i w^ 3 to V THE IRISH NATURALIST 31 2iittanttTUj giaurnal OF GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY, ORGAN OF THE Royal Zoological Society of Ireland ; Dublin Microscopical Club ; Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society ; Belfast Naturalists'' Field Club ; Dublin Naturalists' Field Club ; Cork Naturalists^ Field Club ; Limerick Field Club ; Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association. EDITED BY GEORGE H- CARPENTER, B.ScEoxd., M.RI.A., R. LEOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I. A., AND ROBERT PATTERSON, F.Z.S., M.R.I.A. VOL. XIII. DUBLIN : EASON & SON, Eimitkd, 85 MIDDLE ABBEY STREET, and 40 LOWER SACKVILLE STREET, BELFAST : 17 DONEGALL STREET. LONDON : SIMPKIN, MARSHALL HAIMILTON, KENT & Co., Ltp, 1904. Feinted by Alex. Thcm A Co. (Limited), 87, 88, & 89, abrey-street, Dublin. ^^^^^^ CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PRESENT VOI^UME. -:o: Adams, John, m.a , Royal College of Science for Ireland. Anderson, Prof. Richard J., m.d., Queen's College, Galway. Barrington, Richard M., i,l b , f i.s., m.r.i.a., Fassaroe, Bray. Brenan, Rev. Samuei, A , b.a., Cushenduu. Campbei,!,, David C, Londonderry. Carpenter, Prof. George H., b.sc, M.R.iA,Royal College of Science for Ireland. Chaster, Dr. George W., TaFbot Street, Southport. Christy, Wii^ijam, Belfast, C01.E, Prof. Grenvii.i.e A. J., f.g.s., m.r.i.a., Royal College of Science for Ireland. C01.GAN, Nathaniei., m.r.i.a., Sandycove. Dublin. Congreve, Leopoi^d H. Cottney, John, Hillsborough. Da vies, John H , Leuaderg House, Banbridge Delap, Maud J , Valencia. * D'EvEiyYN, Ai^exander. M.D., Ballymcna. Farran, G. p., Templeogue, Dublin. FenneI/L, Wii,i,la.m J., Belfast. Firth, Wii.i.iam A., Belfast. Fi^emyng, Rev. W. W., ma., Cool fin, Portlaw. Foster, Nevin H., m.b.o.u., Hillsborough. Gai,i,way, Wii,i.iam H., Belfast. GouGH, George C, a.r c s., f.g.s.. Queen's College, Belfast. Grierson, Phii,ip H., Irish Land Commission. Grubb, J. Ernest, Carrick-on-Suir. Hai^bERT, J. N., National Museum, Dublin. Hart, Henry C, b.a., m.r.i.a., Carrablagh, Portsalon. Johnson, Rev. Wii,i.iam F., m.a., f.e s , Poyntzpass. Johnston, J. H., Wexford. Kane, Wii,i,iam F. de V., m.a., m.r.i.a., d.i,., Drumreaske House, Monaghan. Knowi.es, MaTiIvDA C, National Museum, Dublin. Knox, Chari.es Bi,ake, Bray. Knox, Godfrey F., Foxford. LrEEBODY, Prof. John R., d.sc, Magee College, Londonderry. Lett, Rev. Canon Henry W., m.a., m.r.i.a., Loughbrickland. I\1'Ardi.e, David. Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. M'llENRY, Ai^EXANDER, m.r.i.a., Geological Survey, Dublin. Massy, Annie L., Malahide. Martin, Harriett A., Cork, Moffat, Chari.es B., b.a., Ballyhyland, Enniscorthy. A a it List of Contributors. More, Frances M., Dublin. Muff, H. B.. b.a., F.G.S., Geological Survey, London. NiCHOivvS, A. R,, B.A, M.R.I. A., National Museum, Dublin. Pack-Beresford, Denis R., d.i,., Fenagh House, Bagenalstown. Parker, Anthony, j.p.. Castle Lough, Nenagh. Patten, Prof. Chari^ES J., m.d., University College, Sheffield. Patterson, Robert, f.z.s., m.r.i.a.. Holy wood, Co. Down. Patterson, Sir R. Li.oyd, f.i,.s., d.i^., Holywood, Co. Down. Patterson, Wii,i,iam H., m.r.i.a., Strandtown, Belfast. Pearson, Joseph, b.Sc, Marine Laboratory, Larne. Pethybridge, George H., ph.d., Royal College of Science for Ireland. Phii^lips, Robert A., Limerick. Praeger, R. Li,Oyd, b.a., m.r.i.a., National Library of Ireland. RAI.FE, P. S., Castletown, Isle of Man. Rankin, Wii^liam, Belfast. Reid, Ci» V tt )> 1} V' P P« P- P- P' P P- 175 177 177 179 181 185 189 189 Knocknarea Glen, Calcareous tufa, . Entrance of Glencar, Stone implements from Sligo sand-dunes, Stone implements from Sligo sand-dunes, Kistvaen below Strandhill, Stone circle near Streedagh House, Stone implements from Sligo sand-dunes, High Cross of Drumcliflf, Sligo Abbey, .... Stone circle and cromleac, Carrowmore, Plan of Sligo Abbey, Ardtermon House, Sligo Corporation seal. Map of range of Glyceria festucaeformis, Section from IvOugh Erne to Correl Glen, Sketch-map of Achill Island, Section in Courtmacsherry Bay, (Plate TO) (Plate II) (Plate 12) (Plate 13) (Plate 14) (Plate 15) (Plate 16) (Plate 17) (Plate 18) (Plate 18) (Plate 19) p. 201 „ P- 205 ,1 p. 213 „ p, 215 P 216 p. 217 p. 217 p. 218 To face p. 219 „ p 220 p. 221 ,. p. 221 p. 222 To face p. 223 p. 224 p. 227 P- 233 p. 268 p. 291 I ND EX. Actinozoa of Sligo Conference, 203. Adams, J. : Catenella repens at Ballygally Head, 71 ; Note on some Seaweeds occurring on the Antnm Coast, 13S ; On the vi- talit)^ of seeds buried in the soil, 253- Adelanthus dugortiensis, 157. Albino Blackbird, 172. Algae of Antrim coast, 138. Allolobophora C3^anea, 155. Ampelis garrulus, 45, 46, 76. Anas strepera, 138. Anderson, R. J. : Teeth of Meso- plodon Hectori, 126. Aptera of Sligo Conference, 197. Arachnida of Sligo Conference, 198. Archaeology of Sligo Conference, 216. Astrorhiza on the Antrim coast. 27. Arrhenurus Moebii, 201^ 290. Bear remains in a bog, 30. Beetles of Co, Down, 93 ; of Lime- rick, 251 ; of Sligo Conference, 194. Belfast Natural History and Philo- sophical Society, 22, 67, 131. Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, 22, 50, 68, 90, 132, 147, 154, 246, Bibliography of Sligo natural his- tory, 223. Birds: nesting boxes, 140; of a neighbourhood, 53 ; of Sligo Con- ference, 182, 248; of the Isle of Man, 94; of Lough Derg, 151 ; of Mayo, 249 ; ''plays " of birds, 228 ; spring rivalry, 139 ; time occupied in building and laying, 249; winter visitors, 97. Blackbird, albino, 172. Braconidse, 255. Brenan, S. A. : Convolvulus Hawk- moth in Co. Antrim, 250. Bryophyta of Sligo Conference, 208. Buckle, C. W. : obituary, 156. Babington's British Botany, re- viewed, 243. Barrett-Hamilton's British Mam- mals, noticed, 250. Barrington, R. M. : Sisyrinchium angustifolium on the Ben Bulben range, 207. Bat flying in December, 49. Bats, Hedgehogs, and Frogs in ■winter, 81. Ccecilianella acicula in Ulster, 30. Catenella repens at Ballygally Head, 71. Campbell, D. C : The Dunlin in the breeding season, 39 ; Gadwall at Londonderry, 138 ; Large Emerald Moth and Convolvulus Hawk-moth at Londonderry, 251. Carpenter, G. H. : On the relation- ships -between the Classes of the Arthropoda, reviewed, 25; CFnis- tis quadra in Queen's County, 28 ; review of Wheeler's Butter- flies of Switzerland, 64 ; review of Kidd's Direction of hair, 65 ; review of Tutt's Migration and dispersal of insects, 65 ; review of Tutfs British Lepidoptera, 160 ; Aptera of Sligo Conference, 197 ; Araneida and Phalangida of vSligo Conference, 198 ; notice of, 231. Cave exploration in Clare, 31. Chaster, G. W. : Marine Mollusca of Sligo Conference, 193. Christy, W. : Crocodilian remains from Colin Glen, Belfast, 252. Clark, Rev. B. J. : Diary, 163. Coast erosion in Antrim, 252. Coccothraustes vulgaris, 30. Cole, G. A. J. : Geology of Sligo Conference, 214. Coleoptera, 261 ; of Limerick, 251 ; of Sligo Conference, 194 Colgan, N. : Further additions to the flora of County Dublin, with notes on some doubtful records, 56; Is the Frog a native of Ire- land? 93; Flora of the County Dublin (reviewed), 296. Congreve, L- H. : A winter Corn- crake in Co. Gal way, 45. Copepods, rare, 43 ; new Irish, 93. Cork Naturalists' Field Club, 136. Corncrake in winter, 45. Cottney, J. : Time occupied by birds in building and laying, 249. Crake, Little, in Co. Kildare, 96 ; Spotted, in Co. Antrim, 261 Crex pratensis in winter, 45. Crocodilian fossils, 252. Crustacea of Sligo Cor:ference, 202. Cuckoo's note uttered when flying, 47- Davies, J. H. : Moss-notes from North Ireland, 15. .J .1 * • • Vlll Index, Decalcification of fresh water shells, 29. Delap, Maud J. ,- Seal caught on a hand line, 49. Desmids, 251. D'Evelyn, A. : Prehistoric arch- aeology of Sligo Conference, 216; Folk-lore, Sligo Conference, 219. Diatoniaceoe of Sligo Conference, 214 Digges' Irish Bee Guide, reviewed, 159- Dixon's Student's handbook of British mosses, reviewed, 244. Dove, Turtle, in Co. Down, 155. Dublin Microscopical Club, 21, 50, 67, 134, 289. Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, 23, 51, 69, 92, 135, 170, 263 Dublin Society for the protection of Birds, 153. Dunlin in the breeding season, 39. Elk, Irish, 98. Erosion of coast, 252. Eylais bicornuta, w sp., 200. Farran, G. P. : A Black Rat on board ship, 48. Fennell, W. J. : Christian antiquities of Sligo Conference, 220. Firth, W. A. : Diatoniaceas of Sligo Conference, 214. Flemyng, W. W. : Siskin breeding in the Co. Wicklow, 46 ; Cuckoo's note uttered when flying, 47 ; An albino Blackbird, 172; Lepidoptera at Portlaw, Co. Water ford, 294. Flora of Achill Island, 265 ; of Dublin, 42, 56, 156, 296 ; of Fermanagh, 232 ; of Kerry, 77, 128; of Limerick, 251; of Sligo, 204; of Wicklow, 156. Folk-lore of Sligo Conference, 219. Food of Gillaroo Trout, 45. F'oraminifera in glacial sands, 257; of Larne district, 37. Fossils from Clare caves, 31 ; from Antrim Greensand, 252 ; from glacial sands, 257. Foster, N H. : The birds of a neighbourhood, 53 : Turtle Dove in Co. Down, 155. Foster, N. H., and R. Patterson : Vertebrata of Sligo Conference, 182 ; Ornithology at the Field Club Conference, 248. Frog, is it native, 93. Frogs in winter, 81. Fumitories in National Museum, Gadwall at Ivondonderry, 138. Gallway, W. H. : Actinozoa of Sligo Conference, 203. Geological Survey, noticed, 231. Geology of Sligo Conference, 214. Geometra papilionaria, 251. Glacial fossils, 257. Glyceria festucseformis, 72, 99, 172, 225, 259. Goniopholis, 252. Gough, G. C. : A short note on the Foraminifera of the Larne dis- trict, 37 ; The formation of iron ore in Lough Neagh, 87 ; Foraminifera in glacial sands, 257- Grattan, John, noticed, 55. Greensand, Crocodiliu, 252 ; section at Whitehead, 49. Grierson, P. H. : Coecilianella acicula in Ulster, 30; The Mollusca of North Cork and Waterford, 164; Venigo an- gustior in Co. Carlow, 294. Grubb, J. E. : Lizards in Ireland, 138. Haematopus ostralegus, 295. Halbert,J. N. : Coleoptera of Sligo Conference, 194; Hemiptera of Sligo Conference, 196; Hydrach- nidae of Sligo Conference, 199; Notice of, 231. Hart, H. C. : Grasshopper Warbler at Lough Swilly, 47. Hawfinch in Donegal, 30. Hawk-moth, Convolvulus, in Antrim, 250; at Londonderry, 251- Hedgehogs in winter, 81. Hemiptera of Sligo Conference, 196. Hepatic, new species, 157. Hepaticae, Irish 62 ; of Sligo Conference, 211. Herons in Belfast Lough, 95. Hill and Webb's Eton Nature- study, part 2, reviewed, 300 Hirudinea of Sligo Conference, 203. Hydrachnidae of Sligo Conference, 199. Hypopterygium immigrans, 260. Hypopithys multiflora in Ulster, 259. Index. IX Ichneumonidse from north of Ireland, 255. Iris faetidissinia in West Mayo, 42. Irish Bee Guide, reviewed, 159. Irish Field Club Union, 52, 173. Irish Topographical Botany, addi- tions in 1903, I. Iron ore, formation of, in Lough Neagh, 87. Johnson, W. F. : A late House- Martin, 48; A bat on the wing in December, 49 ; Lepidoptera at Wexford, 75 ; Water Beetles in Co. Down, 93 : Ichneumonidse and Braconidce from the North of Ireland, 255 ; Notes on Coleop- tera, 261. Johnson, T., and Miss Knowles' I^evinge Herbarium, reviewed, 26. Johnston, J. H. : Large Lepidop- tera at Wexford, 44; A confiding Robin, 76. Juncus tenuis in Co. Down, 43. Kane, W. F de V. : Entomostraca of Sligo Conference, 203. Kidd's Direction of Hair, reviewed, 65. Knowles, M. C. : A List of the Irish Fumitories in tbe Her- barium of the National Museum, Dublin, 33. Knowledge Diary, reviewed, 25. Knox, C. B. : Siskin breeding in Co. Wicklow, 97. Knox, C. F. : Snow Geese, 76. Lactuca muralis in King's County, 260. Lake Belfast. 141. Lamna cornubica, 44. Lamplugh, G. W., notice of, 231. Leebody, J. R. : The Hawfinch in Donegal, 30. Leighton's British Lizards, re- viewed, 61. Lepidoptera of Co. Waterford, 294 ; at Wexford, 44, 74. Lepidozia setacea, 21 ; trichoclados, 21. Lett, H. W. : Glyceria festucse- formis in Ireland, 72, 99 ; A new Hepatic, 157. Levinge Herbarium, 26. Limerick Field Club, 24, 290. Liverworts, Irish, review, 62 ; of Sligo Conference, 211. Lizards, 138. Lorocera pilicornis, 50. M'Ardle, D. : Bryophyta of Sligo Conference, 208; Irish Liver- worts, reviewed, 62. M'Henry, A. : Involuntary capture of a Swallow, 48. Masdevallia melanoxantha, 21. Massy, Annie L. : Marine Mollusca of Achill, 44. Martin, Harriett A.: Velella spiralis on the Cork coast, 27. Martin, House, late, 48. Mesoplodou Hectori, 126. Mideopsis orbicularis, 134. Mites, Fresh-water, 28 ; of vSligo Conference, 199. Moffat, C. B. : Bats, Hedgehogs, and Frogs in winter, 81. Mollusca of Bushy Park, 121 ; of Cork and Waterford, 164; of Sligo Conference, 183; marine, of Achill, 44. Monstrilla longiremis, 43. More, Frances M. : Iris fsetidissima in West Mayo, 42. Mormodes luxata eburnea, 50. Mosses, from North Ireland, 15 ; of Sligo Conference, 208. Motacilla alba. 155. Moth, Large Emerald, at London- derry, 251. Muff, H. B„ and W B. Wright: The Pre-Glacial raised beach of the south coast of Ireland, 291 Mussels, in Belfast Lough, 148. Mytilus edulis, 148. Najas marina, 162. Neanura citronella, 134. Nesting boxes, 140. Nichols, A. R. : Review of Shaw's Snipe and Woodcock, 38. Obituary : C, W. Buckle, 156. rEnistis quadra in Queen's County, 28. Ornitholog}% of Down, 53 ; of Lough Derg, 151'; of Mayo, 262 ; of Sligo Conference, 182, 248 ; of Shannon valley, 101. Owen's Birds in their Seasons, re- viewed, 264. Oyster-catcher, swimming powers, 295 Pack-Beresford, D. R. : Another nest of Vespa rufa-austriaca, 242. Paludestrina ventrosa, disappear- ance of, 30. Parker, A. : Notes on the birds of Lough Derg and its shoreS; 151. index. Patten, C. J. : Swimming powers of the Oyster-catcher, 295. Patterson, R. : Waxvvings in Ulster, 45, 76 ; Amphipoda and Isopoda of Sligo Conference, 202 ; review of Owen's Birds in their seasons, 264. Patterson, R., and N. H. Foster: Vertebrata of Sligo Conference, 182 ; Ornithology at the Field Club Conference, 248. Patterson, Sir R. LI. : Herons in Belfast Lough, 95 ; The Common Mussel in Belfast Lorgh, 148 ; The Manx Shearwater, 171 ; " Plays " of Birds and " Balls " of Fry, 228. Patterson, W. H. : Vegetation on brickwork, 41. Pearson, J. : A rare copepod, 43 ; New Irish copepods, 93. Pethybridge, G. H. : review of Hill and Webb's Eton Nature-vStudy, part ii., 300. Phanerogamia of Sligo Conference, 204. Phillips, R. A. : Additions to the flora of Co. Limerick, 251. Phytoptus ribis, 290. Plays of birds and balls of fry, 228. Pleiirococcus miniatus, 67. Pride, Robert, notice of, 231, Praeger, R. LI. : Additions to Irish Topographical Botany in 1903, I : Review of Johnson and Knowles' The Levinge Her- barium, 26 ; Dublin plants, 42 ; Glyceria festucieformis in Ire- land, 73 100; Round about Lake Belfast (review of Geol. Survey Memoir). 