that the hissing note of the young of most animals nesting in holes in trees — such as owls, wild-cats, bats, and woodpeckers — is to be regarded as "mimicking" the well- known warning sound of the serpent. A point of considerable interest 1S98.] Ihe Evohitionist in the Farmya?'d. 13 in the chapter on the cat is the surmise that the markings of " Tabby " and of some of her wild modern relations, such as the Ocelot, are mimetic of the pattern on the back of a snake, the resemblance being specially striking when the animal lies curled up, asleep, and open to the attacks of large birds of prey. In the chapter on Cattle, Dr. Robinson suggests that our milch cows were rendered serviceable b}' the forest-haunting habits of the old wild cattle, whose females hid their calves in thickets while they went in search of food, the milk therefore accumulating during the absence of the mother. The full meal thus provided for the calf is contrasted with the small amount of milk taken at short intervals by the foal or the lamb that follows its mother closely and constantly. The cow's habit of holding the head low is another habit of a forest species, used to peer beneath the boughs of trees, and contrasts with the erect bearing of the horse whose ancestors had to scan the horizon of the open plain. In the Sheep and the Goat we have domesticated two evidently mountain species with widely different effect on the animals themselves. For while the sheep seems to have become so utterly dependent on human care that the whole domestic race would die out were that care with- drawn, the goat, like most of our animal comrades, is readily able to revert to its independent life should the partnership with man be dissolved. The Pig, like the ox, was primitively a forester. The tendency to fatten, so highly esteemed in the domestic race, is traced to the need of the wild swine to make the best possible use of their autumnal feast of beech-nuts in preparation for the winter sleep. It is somewhat surprising to find, in the closing chapter, that the explanation of the conspicuous white tail-markings of rabbits and certain deer, as signals to guide the flock to a place of safety, is put forward as an original theory. The meaning and value of such "recog- nition marks" was brought out several years ago by the veteran naturalist, Dr. A. Russell Wallace, in his well-known work on " Dar- winism;" a book w^hich any writer on animal evolution should surely know. The author states in the preface that his book is founded on various articles which he has contributed to magazines and reviews, and that though these articles have been entirely re-written, he has thought it well to retain their " somewhat easy and colloquial tone.' Occasionally the tone strikes the reader as decidedly easy and colloquial. " I may just as well hold my jaw" in the donkej-'s imaginary soliloquy is too suggestive of the costermonger. A word of praise is due to Mr. S. F Dadd for the excellent illustrations which adorn the volume. G. H. C. A4 14 The Irish Naturalist. Januan', CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTOX. Memorials, Journal, and Botanical Correspondence of Charles Cardale Babingrton, M.A , F.R.S., &c., &c. ; Svo, pp. xciv + 474; Cambridge: Macmillan and Bowes, 1897. This is the record of a busy life, by which British botany benefited to a very considerable degree. The book presents a somewhat heterogeneous collection of memorials of Professor Babington— a memoir by Prof. Mavor; "reminiscences" by Rev. J. A. Babington and H. R. Francis, Prof. Cowell, and Mrs. Batty ; letters of sympathy, resolutions, and notices in journals and Proceedings of Societies, consequent on the botanist's death ; a letter by Babington on Irish distress ; a paper on Rtibi bv J. E. Bagnall ; a reprint from the Journal of Botany of the Introduction to Babington's unfinished "Revision of British Rubi'' ; a precis of his action with regard to the Sunday opening of the Cambridge Botanic Garden ; and sundry extracts from poems by various hands. Next we have Prof Babington's Journal, a brief record of every day events from 1825 till 1891, strongly tinged with botany, occupying 270 pages; on this follow 174 pages of Correspondence, letters written to British botanists, and relating to British plants, between the years 1834 and 1894. A bibliography of his scientific papers comes next, reprinted from the Royal Society's Catalogue, and from the Cambridge Antiquarian Society's Index; this is a goodly list, embracing 186 entries. Penally there is an index to "Journal and Correspondence," and a separate index to "Memorials." Such a mass of material is here collected that it is difficult to get a o-rasp of the book as a whole, and one's first thought on looking through it is that much might have been omitted without detracting from the interest of the work, and without injustice to the memory of the man. We do not need to be told that the Cambridge Antiquarian and Philosophical Societies, for instance, passed formal resolutions of condolence on his death, which were formally transmitted by their Secretaries to the representatives of the deceased ; and the printing in full of such letters appears superfluous. The Journal which he kept so long and so faithfully, filled as it is with notes of plants that he found and of people whom he met, appeals to us more strongly ; yet we do not learn anything from such entries as ''April 12 [1834]. This day it snowed more than it had done during the last winter." ''July 13 [1834]. Sunday. Went to Church at Meole." ''Jan. 21 [1837]. Degree Day." "Dec. 7 [1883]. Barometer 30-52." "April 12 [1889]. Dr. Kennedy's funeral," In the letters, likewise, a little judicious selection would have added force to Babington's correspondence, and might have prevented the appearance of such pointless items as the following :— " Dear Sir,— Will you kindly tell me the true name of this Chara i I am asked the name, and cannot tell quite certainly.— Yours truly, Charles C. Babington." 3898] CJiafJes Cardale Babi7tgto?u 15 However, in spite of its difFuseness, we have dipped into this volume — it is not the kind of book which one can read straight through — with