141 ; Botanizing en route (Dublin and Wicklow), 155 ; A new locality for Gl^-ceria festucaeformis, 172 : Trifolium striatum inland in Louth, 172 ; General Account ofvSligo Con- ference, 173; Phanerogamia and Pteridophyta of vSligo Con- ference, 204 ; A Glyceria hunt, 225 ; Among the P'^ermanagh hills, 232 ; Review of Babingtou's British Botany, 243; Further extension of the range of Glyceria festucicformis, 259 ; Typha angustifolia in Clare, 259 ; Hypopithys multiflora in Ulster, 259; Lactuca muralis in King's County, 260; The P^lora ofAchill Island, 265 ; Review of Colgan's Flora of the County Dublin, 296. Pre-Glacial raised beach, 291. Raised beach, Pre-Glacial, 29!. Ralfe, P. S. : Birds of the Isle of Man, 94. Rankin, W. : Decapoda of Sligo Conference, 202. Rat, Black, on board ship, 48. Reid, C. : Najas marina in the Megaceros-marl of Lough Gur, 162. Reindeer, 98. Reviews : Babingtou's British Botany, 243 ; Belfast Field Club's Proceedings, 147 ; Carpenter's Relationships between the Classes of the Arthropoda, 25; Colgan's Flora of the County Dublin, 296 ; Digges' Irish Bee Guide, 159; Dixon's Student's Handbook of British Mosses, 244 ; Geological Survey : Belfast memoir and map, 141 ; Hill and Webb's Eton Nature-study, part ii., 300 ; Johnson and Knowles* The Levinge Herbarium, 26 ; Kidd's Direction of hair, 65 ; Knowledge Diary, 25 ; Leigh ton's British Lizards, 61 : Owen's Birds m their Seasons, 264 ; Shaw's Snipe and Woodcock, 2i^ ; Tutt's British Lepidoptera, vol. iv., 160: Tutt's migration and dispersal of Insects, 65 ; Wheeler's Butterflies of Switzer- land, 64. Robin, habits, 76. Rohu, F. R. & vSou: Winter * visitors, 97. Royal Zoological Society, 21, 50, 66, 90 130, 153, 170, 246, 262, 289. Rubi, of Kerry, 128. ScharfF, R. F. : Review of Car- penter's Relationships between the classes of Arthropoda, 25 ; Bear remains in a bog, 30; Review of Leighton's British Lizards, 6t ; Were the Irish Elk and Reindeer contemporaneous in Ireland? 98; Diary of an Irish naturalist, 163; Hirudiuea of Sligo Conference, 203. Scolopendrella immaculata, 21. Scully, R. W. : Notes on the Kerry flora, 1903, 77 ; Some Kerry Rubi, 128. Seal caught on a hand-line, 49. vSeaweeds of Antrim, 71, 138. Seeds, vitality, 253. Shark, Porbeagle, in Killala Bay, 44. Shaw's vSnipe and Woodcock, reviewed, 38. Index. XI Shearwater, Manx, 171. Shells, decalcification, 29. Siskin breeding in Co. Wicklow, 46, 97- Sisyriuchium angustifolium at Ben Bulben, 207. Sligo Field Club Union Con- ference, 173, 24S. Snow Geese in Mayo, 76 ; in Long- ford and Ma3^o, 94. Sphserocarpus terrestris, 134. Sphaerotheca Mors-Uvte, 22. Sphinx convolvuli, 250, 251. Spinther miniaceus, 27. Spring rivalry of birds, 139. Sturnus vulgaris, 250. Stelfox, A. W., and R. Welch : The MoUusca of JBushy Park, 12; Land and fresh-water Mollusca of Sligo Conference, 183. Stewart, S. A. : Juncns tenuis in Co. Down, 43 ; notice of, 55, 131, 140. Starling, nesting sites, 250. Swallow, involuntary capture, 48. Teeth of Mesoplodon Hectori, 126. Terns, Arctic, in Killala Bay, 262. Thornely, Laura R, : Involuntar}^ capture of a Swallow, 48. Tomlinson, W. J. C. : The Wax- wing in Co. Antrim, 46. Trifolium striatum inland, 172. Tringaalpina, 39. Trout-food, 45. Trumbull, J. : Allolobophora cyanea in Ireland, 155. Turtur communis, 155. Tutt's Migration and dispersal of insects (reviewed), 65 ; British Lepidoptera, Vol. iv. (reviewed), 160, Typha angustifolia in Clare, 259. Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association, 69. Vegetation on brickwork, 41. Velella spiralis on the Cork coast, 27. Vertebrata of Sligo Conference, 182. Vertigo angustior in Co. Carlow, 294. Vespa austriaca, 242. Vitality of seeds, 253. Waddell, C. H. : Review of M'Ardle's Irish Liverworts, 62 ; Review of Dixon's Student's Handbook of British Mosses, 244. Wagtail, White, 155. Warbler, Grasshopper, at Lough Swilly, 47. Warren, R. : Porbeagle shark in Killala Bay, 44 ; White Wagtails , 155 ; Ornithology at the Field Club Conference, 248; Great increase of Arctic Terns in Kil- lala Bay, 262. Wax wings in Ulster, 45, 46, 76. Welch, R. : Astrorhiza on the Antrim coast, 27 ; Decalcification of freshwater shells, 29; Tempor- ary disappearance of,Paludes- trina ventrosa, 30 ; Food of Gillaroo Trout, 45 ; Greensand section at Whitehead, 49 ; Coast erosion in North Antrim, 252 ; Rare woodlice from Co. Dublin and Co. Down, 260. Welch, R., and A. W. Stelfox : The Mollusca of Bushy Park, 121 ; Land and fresh- water Mollusca of Sligo Conference, 183. West's British Desmidiaceae (noticed), 251. Wheeler's Butterflies of Switzer- land (reviewed), 64 Wilson, G. : Spinther miniaceus in Irish waters, 27. Woodlice of Dublin and Dow^n, 260. Workman, W. H. : Curious nesting site of Starlings, 250 ; Occur- rence of vSpotted Crake in Co. Antrim, 261. Wright, W. B. (noticed), 231. Wright, W. B., and H. B. Muff The Pre-Glacial raised beach of the south coast of Ireland, 291. Wright, W. C : Spring rivalry of birds, 139. Xenylla brevicauda, 198, 290. VOLUME Xlll. ADDITIONS TO ''IRISH TOPOGRAPHICAL BOTANY" IN 1903. BY R. LI^OYD PRAKGKR. [Read before the 'Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, December 8th, 1903.] In publishing the third annual summary of additions to the Irish county lists, a very satisfactory advance has again to be recorded. It might have. been expected that last 3^ear's list of 207 new county records would not be equalled in any subse- quent year; yet the list for the past year reaches 219, and in point of interest surpasses the results achieved in 1902. The personal authority for the new records is less evenly distributed than was the case last year. Miss Knowles has a list of 22 from Limerick; Dr. Scully adds 10 for Kerry S., and 18 for Kerry N. ; Mr. Colgan's Dublin contribution numbers 8 ; for more than half the total (112 out of 219), I am responsible, the divisions mainly concerned being Limerick (9), Mayo W. (26), Sligo (26), and Down (9). For the remaining 49 we have to thank Mr. Barnes, Mr. Lilly, and a number of others. The most important papers of the year refer to the botany ofKerry^, Limerick^, Dublin-^ West Mayo*, and Down^ ; and though several of these areas are, botanically, among the best known portions of our island, the papers record a number of valuable additions to the floras of these Divisions. An in- teresting paper of more general bearing, which supplies a 1 "Scully: Notes on the Kerry Flora, 1902. I.N.^ xii., t.I3-1[6. ;; 2 Knowles : Notes on some additions to the Flora of County Ivimerick: I.N., xii., 249 253. ;^ 3 Colgan : Some recent records for the Flora of County Dublin. I.N., xii., 186-191. -* Praeger : The Flora of Clare Island. I.N., xii., 277-294. * Praeger: Botanizing in the Ards. /.A^., xii., 25. 1-265. A 2 The Irish Natwalist. January, dozen new county records, is that by Prof. Johnson and Miss Knowles on plants in the Levinge herbarium^. A large num- ber of short notes published in this Journal supply material which goes to swell the records of the 3^ear. A remarkable feature of the year's publications is the fact that, with the exception of those contained in the paper by Prof. Johnson and Miss Knowles, every new county record which has been published, has appeared in this Journal. A continuance of this happy state of affairs would much facilitate future refer- ence by botanical workers. Of unpublished matter, a good amount has come into my hands, and is classified and listed below. I am again under a debt of gratitude to many helpers. Mr. W. A. Barnes has continued his observations on the Meath and Cavan floras ; Mr. C. J. Lilly has furnished a number of notes of missing plants of various counties. I have also to acknowledge my indebtedness, for specimens or for information, to the follow- ing : — Capt. Barrett-Hamilton, Prof. Birmingham, Rev. S. A. Brenan, N. Carrothers, Mrs. Clements, Miss Evelyn Cradock, J. H. Davies, Miss Maude Delap, Rev. W. W. Flemyng, P. H. Grierson, Rev. Canon Hartley, Miss Annette Hemphill, Rev. W. F. Johnson, Mrs. Frank Joyce, W. F. de V. Kane, Miss KnowleS; Mrs. Leebod}^, Rev. Canon Lett, T. A. Mapother, Miss Massy, Joseph Meade, F. W. Moore, S. A. Moore, Miss Charlotte O'Brien, R. A. Phillips, H. W. Pugsley, Dr. George Scriven, S. A. Stewart, W. N. Tetley, W. J. C. Tomlinson, C. Waterfall, and the Hon. Mrs. W3mne. The best plant of the 3^ear is Glyceria feshicaformis, a Medi- terranean maritime grass new to the British Islands, which I had the good fortune to find growing along several miles of shore on Strangford Lough ; its habitat and range, and the interesting problem of its occurrence in Ireland, I have dealt with in this Journal (xii., 255-258),^and Dr. Rendle has figured and described the plant, from Strangford specimens, in the Journal of Botany (xli., 353-356, tab. 455). Two Hieracia, H. Orarium and H. rival c, are also additions to the Irish' flora. Some important extensions of the range of rare plants have been chronicled diiring the 3'ear. The finding of Pi7ig2iicula * Johnson and Knowles : The Levinge herbarium. Set. Proc R.DS., (n.s.) X., 122-132. 1904. Prakgkr. — Irish Topographical Botany. 3 grandiflora in Clare, if the plant prove to be indigenous there, is the most important of these. Rosa hibernica, extended from Down to Limerick, is another interesting find, though, in view of the English distribution of the plant, not surprising. Mr. Stewart's discovery of Juiicus temds near Belfast shows that this interesting rush is not confined to south-western Ireland, as formerly appeared. Dr. Scully's Killarney record of Rubus argentatus supplies a second station for a bramble hitherto found only in E- Mayo. The rare British-endemic Hieracium hypochceroides^ long known in Ireland only from Clare, and recently found in W. Cork, is now extended northward to W. Mayo. Several plants which we associate with the southern half of Ireland, such as Geraniutn cohimbimim, Valerianella Auriaila, ChcJiopodium rubftim, and Carex divulsa, have been pushed northwards into Down. Silene acaulis has been ex- tended southward, and Saxifraga decipiens northward, into W. Mayo. The plant on which rested the Down record of Hieracium sciaphilum, is now referred (Watson Bot. Exch. Club Report, 1902-3) in part to H. 7nurorum var. pellucidum and in part to H. diapha7ioides, the latter of which is unrecorded for Ireland ; but Mr. Waddell recommends a postponement of the accept- ance of this transfer till a further series of the Rowallane plant has been gathered and reported on. The records for the past year include several critical plants and aliens that now claim admission to the Irish list, as given in Irish Top. Bot. As regards critical plants, Fumaria pur- purea Pugsley must take its place alongside the other segrates of the Capreolate Fumitories. Arctium Newbouldii Ar. Benn. must also be inserted. Mr. Bennett's view (see I.N., xii., 289) is that British Burdocks must be listed as A. majus^ A. inter- medium Lange {= A, ne7?iorosum Lej.), A. fninus^ and A. New- bouldii Ar. Benn. (= A. 7ie?no7'osum Bab.) Whether or no ^. i7iter77iediu77t and A. 7iemorosu7n be combined. A- Newbouldii should be distinguished and its distribution worked out. As regards aliens claiming naturalization, I wrote in Irish Top. Bot. (p. xcv.) — " Alien plants naturalized in only one locality are usually omitted . . . since their present claim to admission to the flora ma}^ depend on local and temporary influences." Several species thus excluded in Irish Top. Bot. A 2 '•4 l^he Irish Naturalist, January, may now claim insertion, having been shown to be well estab- lished in several parts of the country. These plants are : — Lepidlum Draba, L- — Well established in Limerick (several stations), Dublin, and West Mayo. Also reported from E. Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, Armagh, Down, and Antrim, but not yet to be reckoned as established in these. Valerlanella carlnata, Loisel.— Established in Kerry and Down; has held its ground and increased in the latter county for over 30 years. Tragopogon porrlfollus, L. — Long established in several places around Belfast, and less satisfactorily about Cork; now reported as well established in Limerick also. On the other side of the account, it is less pleasant to have to withdraw, or note the withdrawal of certain county records already published. Mr. R. M. Barrington finds, on revisiting the only Irish station of Rubus ChanicBmorus^ that the plant is confined to Tyrone ; so the record for I^ondonderry (and for District XII. of Cybele Hibernica) must be expunged. Mr. H. W. Pugsle)' has been good enough to examine the Fumitories in my herbarium, and, although the naming of them, as of all which I have published over my name, rested on better authority than my own, his revision shows that the Fumitory list in Irish Top. Bot. will need extensive correction. The bulk of the specimens upon which my own records were founded are now in the National Herbarium ; when the results of Mr. Pugsley's examination of these are known, further cor- rections than those given below will be required. Next season I hope to get together a good lot of Fumatories, and with Mr. Pugsley's kindly promised assistance, to make a step towards the reconstruction of the Irish list. I may add that all the Fuviaria additions of the present year are given on Mr. Pugsley's authority. It may be well to put the withdrawals of the year into formal shape : — Fumaria Borael, Jord. 10. Tipperary N. — Withdraw. 24. Longford. — Withdraw. F. muralls, Sender. 22. Meath.— Withdraw the Oldcastle record. 31 Louth. —Withdraw the Boyne-mouth record. Rubus Chamaemorus, L- 40. Londonderry. — Withdraw. 1904. Prakger. — Irish Topographical Botany. Among the aliens and excluded plants of the year, several interesting species are newly recorded for Ireland, as established in one station — Archaiigelica offici7ialis in Kilkenny I.N.y xii., 246), Bryofiia dioica in Dublin {ibid.y 18'j), Blitu^it capitatum in Fermanagh {ibid-, 271), and Luzula albida in Down {ibid., 272). Prof. Johnson records Poterium niuricatuni from Kildare, on specimens in the L^evinge herbarium. An extension of the range of any of these may yet entitle them to a place in the Irish list. Following on the lines of previous papers, a list is now given of the additions of the year, under the botanical divisions. The fact that almost all the published additions of the year appeared in this Journal enables me to give references to these records, by means of a number appended to each name, which signifies the page of the Irish Naturalist iox 1903 upon which the record appears. The remaining published records (those contained in Johnson and Kuowles' paper on the Levinge herbarium, in Sci, Proc. R.D.S.), are distinguished by an asterisk placed a/ter the names of the species. I, Kerry S.— Ranunculus Drouetii, 113. Fumaria purpurea, 113. Rubus pulcherrimus, 114. iricus, 114. pyramidalis, 114. Potentilla procumbens, 114. Callitriche obtusangula, 114. *Cuscuta Trifolii, 115. Orchis latifolia, 115. Bromus racemosus, 116. 2. Kerry n. — Ranunculus heterophyllus, Fumaria purpurea, 113. Cochlearia danica, 114. *Diplotaxis muralis, 114. Rubus argentatus, 114. *Valerianella carinata, 114. •Matricaria discoidea, 114. *Crepis biennis, 115. 3 Cork W.— 4. Cork Mid — 5. Cork E.— 6. Waterford— 7. TlPPERARY vS. — Centunculus minimus, 115. 113. Orchis latifolia, 115. Ophrys apifera, 115. Potamogeton plantagineus, 115. *Bromus secaiinus, 116. * commutatus, 116. Equisetum trachyodon, 116. Chara polyacantha, 116. Tolypella glomerata, 116. Arctium Newbouldii. Fumaria Boraei, 137. ^gTc^^/x Tragopogon porrifolius.Xv) ^•;::^o^^"N y-«^\ Fumaria Boraei. I^emna gibba. i L ! C R A H Y The Irish Naturalist. January* 8. Limerick— Rauuiiculus trichophyllus, 209. Fumaria capreolata, 252. Boraei. *HesperJs matronalis. *Lepidium Draba. Viola palustris, 249. silvestris; 249. Montia foutana, 249. Rhannius catharticus, 209. Riibus infestus, 250. Rosa liibeniica, 250. Anthriscus vulgaris, 209. tGalium Mollugo, 209, 251. *Matricaria discoidea, 253. Hieracium murorum. *Tragopogon porrifolius, 250. Vacciuium Oxycoccus, 209. Myosotis repens, 250. *Solaiium nigrum, 252. Veronica hedersefolia, 209, 250. *Orobanche minor, 252. Stachys arvensis, 250, :I:Eallota nigra, 209. Juniperus nana, 252. Carex curta, 252. strigosa, 251. Hornschuchiana, 252. Milium effusum, 251. Poa nemoralis, 209. X compressa, 209. Glyceria plicata, 252. Agropyron pungens, 251. Equisetum variegatum, 252. Clare— Ranunculus Auricomus, Fumaria Boroei. Nasturtium sylvestre, 209. Viola tricolor.* Vicia angustifolia.* Potentilla procumbens. "Sedum album, 209. Pinguicula grandiflora, 269. Mentha sativa.* Galeopsis versicolor.* 10. TiPPERARY N.— Ononis arvensis. Lithospermum officinale. 11. Kilkenny— 12. Wexford— 17. Galway N.E.— 18. King's Co.— Scutellaria galericulata. Allium ursinuni. Ranunculus trichophyllus. Fumaria purpurea. Rosa mollis.* Fumaria officinalis. 19. Kii.dare— Ranunculus Lenormandi. Viola palustris. Polygala serpyllacea. Sempervivum tectorum. Polj'gonum Hydropiper. J uncus squarrosus. 21. Dublin— Fumaria purpurea, 186. ♦Lepidium Draba, 187. ♦Trifolium agrarium. ♦Seduni album, 187. Callitriche obtusangula, 187. Arctium Newbouldii. Hieracium sciaphilum, 247. Vaccinium Oxycoccus, 189. Lysimachia Nummularia, 190. Utricularia vulgaris, 190. 1904. PRAKGE^R. — Irish Topographical Bota7iy. 22. Meath— Anemone nemorosa. *Trifolium agrarium. Potentilla procumbens, Callitriche autumnalis, Solidago Virgaurea. Jasione moutana. Stachys arveusis. Lamium intermedium. Teucrium Scorodonia. Polygonum minus. Orchis mascula. Allium ursinum. Ivuzula maxima. 23. Westmeath — Fumaria officinalis.* Rosa mollis.* Callitriche vernalis.* Callitriche stagnalis.* *Anchusa sempervirens.* Pinguicula lusitauica. Mentha sativa.* 24. Longford— JBrassica nigra, 270. Arctium Newbouldii. Galeopsis versicolor, 270. Bromus mollis, 270. Agropyron repens, 270. 27. Mayo W. — *Chelidonium majus, 269. Cochlearia danica, 285. ♦Ivepidium Draba, 269. Cakile maritima, 269. Silene acaulis, 284. Stellaria Holostea, 269. Saxifraga decipiens, 284. *Sempervivum tectorum, 269. Asperula odorata, 269. Arctium Newbouldii, 289, Hieracium hypochaeroides, 284. Orarium, 311. *Campanula rapunculoides, 269. Solanum Dulcamara, 269. Veronica hedersefolia, 269. Lamium hybridum, 280. Beta maritima, 280. Atriplex hastata, 287. Polygonum Raii, 269. *Iris fsetidissima, 269. Festuca Myuros, 269. Bromus asper, 269. Agropyron repens, 288. Aspidium aculeatum,288. Ophioglossum vulgatum, 288. Kquisetum maximum, 269, 288. 28. Sl^lGO— Ranunculus circinatus, 270. Auricomus, 270. JBrassica Rapa v. Briggsii, 270. Senebiera Coronopus, 270. Spergularia rupestris. Hypericum humifusum, 270. Vicia angustifolia, 270. *Sempervivum tectorum, 270. Cicuta virosa, 270. *Matricaria discoidea, 270. JAnthemis Cotula, 270. *Tanacetum vulgare, 270. *Mimulus guttatus, 270. Veronica hederaefolia, 270. Lycopus europaeus, 270. Ulmus montana, 270. JSalix fragilis, 270. Kmpetrum nigrum. 270. Potamogeton obtusifolius, 270. Carex curta, 270. extensa, 270. paludosa, 270. Phleum pratense, 270. Glyceria maritima, 270. Triticum caninum, 270. E^quisetum maximum, 270. I a The Irish NaHcralist. January, 29. LeiTrim— Brassica alba, 270. •Trifolium hybridain, 270. Gnaphaliumjsylvaticum. *Tauacetuui vulgare, 270. 30. Cavan — Vicia liirsuta. Callitricbe autuinnalis. JValerianella Auricula. *Tauacetum vulgare. 31. Louth— 32. monaghan — 33. Fermanagh— Brassica alba, 270. 34. donkgai, e. — 36. Tyrone — 37. Armagh— 38. Down— Geranium columbiuum, 262. '^Galium MoUugo, .171. JValerianella Auricula, 263. *carinata. Hieracium Sonimerfeltii, 311. rivale, 3TI. *Tragopogon porrifolius. 39. Antrim— Ranunculus circinatus, 247. Orithmum niaritimum, 245. Ivatli3^rus macrorrhizus, 270. JSniyrnium Olusatrum, 270. Salix repens, 270. Botryclimm Ivunaria, 270. Vacciniuni Oxycoccus. Litbospcrmuiu officinale. Orcliis pyraniidalis. Carex teretiuscula. limosa. Fumaria confusa. Anthyllis Vulneraria, 270. •Petasites fragrans, 270. Origanum vulgare, 270. Arctium Newbouldii. Ranunculus Auricomus. Arctium Newbouldii. *Plantago media, 271. *Chenopodium rubrum, 263. Juncus tenuis, 108. Carex divulsa, 264. Glyceria festucseformis, 264. plicata, 264. Lastrea spinulosa, 264. Arctium Newbouldii. *Tragopogon porrifolius. The above list answers the question — What plants have been added to the flora of any Division during the year? A question which arises equally frequently is — What plants have had their range extended during the year ? This is answered by the following list, which shows the new county records arranged under species in the natural order, the numbers appended representing the Divisions to which the plants have been added. Anemone ncmorosa, 22. Ranunculus circinatus, 28, 39. tricliopliyllus, 8, 11. Drouetii, i. hcteropbyllus, 2. Lenormandi, 19. Auricomus, 9, 28, 36. *Chelidonium majus, 27. Fumaria pallidiflora, 8. Borcei, 4, 6, 8, 9. purpurea, i, 2, 12, 21, confusa. 31. officinalis, 18, 23. Nasturtium sylvestre, 9 Cochlearia danica, 2, 27. *Hesperis matroualis, 8. 1904. Prasgkr. — Irish Topographical Botany » JBrassica Rapa, var. Briggsii, 28. X nigra, 24. alba, 29, 33. *Diplotaxis muralis, 2. Senebiera Coronopus, 28. *Lepidium Draba, 8, 21, 27. Cakile maritima, 27. Silene acaulis, 27. Stellaria Holostea, 27. Spergularia rupestris, 28. Montia fontana, 8. Viola palustris, 8, 19. silvestris, 8. tricolor, 9. Polygala s^rpyllacea, 19. Hypericum humifusum, 28. Geranium columbinum, 38. Rhamnus catharticus, 8. Ononis arvensis, 10. Anthyllis Vulneraria, 32. *Trifolium hybridum, 29. *agrarium, 21, 22 Vicia hirsuta, 30. angustifolia, 9, 28. Lathyrus macrorrhizus, 29. Rubus pulcherrimus, i. argentatus, 2. iricus, I. pyramidalis, i. infestus, 8. Potentilla procumbens, i, 9, 22 Rosa hibernica, 8. mollis, 17, 23. Saxifraga decipiens, 27. *Sempervivum tectorum, 19, 27, 28. *vSedum album, 9, 21. Callitriche vernalis, 23. stagnalis, 23. obtusangula, i, 21. autumnalis, 22, 30. Cicuta virosa, 28. tSmyrnium Olusatrum, 29. Crithmum maritimum, 39. Anthriscus vulgaris. 8. tGalium Mollugo, 8, *38 *Valerianella carinata, 2, 38. JAuricula, 30, 38. Asperula odorata, 27. Solidago Virgaurea, 22, Gnaphalium sylvaticum, 29. JAnthemis Cotula, 28. *Matricaria discoidea, 2, 8, 28. *Tanacetum vulgare, 28, 29, 30. *Petasites fragrans, 33. Arctium Newbouldii, 3, 21, 24,27, 34. 37. 39- *Crepis biennis, 2. Hieracium Sommerfeltii, 38. hypochaeroides, 27. rivale, 38. murorum, 8. Orarium, 27. sciaphilum, 21. *Tragopogon porrifolius, 5, 8, 38, 39- Jasione montana, 22. *Campanula rapunculoides, 27 Vaccinium Oxycoccus, 8, 21, 30. Lysimachia Nummularia, 21. Centunculus minimus, 2. *Ancliusa sempervirens, 23. Myosotis repens, 8. Lithospermum officinale, 10, 30. *Cuscuta Trifolii, i *Solanum nigrum, 8. Dulcamara, 27 *Mimulus guttatus, 28. Veronica hedersefolia, 8, 27, 28. *Orobanclie minor, 8. Utricularia vulgaris, 21 Pinguicula grandifiora, 9. lusitanica, 23. Mentha sativa, 9, 23. Origanum vulgare, 33. Scutellaria galericulata, 10. Lycopus europjeus, 28. Stachys arvensis, 8, 22. Galeopsis versicolor, 9, 24. Lamium intermedium, 22. hybridum, 27. Teucrium Scorodonia, 22. JBallota nigra, 8. •Plantago media, 38. Chenopodium rubrum, 38. Beta maritima, 27.* Atriplex hastata, 27. A3 lO The Irish Naturalist, January, Poh'^onum Rail, 27. Hydropiper, 19. minus, 22. Ulnius uiontana, 28. JSalix fragilis, 28. repens, 29. Empetrum nigrum, 28. Juniperus nana, 8. Orchis pyramidalis, 30. mascula, 22. latifolia, i, 2. Opbrys apifera, 2. Allium ursinum, 10, 22. *Iris foetidissima, 27. Jiincus squarrosus, 19. tenuis, 38. Luzula maxima, 22. Lemna gibba, 7. Potamogeton plantagineus, 2. obtusifolius, 28. Carex teretiuscula, 30. divulsa, 38, curta, 8, 28. liniosa, 30. strigosa, 8. Hornscbucbiana, 8. Carex paludosa, 28. Milium efFusum, 8. Pbleum pratense, 28. Poa nenioralis, 8. Jcompressa, 8. Glyceria plicata, 8, 38. maritima, 28. festucseformis, 38. Festuca Myuros, 27. Bromus asper, 27. *secalinus, 2. racemosus, i. *commutatus, 2. mollis, 24. Agropyron caninum, 28. repens, 24, 27. pungens, 8. Aspidium aculeatum, 27. Lastrea spinulosa, 38. Opbioglossum vulgatum, 27. Botrycliium Lunaria, 29. Bquisetum maximum, 27, 28. tracbyodon, 2. variegatum, 8. Chara polyacantba, 2. Tolypella glomerata, 2. extensa, 28. As was the case last year, the additions are far too nitmerbus to allow of a complete summary being given of their localities. With the help of the numbers appended to the list given on pp. 5-7, the particulars of those new county records which have been published can be easily obtained. The annotated list which follows deals with the unpublished material, and is confined to new county records, and to species for which only a single record for the division previously existed, or for which there were only old records, the confirmation of which was desirable. The new records are distinguished by having the name of the division printed in Smai,l C^ pitai^s. Thallctrum flavum, L. 8. Linierick. Askeaton, '03 — Miss Knowles. Anemone ncmorosa, L. 22. Mkath. Atbboy — Lilly. Ranunculus trlchophyllus, Cbaix. 8. Limerick. Ferrybridge on R. Maigue, '03— P. II. Kii^KENNY. Quarries near Kilkenny, '03 — P. ?8. Sligo. Feenagb Lougb, '03 — P, 1904. Prakger. — Irish Topographical Botany. 1 1 R. penicillatus, Bum. 31. Louth. Fane River, '03 — P. 32. Mouaghan. Fane River, '03— P. R. Lenormandi, F. Schultz. 19. Kii^DARE. Near Brittas, '03 — P. R. Auricomus, L. 9. C1.ARE. Parteen, '03 — R. D. O'Brien. 36. Tyrone. Strabane Glen, '03— Mrs. Leebody FuiYiaria Bordei, Jord. 2. Kerry N. Headford (E. S. Marshall)— H. W. Pugsley. 6. WaTERFORD. Cappoquin {Herb. Brit. Mus.)— H. W. Pugsley. 8. IviMERiCK. Near Limerick, '92 — H. &']. Groves. 9. CivARE. Parteen, '03 — Miss Knowles. F. purpurea, Pugsley. 12. Wexford. East of Wexford, '97 (E. S. Marshall)— ^^r3. Groves. F, confusa, Jord. 8. Limerick. Foynes, '03 — Miss Knowles. 24. Longford, Ballymahon, '00 — P. 31. Louth. Boyne-mouth, '96— P. F. officinalis, L. 18. King's Co. Edenderry, '96— P. Nasturtium sylvcstre, R. Br. 9. CivARE. Parteen, '03— P. Sisymbrium Thalianum, J. Gay. 10. Tipp. N. Ballina, '03— P. Brassica nigrra, Koch. 8. Limerick. tQuarry 2 miles S. of Limerick, '03 — P. Raphanus Raphanlstrum, L. 28. Sligo. Ballymote, '03— P. Viola palustris, L. 19. KiivDARE. Above Kilteel, '03 — P. Polygala serpyllacea, Weihe. 8. Limerick. Castleconnell, '03— P. 19. KiivDARE. Above Kilteel, '03— P. Cerastium tetrandrum, Curt. 8. Limerick. Lough Gur, '03— P. Sagrlna maritima, Don. 28. Sligo. Mullaghmore, 03 — P. Spergularia rupestris, Lebel. 28. SwGO. Mullaghmore abundant, '03 — Hon Mrs. Wynne! LInum angustlfolium, Huds. 8. Limerick. Askeaton, 03— P. Geranium columbinum, L. 22. Meath. In old stony hedgebanks as well as cultivated fields at Moynalty ! for 40 years past— Barnes. Rhamnus catharticus, L. 8. Limerick. Hedges west of Adare, '03 — P. A 4 12 The Irish Naturalist. January, Ononis rcpens, L. lo. TiPPERARY N. Brockagh near Borrisokane— Lilly. •lYIedlcago satlva, L. 8. Limerick. Curragh Chase, '03— P. *Trifollum agrarlum, L. 21. Dublin. By the Dodder near Templeogue, 97— P. 22. Meath. Meadows at Moynalty, '03, Oldcastle, '96 —P Vlcla hirsuta, Koch. 30. Cavan. North-west of Oldcastle, '03 —Barnes ! Potcntilla procumbens, Sibth. 9. Ci,are. Near Bnnistymon, '03— R. A. Phillips. 22. Meath. Common in Moynalty district, '03 — P Sempcrvlvum tectorum, L. 19. Kildare. Near Kilteel. '03— P. IVIyrlophyllum splcatum, L. 22. Meath. Breakey Lough, '03— P. 30. Cavan. MuUagh Lough, '03— P. Caliltrlche autumnalls, L. 22. Meath. Breakey Lough, '03— P. 30. Cavan. Mullagh Lough, '03— P. Chaerophyllum temulum, L. 18. King's Co. Near Birr, '03— R A.. Phillips. Anthrlscus vulgaris, Pers. 8. Limerick. Askeaton, '03— P. CEnanthe crocata, L. 28. Sligo. MuUaghmore, '03-P. *SaniJ3ucus Ebulus, L- 28. Sligo. Near Hazlewood, '03— P. :{:Canuni crectum, Huds. 8. Limerick. Adare, '03— P. Valerlanella olltorla, PoUich. 8. Limerick. Lough Gur and Askeaton, '03 — P. JV. Auricula, DC. 30. Cavan. +Near Mullagh, '03 -P. Solldagro VIrgaurea, L. 22. MeaTh. Slievenacalliagh— Lilly. Cnaphallum sylvatlcum, L 29. LeiTrim. Lough Rynn, '03 — Mrs Clements ! BIdens cernua, L. 28. Sligo. Bogs south of Kesh, '03 — P. B. tripartita, L. 22. Meath. Mullagh Lough, '03 — P. *Tanacetum vulgare, L. 30. Cavan. JMullagh, '03— P. Carllna vulgaris, L. 22. Meath. CuUendragh townland near Oldcastle, '03 — Barnes. 1904. Prae^GKR. — Irish Topographical Botany. 13 Arctium Newbouldll, Ar. Benn. 21. Dubinin, Near Edmundstown, '03 — P. 24. Longford. Elfeet Baj' ou L. Ree, '00— P. 34. DoNEGAi. E. Culdaff, '03— Mrs. Leebo ly. 39, Antrim. Gobbins, '03— P. Carduus pycnocephalus, Jacq. 8. Limerick. Grange, '03 — P. 30. Cavan. Near Virginia, '03 — Barnes. C. crispus, L- 8. Limerick. Grange, '03— P. Cnlcus pratensis, L 20. Wicklow. East base of Dowry, '03— P. The only previous records were Glencree (Mackay CaA, 1825) and Lough Bray {Irish Flora, 1833). •Crcpis biennis, L. 8. Limerick. Ferrybridge, Adare, Friarstown, '03 — P. C. paludosa, Moench. 9. Clare. Parteeu, '03 — P. Hleracium murorum, L. pt, var. lepistodesi Johanss. 8. Limerick. Adare Manor abundant, '03— Miss Knowles and Canon O'Brien. Jasione montana, L. 22. Meath. Slievenacalliagh — Lilly. Vaccinlum Oxycoccus, L. 8. Limerick. Castleconnell bog, '03 — W. Fogerty and P. 30. Cavan. Bogs S. of Mullagh, '03— P. Erica cincrca, L. 23. Westmeath. Bogs near Rathowen — Lilly. Lysinriachia ncmorum, L- 22. Meath. By an error, a Meath record for this plant (Moynalty '02 — Barnes !) is attributed to L. vulgaris in the annotated list in my 1902 paper (p. 33), though correctly given in the list of county additions (p. 27). Lough Bawn — Lilly. Llthospermum officinale, L. 10. Tipperary N. Near Roscrea, '03 — R. A. Phillips. 30. Cavan. Crover Castle Island on L. Sheelin, '03— Barnes ! *Orobanche minor, Sutt. 22. Meath. iJiMoynalty, '03 — Barnes ! Utrlcularia minor, L. 22. Meath. Breakey Lough, '03 — P. Pfngrulcula lusitanica, L- 23. Westmeath, Lisclogher bog — Miss Reynell. 33. Fermanagh. Carrick Lake, '03— Mrs. R. LI. Praeger ! Scutellaria gralerlculata, L. ID. Tipperary N. Marsh opposite Portumna— Lilly. Stachys arvensis, L. 22. Meath. Moynalty frequent, '03 — Barnes ! 14 The h-ish Nahiralist, January, Latnlum Intermedium, Fr. 22. INIKATH. Moynalty, '03— Barnes ! 28. Sligo. Mullaghmore, '03— P. A confirmation of Syme's record {Flor. U/st., 1864). Teucrlum Scorodonla, L- 22, Meath. Near Oldcastle — Lilly. :tBaIIota nigra, L. 8. IviMKRiCK. though Gur, '03 — P. Polygonum Hydroplper, Iv. 19. KiLDARE. Near Kilteel, '03 — P. P. minus, Huds. 22. Meath. Breakey Lough, '03 — P. 30. Cavan. Mullagli L. abundant, '03 — P. Taxus baccata, L. 28. Sligo. Islets in Lough Gill, '03— P. Hydrocharls iviorsus-ranae, L. 29. Leitrim. Lough Rynn, '03 — Mrs. Clements! Orchis pyramldalls, L. 30 Cavan. Two and a half miles N.W. of Oldcastle, '03— Barnes! O. mascula, L. 22. Meath. Athboy— Lilly. Allium ursinum, L. 8. Limerick. Askeaton, '03 — P. 10. TiPPERARY N. Borrisokane wood — Lilly. 22. Meath. Near Julianstown, '03— Barnes 1 Athboy— Lilly. 28. Sligo. Glencar, '03 — P. Juncus squarrosus, L. 19. Kii^DARE. Above Kilteel, '03 — P. Luzuia maxima, DC. 22. Meath. Bog south of Mullagh, '03— P. Lemna gibba, L. 7. TiPPERARY S. Pool near Clonmel, '03— R. A. Phillips. Potamogeton obtuslfolius, M. & K. 22. Meath, Breakey Lough abundant, '03— P. Scirpus sylvaticus, L. 33. Fermanagh. Head of Carrol Glen, '03— P. Cladium IVIariscus, R. Br. 8. Limerick. Frequent in the north. Carcx teretiuscuia, Good. 30. Cavan. South of Mullagh, '03 — P. C. Hudsonllf Ar. Benn. 8. Limerick. Castleconnell, '03 — P. C. pendula, Huds. 8. Limerick. Adare, '03 — P. 28. vSligo. Doonally and DrumclifF, '03 — P. C. Ilmosa, L. 30. Cavan. Bogs south of Mullagh, '03— P. 1904. Prakge;r. — Irish Topographical Botany. 15 Catabrosa aquatica, Beau v. 8. Limerick. Lough Gur, '03 — P. Poa nemoralls, L- 8. Limerick. tAdare, '03— P. 22. Meath. Two stations at Moynalty, '03 — P. tP. compressa, L. 8. Limerick. JDock wall at Limerick, '03 — P. Festuca rottbcellioldes, Kuuth. 28. Sligo. Mullagbmore, '03— P. F. sylvatica, Vill. 28. Sligo. Rockwood (= Slish wood), '03 -.P. Agropyron repens, L- 24. Longford. Clonfide, '03 — Barnes! Ophiog'Iossum vulgatum, L. 28. Sligo. Glencar, '03— P. Equlsetutn hyemale, L. 33. Fermanagh. Carrol Glen, '03 — P. Lycopodium Selagro, L. 8. Limerick. Castleconnell bog, '03— P. MOSS-NOTES FROM NORTH IREI.AND. BY J. H. DAVIKS. It may, perhaps, be not amiss that, by way of continuation of some bryological notes contributed to these pages, I should give here a list of the rarer and more noteworthy North of Ireland mosses that have recently come under observation. Two of the species enumerated, Fissidens rufulus and Weisia rostellata, are new to the Irish moss-flora. The latter has al- ready been incidentally mentioned in the Irish Naturalist, and is now included in order that the station may be placed on re- cord. The former, Fisside7is rufiilus, a subaquatic moss, is very rare, there being, I believe, only two other British stations — the River Lune in Westmoreland, and the River Wharfe in Yorkshire — and it is, therefore, a welcome addition to the Irish list. Gathered in the River Bann as possible F. crassipes, which has yet to be discovered in Ireland, and to which it has a near afiSnitj^ subsequent examination led to so much uncer- tainty that specimens were submitted to Mr. H. N. Dixon, who informed me that it is to be referred to F, rufuhis^ a moss that I had never seen before. 1 6 The Irish Naturalist. Jauuary, The rediscovery in Ireland oi Fissidcjis tamarindifolius, only once before found in our island, and that over a century ago, possessed for me much interest. It is described in Turner's lihiscologicc Hibcr7iiccd Spicilcgiiwi (1804) as having been de- tected in Cullen's Wood, Co. Dublin, by Dr. Whitley Stokes, whose name is botanically perpetuated in Hypnum i^Eurhy7ichi2U)i) Stokesii. In like manner, Pottia bryoidcs and WHsia crispa, two other rare species which it has been my fortune to meet with, had not been seen in Ireland for very many years. Though rare in Ireland — it had been reported from only two other localities in Ulster — it may be confessed that much of the delight in gathering Fontijialis squamosa in the River Bann was due to a personal reminiscence. It recalled to mind the first and only other time I had seen it growing. That was in a North Yorkshire moorland beck, now fifty years ago, in the days of youthful botanical ardour, the pleasure being shared by others, who were then my frequent companions on excur- sions, and whose friendship I yet enjoy. But this is a digres- sion that will, perhaps, be forgiven. Templeton found the plant in 1800 in the River Faughan, Co. Derry, It has often been looked for in the mountain streams of Co. Antrim, where it might be expected, but has never yet been found in that county. The species and varieties previously unrecorded (save Weisia rostellata) for Ireland, Ulster and counties of Ulster, so far as I know, are : — NKW to IREI.AND. Dicranum Boiijeani,z'a;-.rugifohum. Fontinalis antipyretica, var. gracilis. Fissidens rufulus. Hypuin aduncum, var, laxum. Weisia rostellata. H. molluscum, var. condeusatum. New to U1.STER. Fissidens tamarindifolius. Leptodontium flexifolium. Pottia bryoides. Bryum erythrocarpum. Barbula lurida. Hypuuin revolvens, var, Cossoui. B. convoluta, var. sardoa. I904- Daviks. — Moss-notes f707n North Ireland. f^ New to County Down. • .'^ir:'-. Dicrauella Schreberi {type), Epliemerum serratum,^an angusti- Fissidens exilis. folium. Orthotrichum cupulatum. Hypnum riparium, var. longifolium.- New to County Antrim. Hypnum chrysophyllum. New to County Tyrone. Eurhynchium murale. . It may be added that the nomenclature and arrangement employed in my short list are those adopted by Mr. Dixon in his Stude7ifs Ha^idbook of B7itish Mosses, of which indispensable work a new edition is shortly to be expected. Pleurldlum axlllare, Lindb. — Near Lisburn, Co. Antrim, and in many places by stream -sides and on damp banks about Lenaderg, Co. Down. Some stems were gathered with two or three capsules, one above another, due to successive innovations, the lower capsules then having the appearance of being lateral. Believed to be rare in Ireland, but likely sometimes overlooked. P, altcrnifolium, Rabenh. — In a sandy field, Lenaderg, Co. Down. DIcranella rufescens, Schp. — Clayey ground, Lenaderg, Co. Down. D.Schretoeri, Schp.— With the last species. DIcranowcisIa cirrata, Lindb. — A moss thought to be rare in Ulster, but plentiful on trees about Lenaderg, Co. Down, as it is found tobe in other parts of the county, as also in Co. Antrim. Dlcranum Bonjeani, De Not., var. rug^lfollum, Bosw. — Spongy bogs on White Mountain, Co. Antrim. A variety characterised by very rugose foliage. Flssldens exllls, Hedw. — Damp banks, Lenaderg, Co. Down. F« tamarlndifollus, Wils. (J^. inctirvus var. tamarindifolius Braithw.) — With Anthoceros pundatus on clayey ground in shady places, Lena- derg, Co. Down. It may be stated that the singular fructification of the Hepatic here mentioned, which is rare in Ulster, is to be seen at all seasons of the year. F. rufulus, B. & S. -On stones, usually submerged, in the River Bann at Lenaderg, Co. Down. Regarding this, Mr. Dixon remarks : — " Your F. rufulus has less of the reddish tinge usual in that species, and the leaf-border is less strong ; otherwise it agrees well with the Yorkshire plant, which has been accepted as that." Crlminla apocarpa, Hedw., var. rivularis, W. & M.— Abundant on submerged rocks in River Bann, Lenaderg, Co. Down. A variety with an aspect of var. alpicola, and may prove to be that, but in the ab- sence of fruit it is safest to refer here. l8 7 he Irish Naturalist* January, Pottia bryoldesy Mitt. — Amongst old mortar in waste ground, Lis- burn, Co. Antrim. A rare moss for which only one other Irish station is known, that being in Co. Dublin, P. intermedia, Furnr.— On decayed thatch, Corbet, Co. Down. Growing in wide patches, and so abundantly as almost to conceal the old thatch of the deserted cottage on which it occurs. A moss perhaps not well understood with us, and of whose Irish distribution little seems to be known. Some localities are given in Fl. N.E.I., but Moore, in his Synopsis, under P. truncaiula, passes it by with the remark — " Gyninostomnvi intei medium , of Turner, is supposed by Mitten to be a gymnostomous st?^tQ o^ P. ianceolaia'"; and, though possibl}' not infrequent, P. intermedia is not mentioned in any of the three lists of Irish mosses that have recentl}^ appeared in iho. Journal of Botany. P. minutula, Furnr. — On bare ground, Lenaderg, Co. Down. Rare in Ireland, but perhaps sometimes passed over. When in fruit in August the reddish appearance of the little tufts of this moss at once catches the eye. The time of fruiting is u.sually stated as winter and spring. Tortuta marg-inata, Spruce.— On red sandstone walls at Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, where I had the pleasure of pointing it out to Mr. Stewart and the Rev. C. H. Waddell. The locality is about three miles from its only other station in Ireland. Barbula lurida, Lindb.— Wall-top by the Newry Canal atScarva, Co. Down. As an Irish plant, heretofore known only from Cork and Kerry. B. rlgfldula, Mitt. — Frequent on walls about Lenaderg, Co. Down. B. vinealls, Brid. — As was expected, this proves to be much less rare in the North-east than it was previous]}- known to be. It is most frequent about Lisburn, Co. Antrim, and is very abundant ou the north walls of the Lisburn Cathedral. B. convoluta Hedw. var. /3 sardoa, B. & S. — On a damp wall by the towing path of the Lagan Canal, near the old corn-mill at Lis- burn, Co. Antrim. Previously reported for Ireland only from Co. Dublin (Dr. Taylor). A very distinct variety that has been accorded specific rank by various authors. It equates with Tj-ichostomum undatum Schp., and Barbula cotnmutata Juratz. Leptodontlum flexifoliuin, Hpe.— Plentiful (in company with Ditrichum /lexicaule) amongst the Portstewart sandhills, Co. Derry. Seems to be very rare in Ireland. Weisia crlspa. Mitt.— On rather sandy ground by the approach to the gravel pits at Fairy Well, Lisburn, Co. Antrim. In the only two Irish localities that have been recorded— near Belfast (Templeton), and Kilcullen Bridge, Co. Kildare (R. Brown) (the latter locality noted in Braithwaite's Brit. Moss-Flora, but unknown to Dr. Moore) —it has not been seen, I think, for more than a hundred years. W. rostellata, Lindh.— Ou a raised ditch-bank by the side of the field- path as you go from Hallymacash to Kiiockmore, near Lisburn, Co. Antrim. The only Irish station. X I904- Da VIES. — Moss-notes from North Ireland. 19 Zygrodon viridlsslmus, Brown. — C. fr. at Lenaderg, Co. Down. Frequent throughout the district examined, alike on walls and trees, but usually infertile. Orthotrlchum cupulatum, Hoffm. — Lenaderg and Moyallon, Co. Down. O. rivulare, Turn. — Trees by R. Bann, Knocknagor, Co. Down. Seems to be rare in Ireland. O. stramincum, Hornsch.— Alder and Sycamore, by the Newry Canal at Scarva, and by the R. Bann at I^aurencetown, Co. Down. O. tencllum, Bruch.— With the last near Laurencetown. In the North this species has so far been observed only in Co. Down. O, puIchelluiYi, Smith. — Frequent about Lenaderg, Co. Down. EphemeruiYi serratum, Hpe. var. angrustlfollum, B. & S. {E, viinutissimum, Lindb.) — Ravarnette, Co. Down, and in several spots about Lenaderg, in the same county, being very abundant in a £eld called the Round Hill, at the latter place. In Ireland known only from Antrim and Down. Funaria fasclcularls, Schp.— Sparingly in damp fields, Lenaderg, Co. Down. Lcptobryum pyriforme, Wils.— Moist ground by the Lagan Canal above Lisburn, Co. Antrim. Mr. Stewart notes this in Flora North- east Ireland^ as " very rare," and in open places it seems to be so. Indeed it appears to have been reported from only one other such situation. But, as is known, the plant is not infrequent on flower- pots and damp walls in green-houses. I have seen it in several, amongst others in those of my friends Mrs. J. S. Brown, Bdenderry House, Shaw's Bridge, Co. Down ; John Brown, F.R.S., Longhurst, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim ; and it is very abundant and fruits freely in my greenhouse at Lenaderg. Bryum erythrocarpum, Schwgr.— C /r. in damp, sandy ground at Fairy Well, Lisburn, Co. Antrim. A plant, specimens of which I have seen, supposed to belong here, was some years ago gathered by Rev. R. C. Bindley in Co. Down, but in the absence of fruit it could not be accepted with certainty. It appears remarkable that this rather widely diffused moss should not before have had a place in the Ulster list. It may, however, easily escape recognition when capsules are not present. Fontlnalis antipyrctica, L., var. gracilis, Schp. i^F. gracilis^ Lindb.). — In the R. Bann, above the old mill at Corbet (Tully- connaught), Co. Down. Both the type and F. squamosa occur at the same place, and from both, when seen growing, by its hue and general aspect, the variety is easily distinguished. F, squamosa, L. — With the last, and on granite in the Bann at Ballyroney, Co. Down.^ C. fr., July 12th, 1902. ^ Since this was written, Mr. S. A. Stewart has informed me that in 1900 he gathered Fontlnalis sqtia??wsa in the Bann above Hilltown, some miles beyond Ballyroney. 20- The Irish Naturalist. January, Cryphoea heterotnalla, Molir.— On stones, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, and iu a like habitat at Moyallon, Co. Down. These are very rare, and, so far as I know, the only instances of this distinctly arboreal moss ever being rupestral. In its accustomed habitat the plant is not infrequent. Cyllndrotheclum conclnnuin, Schp.— Plentiful amongst the Port- stewart sandhills, Co. Derry. Revs. C. H. Waddell and Canon Lett lately met with this at the Magilligan sandhills in the same county, but it seems to be rare in Ireland. Eurhynchlum Swartzll, Turn.— Frequent in West Down. E. pumllum, Schp.— Also frequent in West Down. An unusual aquatic form occurs in the R. Bann at Lenaderg. E. murale, Milde. — Damp walls, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone. Plag-fothecium Borrerlanum, Spruce. — Rather frequent in woods at Lenaderg, Co. Down. AmblysteiTium Irrlgruum, B &S. — Stream flowing into the R. Bann at Lenaderg, Co. Down. A. fluvlatilc, B. & S. — In the Bann in several places, where the river has a rocky bed and a swift current, between Ballyroney and Knock- nagor, Co. Down. Hypnum rlparium, L. var longlfollum, Schp.— Abundant in the R. Bann at Lenaderg, Co, Down. An aquatic variet}', I think only once before recognised in Ireland It was gathered in the north by Mr. Stewart, he believes in Co. Antrim, but cannot now name the locality, the label of his specimens having been lost. H. chrysophyllum, Brid — Very plentiful near Fairy Well, Lisburn, Co. Antrim. H. aduncum, Hedw., var. laxum, Schp. (Group psetidofluitans, Sanio) Floating iu a pond at Derriaghy, Co. Antrim, and sub- merged in a pond at Laurencetown, Co. Down. Hi revolvcns, Sw, var. Cosson!, Ren. (/y. CossonU Schp.). — Boggy ground, moor-top above Colin Glen, Co. Antrim. H. cupresslforme, L., var. elatum, B. & S.—Portstewart sandhills, Co. Derry. H. molluscum, Hedw., var. condensatum, B. & S — On stones in boggy ground, White Mountain, Co. Antrim. Lenaderg House, Banbridge. 1904. 2t IRISH SOCIETIES. ;: EOYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include a Golden Eagle from Mr. J. P. Porter (this in- teresting bird, originally obtained on Achill, has been in the donor's possession for twenty-five years), a Hare from Mr. B. Heron, a Grass Snake from Mr. F. W. Burbidge, a Rhosus Monkey from the Countess of Kilmorey, and a Suricate from Mr. T. Carter. The Raccoon, which had previously escaped from the enclosure and taken refuge in the Lion House, again acted in the same way, and for more than a month remained by day sheltered beneath the eaves, coming down each evening in search of food, until she was captured by the night watchman and restored to her comrades. DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. No\^MBKR II. — The Club met at Leinster House. F. W. MooRK exhibited sections through the flower of Masdevallia nielanoxantha. This rare Orchid is a native of Ocana, South America, and up to recent years had only been known from dried specimens. It had been confused with Masdevallia Schlimii^ which, however, is quite distinct, until living plants were introduced by Mr. Sander. The united sepals are large, and of a deep blackish-brown colour, the surface being covered over with a series of minute warts and ridges, the cells of which contain the colouring material. G. H. Carpenter showed a dissection of the head of the small ■aiyr\a.^odi Scohpendrella ittwiaculata, demonstrating the existence of man- dibles, maxillulie, and two pairs of maxillae, and proving thereby the close correspondence between the head of this creature and that of the lowest insects {Colle7nbola and Thysamird). The further agreement of the primitive insects with Scolopetidrella in the trunk segmentation, and the evident relationship between Scolopetidrella and the Centipedes and Millipedes suggests that Scolopendrella may fairly be regarded as approxi- mating to the common ancestors of the Tracheate Arthropoda. The jaws of Scolopendrella have been figured by the exhibitor in the Proc, R. Irish Acad., vol. xxiv.. Section B., 1903, p. 328. D. M'Ardi,E exhibited Lepidozia trichoclados, C. Miill., and Lepodozia setacea, Web. The former is now considered to be a good species. A full account, with differential remarks between it and L. setacea, with plate, will be found in Herr MuUer's paper in Hedwigia, 1S99, p- 197, and an excellent description of these two hepatics by Mr. Macvicar in the /ournal of Botany, yol. xl., p. 157, 1902. On account of the similarity of the leaves of the two plants^ Lepidozia trichoclados has been frequently overlooked. The distinguishing characters of the two plants were shown under microscopes; in 22 The Irish Nahiralist. January, L. trichoclados the bracts of the female in florescence are ovate, bidentate with the lobes more or less toothed, and the mouth of the perianth is dentate and closed to a point; while iu L. sdacea the bracts are laciniate and ciliate, and the mouth of the perianth is longl}' ciliate and widely open. The distribution of Lepidozia trichoclados in Ireland is still under investigation ; recent research shows it to be found in the following counties — Dublin, Wicklow, Clare, Mayo, Gal way, and Sligo. He also exhibited a drawing of the two plants by W. N. Allen, which delineated their characters. A full account of the distribution, with plate, will be published in the Irish Naturalist this year. With regard to the plant exhibited at the previous meeting of the Club as Jimgertnaiiia sp. ? collected by Mr. Hunter on schist rocks, Rathmullan, Co. Donegal, Professor Kaalaas, to whom specimens were sent, writes :— "The most striking character in the plant is the almost rectilineal truncate leaves, which, with regard to their form, are very like those of Jiingermania alpcstris, but it cannot, for many reasons, be referred to that species. In most respects it seems to come near /. IVenzelii, which, however, is somewhat larger, and, moreover, an alpine species that is not likely to be met with iu Ireland. I do not know any European species to which your plant with certainty can be referred." Until fertile specimens be found, it will be difficult to settle this question. W. F. GUNN showed shoots of Gooseberries attacked by the American Gooseberry Mildew, Sphc^rotheca Mors-Uva (Berk. & CurtisJ, also aslide of same, showing the perithecia or winter fruit of the fungus in situ. This disease, which has proved most disastrous in America, almost prohibiting the cultivation of the fruit in many districts, first appeared in this country in County Antrim, about five years ago. Since then, it has been reported in a number of districts througliout the country. The fungus attacks the young foliage and fruits, soon after the buds have burst, covering them with a white cobweb-like mycelium, on which conidia are freely produced. Ivater iu the year (he perithecia appear as minute black specks embedded iu the mycelium. BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. December i.— The President (Professor Symington, M.D., F.R.S.) in the chair. A lecture was given by Prof. J. W, Byers, M.D., M.A.^ on the subject : " Sayings, Proverbs, and Humour of Ulster." BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. November 17. — The President (W. J. FenneIvU delivered an inaugural address, his subject being " The Club's Builders " He briefly traced the history of the Club from its foundation on March 6, 1863, and proceeded to refer to some of the members whose influence and work had contri- buted to the life of the Club during the intervening forty years. Among the members referred to were Canon Grainger, Professor R. Tate, Robert 1904. Proceedi7igs of hish Societies. 23 Patterson, Professor Andrews, W. Swanston, F. W. Lockwood. R.Young, G. V. Du Noyer, Canon Mcllwaine, Dr. Holden, Shakespeare Wood, Dr. Thompson, W. J. Kuowles, Dr. H. S. Purdon, J. J. Murphy, Professor James Thompson, Joseph Wright, W. Gray, S. A. Stewart, Hugh Robin- son, T. H. Keown, W. F. Workman, M. Harbison, T. H. Corry, Charles Elcock, Miss Andrews, Madame Christen, R. LI. Praeger, J. Vinycomb, J. Starkie Gardner, Robert May, R. M. Young, Rev. C. H. Waddell, J. St. J. Phillips, Robert Patterson, F. J. Bigger, R. Welch. Five new members were elected. DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. November 12.— H. J. Seymour, F.G.S,, in the chair. G. C. Gough, F.G.vS., A.R.CiS., Field Club Union Delegate from the Belfast Club, lectured on *' Geology and Scenery." The lecture was illustrated by a large series of lantern views of Irish scenery, and the lecturer dealt with the very wide field that pertains to the connection between geological history and geological phenomena, and the face of the country as we now find it. Three new members were elected. The question of Winter Excursions was discussed, and it was decided to hold an excursion on the Saturday preceeding each winter meeting. December 5.— Excursion to the Dingi^e, Carrickmines.— Sixteen members and friends left Harcourt-street Terminus, by the 1.30 train, for Carrickmines. They were met on arrival by Mr. Colgan, who guided the party across the fields to the Dingle. This strange trench- like notch, which runs across the brow of one of the foothills of the Three Rock Mountain, and which cannot be attributed in any way to the present drainage system of the Dublin hills, was explained by Dr. Matley as the outlet of a lake formed towards the close of the glacial period between the retreating ice-sheet and the northern slope of the Dublin Mountains. A section of the party descended into the ravine in order to study the immense fallen blocks which are heaped up on its eastern side. The party then walked to Sliaukill station, where the 5 p.m. train was taken to Dublin. December 8 — The second Winter Business Meeting was held in the Royal Irish Academy, The chair was taken by R. Li.. PraegeR, B.A» After the minutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed, the Chairman called for nominations of officers of the Club for the coming year. The following nominations were made : — President, F. W. Burbidge, M.A., F.L.S. ; Vice-President, C. B. Moff"at ; Hon. Sec, F. O'B. Ellison, B.A. Members of Committee— G. W. Lamplugh, F.G.S. ; J. A. Clarke. J. A. Ci^ARKE gave a lecture on " Eyes and their History," explaining the evolution of the eye in a number of the lower forms of life. R. Iviv. Praeger gave an account of additions to " Irish Topographical Botany " in 1903. This paper will be found in full in this number of the r.24 The hish Naturalist. January, Irish Naturalist. Mr. Praeger pointed out the necessity of the Club's publishing papers read before it, if it wished to remain a Corresponding Society in connection with the British Association. "■ Miss A. Frazer and Mr. D. ly. Murphy were elected associate members. LIMERICK FIELD CLUB. Novembers — Annuai^ Meeting. — The President (P.J. Lynch, CB), in the chair. After an opening address by the President on the work and aims of the Club, J. F. Windi^E, C.B., read the annual report, which contained the following : — "The Committee are pleased to be able to report that during the past year (the tenth of the Club's existence) there has been an increase in membership, which now stands at 124, as compared with 113 last year. '• Our income this year from all sources, including subscriptions to- wards defraying the expenses of the Dublin Field Club excursion, amounted to ^^^70 y^y, 6^., and our expenditure was ^^69 \^s. 2,d. *' The Club Journal was published in August, and a copy sent to each member. The Journal Committee regret they were unable to publish this year all the matter sent in, as they thought it their duty not to en- large it beyond its present size. During the Winter Session 1902-03 the programme was carried out, the attendance of members being good. " Our Summer Excursions this year were marked by the visit paid to us by the Dublin Field Club in June, lasting for three days, and carried out most successfully in brilliant weather. Your Committee desire to thank all the members who .so liberally subscribed to defray some of the expenses, and regret that more members did not avail themselves of the opportunity of visiting our county in such very pleasant and instructive company. A detailed report of the excursions will be published in our Journal next year. " Photography.— Your Committee have again to call attention to the falling off of members contributing to our photographic evenings. What was once a flourishing section is now reduced to a few working ■ members. During the year a movement has been started by some of the members of this section to raise a fund to mark the birthplace of our great local antiquary, Bugene O'Curry, at Doonagha. It is hoped that all the members of the Club, with their friends, will unite in bringing it to a successful issue." Mr. Joseph Stewart read the financial statement, which was satis- factory, showing a balance of ;^8 5^. 3^. to start the new year with. The following were elected officers of the Club for the ensuing year : — President — Dr. W. A. Fogerty. Vice-Presidents— P. J. Lynch and J. P. Dalton. Committee— Mrs. Gibson, Miss A. Doyle, Rev. T. Lee, Rev. H. Orpeu, B. Barringtou, H. V. Moroney, and H. V. Hanna. Hon. Trea- surer— Joseph Stewart. Hon. Joint Secretaries — Dr. George Fogerty and J. F. Windle. A vote of thanks to the outgoing President concluded the business. ipo4. 25 REVIEWS. A SCIENTIFIC DIARY. Knowledge Diary and Scientific Handbook for 1904. Pp. 108 -\- 420. London : Knowledge Office, 1903. Price ^s. net. It gives us pleasure to welcome again this useful and well-compiled handbook, which now makes a regular yearly appearance, and cannot fail to win the support of men of science generally. As usual, much of the information given is concerned with Astronomy, Physics, and Meteorology, but the articles on the Camera applied to Natural History, by R. B. Lodge, and on some uses of the Microscrope, by M. I. Cross, will appeal strongly to biological students. Readers of Knowledge will regret the resignation by Mr. Cross of the editorship of the microscopical columns of that magazine, but we are glad to learn that his place will be taken by Mr. F. S. Scales, and that further space will be devoted to the subject during 1904. INSECTS AND THEIR RELATIONS. On the Relationships between the Classes of the Arthro- poda. By Gkorgb H. Carpenter, B.Sc, M.R.LA. Proc. R.I. A. Vol. XX iv. (B) 1903. Pp. 320-360, pi. vi. The subject of Mr. G. H. Carpenter's paper on the relationship between the classes of Arthropoda, concerns Irish zoologists as much as it does those of other countries, though it does not deal with any peculiarly Irish problems. It is a paper of very unusual merit which will, no doubt, be widely read and appreciated by men of science. The views as to the origin and relationship of the Classes of Arthro- poda, that is to say, of the Spiders, Centipedes, Insects, and Crustaceans, are very divergent. Most zoologists however seem now agreed that crustaceans and insects, at any rate, have developed on totally distinct lines from annelidan ancestors. Mr. Carpenter takes a completely independent attitude in his argu- ment that the various classes of the Arthropoda are truly related to each other, and that they all must have had jointed-limbed ancestors. From a comparative stud}^ of the morphology of the groups, supported by some original and careful dissections of the minute anatomy of the lowest Insects, and also from embryological and palaeontological evi- dence, Mr. Carpenter is able to show an exact agreement in the number of body-segments in the insects, the most primitive Myriapods, the Crustaceans, and the Spiders. Hence he argues that these various classes must be traced back to common arthropodan ancestors with a definite number of segments, and that the views now generally current among zoologists on the subject can no longer be maintained. R. F. S. 26 The Irish Naturalist. January, THE LEVINGE HERBARIUM. The Lcvlngc Herbarium. By Prof. T. Johnson, D.Sc. F.L.S , and Miss M. C. Knowi^ES. Sci. Proc. R. Diihliii Soc. v. (n.s.) part i, No. lo, 1903. We welcome this paper as the first official publication of any portion of the fine collection of Irish flowering plants now gathered together in the National Herbarium, and we sincerely trust it may be looked on as the first of a series dealing with the same subject. Mr. Ivevinge's re- searches in Irish botany, and more particularly in the flora of his own county of Westmeath, are well known to readers of this Journal through the papers which he himself contributed to its pages. His Irish herbarium, which suitably finds a resting-place in the National Museumi consists largely of Westmeath plants ; the counties of Clare and Dublin are also well represented. "In the present paper the object is to record the species of which specimens are found in the collection . . . and not yet recorded." Under each species dealt with, after giving the record from the herbarium label (often including valuable comments by critical botanists), the authors add quotations from Cybele Hibernica and Irish Topographical Botany dealing with the distribution of the plant in question — a delight- ful convenience for a reader of the paper, but one which, if generally applied, would eventually break the bank of any publishing society ; in the present case two-thirds of the matter consists of such extracts. An examination of the paper shows that the collection, while full of interesting plants, is not so rich in new material for the working out of plant-distribution in Ireland as might have been hoped, considering that Mr. Levinge published only a selection of his notes. The county-records given in the paper number 78. Of these 31 are marked or noted as new county records ; but using the standard adopted in Cybele and h'ish Top. Bot., this list becomes seriously denuded. Eleven of the plants are varieties, of which the species is already on record; four more {Oxyria di^yna from Clare, and Ulvius viontana, Taxus baccata^ and Polystichiim Lonchitis from Westmeath) cannot be included in the respective county floras, without further information as to their standing ; Erysimum orientate^ Poteritwi muricatum^ and Leomirus Cardiaca cannot claim even naturalized rank in Ireland ; ^.x).A Juncus compressus will hardly be admitted to the Irish flora on the evidence brought forward in this paper, though its eventual admission is quite possible. So that the Levinge herbarium yields us so far twelve new county records — namely, one for lyimerick, four for Clare, one for N.E. Galway, and six for Westmeath. The best of these are Rosa mollis (N.E. Galway and Westmeath), Callitriche vernalis (Westmeath), and Galcopsis versicolor (Clare). But while the plunder which the collection yields in the way of new plant-records is small, the possession of such an interesting series of Irish plants, beautifully mounted and arranged, is a thing on which the nation may congratulate itself; and the present paper, by making the riches of the collection more widely known, serves a very useful end, and is a valuable contribution to the detailed working out of the Irish flora. R. Ivi.. P. 1904. 27 NOTES. ZOOLOGY. Astrorhiza on the Antrim Coast. A remarkably large specimen of this genus of the Foraminifera was dredged, with other material, in 45 fathoms oft" Rathlin Island in 1896, but was unfortunately lost among debris in the bottom of the boat as we were examining it. It was overlooked by inadvertance in Mr. Wright's list in this Journal, September 1902. The family Astrorhizidce has only been discovered in recent years, as its members are mainly deep water forms. They are all arenaceous, the typical form having a test composed of fine sand and mud. R. Wei^CH. Belfast. Velella spiralis on the Cork coast. On Saturday, October loth, a very heavy southerly gale blew with great force during the latter part of the day and following night. The exact locality noticed was west of Cork Harbour, at Myrtleville. The following morning the receding tide left stranded on the rocky shore large numbers of Velella spiralis of the usual oval shape, and possessing an oblique cartilaginous crest. The fragile little creatures were broken against the stones, or in some cases deposited high and dry on the grass of the more sloping cliffs. Some few were mere skeletons, but others seemed hardly lifeless. The deep rich blue of their tissue showed up clearly among the stones, and I gathered a large number in a short time. Will any of our biologist friends say if such an invasion is an unusual occurrence to be placed to the credit of the furious gale, or whether these delicate jelly fish are to be seen off our shores at this time of the year ? Harriett A. Martin, Cork, High School. [Probably this interesting little pelagic siphonophore only occurs on our coasts after a gale from the Atlantic. — Eds.] Spinther miniaceus in Irish Waters. I have to record the occurrence of Sphtther 'miniaceus, Grube, in two localities in the neighbourhood of Belfast. It was got by dredging parties of the Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association off Whitehead in water 7-10 fathoms deep, and again in water 30 fathoms deep, just ^8 The Irish Naturalist. January, opposite the Gobbins. The genus is a rare one, and the species has not hitherto been recorded from Ireland. Rather curious!)', however, the genus was established by Dr. Johnston in 1845 for another species, S. oniscoides, that was taken in Belfast Lough by Hyndman, and which has not since been satisfactorily recognised in British waters. S. miniaceus is known to occur at Trieste; on the coast of Norway; and in Danish and American waters ; but apparently the only British localities hitherto recorded are the Minch (M'Intosh), and Anglesey (Hornell). A full description and coloured figures of the species may be found in M'Intosh's Monograph of the British Annelids. Gregg Wii^son. Queen's College, Belfast. CEnistis quadra in Queen's County. A female specimen of this scarce moth was sent to the Dublin Museum during August by Mrs. Stack, who had found it near Ballylinan, in Queen's County, only a few miles from the border of Co. Kildare. Probably this species will be found to have a fairly wide range in the south of Ireland. Geo. H. Carpenter. Irish Freshwater Mites. In the Annals and Magazine of Natural History (vol. xii., ser. 7, pp. 505- 515) and the Zoologischer Anzeigei' (vol. xxvi., pp. 265-272) for 1903 there are two papers by Mr. J. N. Halbert on Irish Freshwater Mites, with notes and figures of new and rare species. Three genera only are referred to i.e.y Hydrachna, Eylais^ and Arrhenurus. The two first mentioned are large red mites w^hich may be found swimming actively about amongst weeds in stagnant or slowly-flowing water during the summer months ; while the numerous species of Arrhenurus are remarkable for great beauty of structure in the males, and their bright colouring — usually some shade of red, blue, or green. The following species are recorded in these genera : — Hydrachna pahidosa, Then, (new to Britain) \H. scutata, Piersig ; H. biscutaia, Sig Thor. ; H. incisa (new species) ; H. Lcegel, Koenike ; H. viaculifera, Piersig ; H. dissimilis (new species) ; H. conjecta, Koenike ; H, globosa, diO. Oq^v \ Eylais hamata, Koenike; E. Koenikei {no^y/ st^q.ciq.s); E. extendens, Muller ; E. symmetrica (new species) ; E. neglecta, Sig Thor. ; E. undulosa, Koenike ; E. soari, Piersig and var. instabilis (new variety) ; E. triarcuata, Piersig ; E. unisiuuata, Croneberg; E. spinipes, Sig Thor ; E. injundibulifera, Koenike and var. stagnalis (new variety) ; E. celtica (new species). Arrhenurus globator, Muller ; A. sectiriformis, Piersig ; A. cylindratus^ Piersig; A. caudatus, de Geer; A. Ereemani {n^w species) ; A. cuspidi/er, Piersig ; A. Halberti, Piersig ; A. ornatus^ George ; A. maculator, Muller ; I904- Notes. 29 A. dilatatus (new species) ; A. crenatus^ Koenike (new to Britain) ; A, tricuspidator, Muller ; A. claviger^ Koenike ; A. Bruzelii, Koenike ; A. albator, Muller ; A. crassicaudatus, Kramer , A. Kaiiei, Halbt. ; A. siniiator, Muller ; A. jorpicatiis, Neuman ; A. solidus, Piersig ; A. sciilptus (new species) ; A. triincatellus, Muller. Most of these are widely distributed European species ; some, how ever, are very rare, such as A. Kanei, which was dredged in Lough Erne and elsewhere in Ulster. It is nearly related to a Scandinavian species — A nobilis — described by Neuman many years ago from I^ake Malar. Decalcification of Freshwater Shells. While dredging some years ago for the Fauna and Flora Committee, R.I.A., in the deep hole in Lough Neagh, south of Toome, I noticed in all my hauls, in between about 80 to 96 feet, some curious-looking objects like minute collapsed bladders. They were very numerous, translucent pale brown in colour, and about one quarter of an inch in diameter. These were most puzzling. It was evident they were not the outer cases of fish eggs that had hatched out — they seemed too large for that. I submitted them to various authorities, none of whom could connect them with any likely source. In Maj^ this year Mr. J. Pearson and I were dredging in Lough Neagh for the newly-established Biological Laboratory at Larne, and on the margin of the deep rift, in about sixty feet of water, some Valvata piscinalis qm^ Limncsa peregta came up. These were placed in a deep, wide-mouthed bottle, and, on swirling round, some specimens were noticed in which almost all the shell seemed merely epidermis, with only a small portion of the calcareous part of the shell remaining in the spire. Later, in the deep hole — 96 feet— we obtained a few Bythinia teniacvlata, Valvata piscinalis, and abundance of Sphcerhan cornenvi, of which the epidermis only remained, with a few in which portion of the shell was present. "With these were many Mysis rclicta. This, then, was the explanation of my old finds — they were S. corneum, entirely decalcified by acid in the water. This deep hole is a mass of fine black mud, a veritable graveyard of myriads of shells, &c., which live in the neighbourhood, with much decaying vegetable matter and it is evidently the carbonic acid set free from decaying animal and vegetable life that has dissolved the lime of the shells, leaving the epidermis intact. This, as it floats round in water in a bottle, keeps the form of the shell perfectly, especially in the case of the univalves. As the dredge disturbed the bottom mud, masses of bubbles ascended to the surface, doubtless carbonic acid gas. This question, however, we hope to settle definitely on a future visit, with some othei faunistic questions connected with this extremely limited deep area of a lough which is very shallow, indeed, when compared with its large size. R. WKI.CH. Belfast. 30 The Irish Naturalist, January, Temporary disappearance of Paludestrina ventrosa. A few fresh-water shells are known to (seemingly) disappear from their regular habitats some years, and, judging by what I have noticed at Magheramorne, on Larne Lough, this brackish water species might be added to the number. I would, however, like to have the experience of other observers on this point. This particular localit}' cannot be dis- turbed by specially high tides. R. WEI.CH. Belfast. CcBcilianella acicula in Ulster. On Wednesday, October 14, while driving through part of the lime- stone district about four miles north of Carrickmacross, I saw at the other side of a field some much-weathered craggj^-looking limestone, with some dry banks between the crags that could not be cultivated. I at once said to my companion that I should find C. aciada there if it was to be found in the district. Within five minutes, simply by turning over stones, I came across three specimens alive, one full, the other two half grown, adhering to the stone, but none actually on the ground. Under another stone I found three dead sjiells. As a rule I have found the living specimens adhering to stones when turned up, so I always look carefully at the stone before examining the ground. The limestone in that locality is Upper Limestone. I believe this is the first time this shell has been recorded for Ulster. Thompson's localities mentioned in his Nat. Hist, of Ireland^ vol. 4, are much further south. In Dr. ScharfTs list (/. N.^ 1892), and the last edition of the Conchological Society's Census, it is not listed from any Ulster county. Dr. ScharfFin his notes states that it has seldom been found alive. P. H. Grierson. Irish Land Commission, Dublin. The Hawfinch in Donegal. On Saturday, October 17, I observed a single specimen of the Haw- finch {Coccothratistes vu/ga7is), at Clonmanj^ Co. Donegal. I was fishing when it lighted on a tree less than twenty yards from me, and remained there for some minutes. J. R. LEEbody. Londonderry. Bear remains in a Bog. Two molar teeth and a large canine of a Bear were recently discovered in Donore Bog, Queen's County, by Henry Keuna, of Shanaboe. They were found about seven feet from the surface, in what is known as a •' black bog," within a mile and a half from Mountrath station. Bear remains have so very rarely been met Avitli in Irish bogs that such finds deserve to be specially recorded. The interesting teeth have been presented to the National Museum in Dublin, where they are now preserved. R. F. SCHARFE. 1904. Notes. 3T GEOLOGY. Cave Exploration in Co. Clare. At the Southport meeting of the British Association an interesting account of the exploration by the Irish Cave Committee of the Edenvale Caves, Co. Clare, was given by Mr. R. J. Ussher. He stated that in April, 1902, Dr. Scharff and he visited some caves in the Co. Clare, and decided to explore two at Edenvale, near Ennis, which adjoined each other, and proved to be connected. Another system of connected caves was subsequently explored there, and both -groups of cavities were found to be prolific in remains of animals now extinct in Ireland, and in human relics of different periods. Edenvale House stands on a ridge of Carboniferous limestone, which forms the western side of a deeply cleft anticlinal ;' in the'chasm thus formed lies a lake of relatively great depth, which is surrounded by a steep declivity on all sides but one. The first two cavities referred to, which have been named the Alice and the Gwendoline caves, open in a low escarpment on the western side of the PMenvale ridge. Their aspect is southerly. The Alice cave, after running a straight course for eighty feet, was found to terminate in an upward opening that had been filled in with earth and stones, and contained material resembling that found in kitchen middens. At forty feet from the mouth of this cave a gallery branched off, and connected it with the Gwendoline cave on a lower level. At fifteen feet from the mouth of the Alice cave a projection in the rocky wall was worn smooth, as if by the constant rubbing of creatures which had passed in and out. In most parts of these caves two strata were distinguishable: — ist and upper. — Brown earth, occasionally containing calcareous tufa. In this stratum was found much charcoal, bones of man and domestic animals in a fragmentary state, and also objects of human art of various descriptions — a bone pin or awl, an amber bead, a bracelet of bronze, and another of gold. 2nd.— A lower stratum composed of clay, generally of a yellow- ochre tint, but sometimes purplish. Bones and teeth of Reindeer and Bear were found chiefly in the latter stratum, and the ursine remains indicated that they belonged to indi- viduals of great size. Having removed the fossiliferous deposits of the above caves, opera- tions were commenced at the orifice of the second group, opening in the cliff-face under Edenvale House overlooking the lake. This cave runs fifty feet into the rock, but is traversed by a series of galleries, some of which are wide and confluent. One of these galleries was excavated for a distance of sixty feet, and it was found to be crossed by another cave that led out to the cliff, but whose orifice is blocked. This system of caves is so extensive and complex that it was named the Catacombs. It has proved still more fruitful than the former caves in relics of man and of extinct animals. Human bones were frequent, and in one place an assemblage of these included a cranium, 32 The Irish Naturalist. January, 1904. not far from wbicli there were two stout iron knife-blades. A strap of bronze, bearing a buckle, was found elsewhere, ornamented with an interlaced pattern in silver plating. In other parts of the Catacombs were chipped flint scrapers, a bone piercer, a tusk of a large boar pierced as if to form an amulet, and a marine shell similarly pierced. Several marine shells occurred, although the sea is mauj- miles away from the site ; also much charcoal, and bones of Horse, Ox, Pig, Sheep or Goat, and Dog- Bones and teeth of Bear and Reindeer were of daily occurrence in excavating the deposits, and in a few cases pieces of the bones and of the antlers of the Great Irish Deer (Irish Elk) were obtained. The large collections of human and animal remains found in the Bdenvale caves are in course of examination, and the further exploration of the Cata- combs is in progress, there being reason to believe that the unexplored portions considerably exceed those that have been examined. During June, July, and August, 1903, Mr. Ussher continued the exca- vation of the Catacombs at Bdenvale for nine weeks ; and as the work proceeded fresh galleries were discovered, the entire forming one of the most complex systems of caves known in Ireland. Though the animal remains filled but ten baskets, as against twenty in 1902, the proportion of extinct species was larger. The Irish Elk was more numerously represented, its larger bones having had their ends broken off, as if to extract the marrow. Remains of Bear and Reindeer were also of frequent occurrence, and in the upper stratum there were many human bones. The Lemming has also been identified by Dr. Scharff among the smaller bones found in the Alice Cave in 1902, and was also obtained this year in the Catacombs ; in both cases its remains were in the upper stratum. Excavations were afterwards commenced in the mouth of a cave at New Hall, near Edenvale ; this contained two foot-bones of Bear, as well as remains of man and domestic animals, sea shells, charcoal, hand- made pottery, delicately-pointed bone piercers, carved canines of dog or wolf, and a bronze pin of the ancient type. This New Hall cave proves to be more extensive than was supposed, and awaits further exploration. NEWS GLEANINGS. Popular Natural History. Professor Gregg Wilson, D.Sc, is giving a course of twelve evening lectures on "Marine Zoology" in Queen's College, Belfast. These lec- tures are open to the public, and Dr. Wilson uses local specimens and examples as much as possible. The working members of the Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association have derived much instruction from these lectures, but the attendance of the public is disappointing. The Dublin Museum demonstrations are being held as usual during the months of December, January, and February. A full list of the subjects and speakers will be found on the .second page of our cover. February, 1904. 33 A I.IST OF THE IRISH FUMITORIES IN THE HERBARIUM OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, DUBLIN, BY MISS M. C. KNOWI.KS. SiNCK the publication of Mr. H. W. Pugsley's paper on the British capreolate Fumitories in \h.^ Joiir7ial of Bofa7iy, April, 1902, it has become evident to Irish field botanists that the list of Fumitories recorded from Ireland needs revision. To help with this, last autumn, with Professor Johnson's consent, 1 wrote to Mr. Pugsley to see if he w^ould be good enough to go through and revise the naming of the Irish specimens in the collections of the National Museum. He very kindly agreed to do this, and these notes are based on the results of his examination. Of the 102 Irish specimens sent, which comprised those in the herbariums of A. G. More and H. C. Levinge as well as those in the general Irish herbarium, Mr. Pugsley was able to name 84 with certainty, as follows : — 29 Fumaria officinalis^ L-, 25 F. co7ificsa, Jord., 12 F. capreolata^ L-, i\ F. Borcei, Jord., 2 F. densiflora^ DC, i F. parviflo7'a^ Lam., 4 F. pitrpureay Pugsley. Besides these, there are 6 specimens of an ally or variety of F. co7ifusa which so far Mr. Pugsley has only seen from Ireland, and about which he says he can come to no definite conclusion until he has seen the plant growing wild. He places it provisionally under F. co7i f 21 s a,] or d. as a variety, and in the list these 6 specimens are so placed. Of the nine specimens in the collections that had been referred to F. 7nuralis, Sond., three have been transferred to F. BorcEi, Jord., four to F. co7ifiisa, Jord., and two to F. offici7ialis, L- ; and we are left without a single Irish specimen of true F. 77mralis. It will be interesting to see if it grows in Ireland at all. Mr. Pugsley says it is very rare in Britain. Among the large number of Fumitories from Great Britain in this Museum of which Mr. Pugsley has also kindly revised the naming, there is only one specimen of F. 77iuraliSf Sond., from the herbarium of Dr. Steele. A 34 The Irish Naturalist. February, In making out the list I have followed the plan adopted by Mr. Praeger in his Irish Topographical Botany. Fumarla capreolata, L. 8. Limerick. Gravel-pits, Foynes, October, 1902 — Miss O'Brien. Ardanoir, Fo3'nes, June, 1903 — M. C. Knowles. 9. Ciiiu7n Vitis-Idcea, L — On the slight hill between Kippure and See- fingan, and tolerably abundant on Seefingan. Kippure and Seecawn are the only recorded stations. Andromeda Poli/olia, Iv. — A frequent ingredient of the wetter bogs on the mountains, and almost always present where Sci?-pus caspitosus be- comes abundant. Noticed all along the ridge on which the county boundar}' runs from Kippure to the Military road; on the east side of the Military road near where it crosses the county boundary; on Glendoo Mountain ; on the ridge west of Prince William's Seat ; and in a wet bog N.E. of the same hill (presumably the station noted by Mr. Colgan, I.N., 1903, p. 189). Mentha rubra, Huds. — Established in wild ground on the north bank of the Dodder a quarter of a mile above Rathfarnham bridge. Ap- parently not on record for the county. Lastrea Oreopteris, Presl. — Sparingly by the Killakee stream at 1,250 feet. Grows luxuriantly, and in some abundance by the Cot Brook in Glenasmole, and sparingly by the stream north of Seecawn. Equisetum liyemale, L. — Abundant along a roadside fence east of Mount Venus (Mrs. R. LI. Praeger). R. Liv. Praeger. Dublin. Iris faetidissima in West Mayo. It may perhaps interest readers of the Irish Naturalist to hear that Iris fatidissima, as recorded by Mr. Praeger last year (vol. xii., p. 269), has been well established for some years in West Mayo. I noticed a good many plants growing by the roadside at Murrisk, close to the foot of Croaghpatrick, on thellrive from Louisburgh to Westport, on the 28th June, 1900, and was specially interested in the discovery, as it was new to District VIII. of the Cybelc Hibernica. Frances M. More. Rathmines. I904- Notes. 43 Juncus tenuis in County Down. The occurrence of this plant in County Down has already been briefly an- nounced in the Irish Naturalist. It happened that in August, 1899, I found three or four tufts of a slender, wiry rush, which, not at that time knowing Juncus tenuis, I thought possibly might be a curious seaside variety of /. squarrosus. It lay with other unexamined things until the autumn of 1902, when, on re-examination, its true position dawned on me. In view of the fact that this rush had only recently been detected in Ireland by Mr. R. W. Scully, and was not 3'et known in the north, it became of importance to know to what extent it prevails in this new station, and in early July, 1903, I made this attempt, but was not successful. This lack of success was not due to any scarcity of the plant, but, perhaps, because the flower stems were not up, and the leaves were hidden amongst other rushes, grasses, and various plants. Another search at the latter end of August showed /uncus tenuis in abundance, occupying a belt over 100 yards in length, by from one yard to three j^ardsin breadth. In this belt it is the principal feature, growing in dense tufts with stems from 10 to 20 inches in height. The locality is the enclosure of reclaimed and at Belfast harbour which has been named Victoria Park, This rush does not grow on the redaimed slobland, but at the upper end on what is the old sandy stony margin of the lough. It is confined to the belt already mentioned, save about a dozen of isolated tufts occurring at a distance of some 50 yards. Subsequently, I have examined the shore in a seaward direction for two miles without finding any further extension of this rush. The County Antrim shore was also searched for a similar distance, but without success. The question arises, how has this plant remained so long undetected in this accessible and well known spot } It must, I think, be due to the fact that until the flower stems appear one may pass cloje by without sitspecting its presence. Besides this, the collector is attracted to the drains and marshes which show such tempting masses of vegetation and gayer blooms. S. A. Stewart. Belfast. ZOOLOGY. A Rare Copepod. A female specimen of Monstrilla longiretnis was obtained in the surface tow-net in Larne Lough, on December 8th. Its length— not including the antennte— was 4^ mm. On January 14th and i8th five male specimens were obtained, four in the bottom tow-net, and one in the surface tow- net. This Copepod, so far as I can ascertain, is new to Ireland, although it has been recorded on one or two occasions on the English side of the Irish Sea. Joseph Pearson. Marine Laboratory, Larne Harbour. 44 The Irish Naturalist. February, Large Lepidoptera at Wexford. A perfect specimen of Sphinx convolvuli was given me on the 29tli September by two boys, who found it resting ou a post on the railway embankment, near Wexford terminus. It was freshly emerged. In September I was given, by the Chief Warder, Wexford Prison, a caterpillar of the Death's-Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, which he found in the garden feeding on the potato plant. It is now pupating. Close to the River Slaney, and about a mile from Wexford, I found, feeding on sallow (5th October), some hundreds of caterpillars of the Oak-Egger moth, Lasiocampa qiierciis. I took some of them, and they continued to feed for about a week, but are now hiding under moss. J. H. Johnston. Wexford. Marine MoUusca of Achill. The following species are additional to the list of Achill moUusca given by Mrs. Tatlow and Mr. Praeger in /. N., June, 1898. Dr. Chaster has kindl)' identified the critical species. The two marked with an asterisk are new to Province V. (From Loop Head to Erris Head). Vclsella phaseolina.* Scala clathratula. Modiolaria costulata.* Aclis minor. Thyasira flexuosa. Odostomia plicata. Tellimya ferruginosa. Brachystomia albella. Spisula subtruncata. Pyrgulina indistincta. Cardium fasciatum. Spiralinella spiralis, nodosum. Leiostraca biliueata. Dentalium vulgare [ = taren- Mangilia striolata. tinum ]. Diaphana hyalina. All were obtained last September from the bay near Lough Nambrack. On the sandy shore of Sruhill Lough (tidal), on the east coast of the island, the predominant species were Cardium edule and Skenia planorbis, A. L. Massy. Malahide. Porbeagle Shark in Killala Bay. On the 20th November, when walking along the Enniscrone sands, I found two specimens of the Porbeagle Shark {Lafuna conmbicd) thrown up by the surf, they had been evidently ashore for some days. The largest measured 7 feet from point of snout to end of longest lobe of tail, the other specimen about 6 inches shorter. Each had a double row of teeth on sides of upper and lower jaw, and three rows in front of each. They were apparently females, for I saw no claspers on either specimen. Robert Warren. Moyview, Ballina. t9o4» Notes* 45 Food of Gillaroo Trout, Mr. W. B Fennell in dissecting a | lb. Gillaroo Trout at Lough Melviii found in the stomach a mass of freshwater shells, including 80 specimens of Valvata piscinalis, over a dozen Bythinia tentaculata, several Lvniuxa peregra, with one each of L. siagnalis, P. carinahis and P, contortiis, Belfast. R. Wei^ch. A Winter Corncrake in Co. Galway. While snipe shooting near Kilure bog, Clonbrock, in company with Mr. Dillon, on Wednesday, 25th November, the keeper (Mason) pointed me out a corncrake {Crex pratensis) running in the grass. IvEOPOI^D H. CONGREVE. Waxwings in Ulster. There appears to have been a flight of Waxwings {Ampelis garrulus) to the north of Ireland last year (1903). I have notes of over twenty having been seen or shot. The first was shot in the townland of Bleary, Co. Armagh, on 22ud October. It was reported to Mr. W. H. Workman at the B.N.F.C. Conversazione on October 28. I understand it was sent to Dublin to be mounted. The second was obtained near Loughgall, Co. Armagh, on ist November, and examined by me. On 6th November two beautiful males were shot at Toomebridge, Co. Antrim. For three weeks none were reported, and then, on 29th November, two were sent up from the town of Antrim, with the information that they were " plentiful" in Lord Massereene's demesne, and that the sender could have shot as many as he liked. Fortunately he was content with two. On 2nd December three were seen at Larne, Co. Antrim, and one of them shot, as Mr. Coey kindly informed me. I saw the latter, which was a female. Then on 5th December two were seen (one shot) at Lissue, Co. Antrim. Mr N. H. Foster sent me this one, an immature female. On the same date another female was shot at Aghalee, Co. Antrim. A female was picked up dead at Whitehead, Co. Antrim, on 8th December. (This is the same specimen that Mr. Tomliuson records on p. 46). Two more were shot at Islandmagee, Co. Antrim, on loth December, while five others were seen about the same date near Larne. One of these was captured alive by Mr. Coey and kept in a cage for some days, but it died on 21st Dec- ember and Mr. Coey kindly sent it to me. The last I have a note of is one that Mr. Foster informs me was seen in Hillsborough Demesne, Co. Down, on 6th January, 1904. But I was informed on reliable authority that a flock of over thirty was seen about the middle of December near Glenarm, Co. Antrim. October seems to be a remarkably earl}' date for this northern bird to visit us. Indeed I can find no other Irish record for this month, and only one or two previous occurrences in Nov- ember. The above notes record one in October and five in November, and probably other observers in Ireland will be able to add to these this year, if the flight has been of any magnitude. Holywood, Co. Down. Robert Patterson. 46 The Irish NattC7'alist. February, The Waiwing in Co. Antrim. All adult female of this rare visitor was found near the Whitehead Station of Belfast and Northern Counties Railway on the morning of the Sth December, having been killed during the preceding night by flying against the telegraph wires on the railway line. Mr. Berkeley D.Wise, C.E., the chief engineer of the Company, had it sent to Wm Sheals, Belfast, for mounting. The latter reported that he had received five others for a similar purpose during the previous months a record worthy of note. W. J. C. TOMLINSON. Belfast. Siskin Breeding in the Co. Wicklow. A young friend, formerly a parishioner of mine, found a pair of Siskins breeding this year near Rathdrum, in the Co. Wicklow. He has written to me several particulars about the birds, which perhaps may prove of interest to others. Two nests were found — the first on Ma}' 4. This nest was taken on the 19th, and it contained two eggs, one of which unfortunately was broken in the fall of the branch upon which the nest was built. He carefully measured the height of the nest, and wrote sa3ung it was fifty-three feet from the ground, and about fifteen feet from the stem of the tree. He saw the bird taking moss from a Goldfinch's as well as a Chafiinch's nest. The second nest, like the first, was also found in a Scotch Fir, in the topmost branches, seventy-two feet from the ground. It was placed in a fork, and well hidden. The old birds were very fearless. Indeed, the hen bird was so tame that she went on the nest first found several times when he stopped shaking the bough. The second nest was less than 200 yards distant from the first one. It also contained two eggs. He found it by watching the old bird stealing moss from a Chaffinch's nest. He is almost certain that it belonged to the same pair of birds, as he discovered it only a few daj's' later. When he found it, on the 24th May, this nest contained two eggs, and the same number on the 27th. I have frequently seen Siskins about Portlaw — several times in small flocks in the surrounding woods during winter, and again in smaller numbers in spring. I have little doubt but that they breed in this neighbourhood, though I have never found the nest. I had never heard of the Siskin's thieving propensities, until my young informant wrote me word. I may mention that he is a most accurate and careful observer, and while he lived in my parish gave me a good deal of help in natural history. Three years ago he brought me numerous cater- pillars and pupae of Qinistis quadra, and showed me a great many larvae feeding on lichens on Oak, Beech, and Whitethorn. A most interesting and detailed account of the Siskin, its life history, breeding habits, and distribution, is given by Mr. Ussher in his " Birds of Ireland." WiiyiviAM W.Fi,e;mYng. Coolfin, Portlaw. 1904. Notes, 47 Grasshopper Warbler at Lough Swilly. On the i6th June, at about half-past nine in the evening, I heard the Grasshopper Warbler close to my house, in an Alder scrub by a ditch, close to a water-lily pond. From that date till the loth of July I heard it each night that I went to listen, which was nearly every night. It generally began about half-past eight, and from that time never ceased till dawn, as long as I was present. I saw the birds a couple of times, once about the end of August, but was careful not to disturb them, as I have no doubt they were nesting. The note resembled the call-note of a wren to its young, but was quicker in trill and quite continuous, and higher-pitched as well as softer. It seemed to swing a little from high to low in cadence, and would often appear to be orily a few feet from me; at other times, twice or three times as many yards within a second or two. I have only heard them once before, twenty years ago in Co. Wexford. I understand the Rev. A. Delap has heard them at the south end of the county on the Tyrone borders. I brought several natives to listen to the notes at different nights, to all of whom it was new. One woman compared it to the reeling up of the "rowings" on the spinning wheel. It was a good year here for Warblers ; both Willow Wren and Chiffchaff stayed some time, which is not always the case. H. C. Hart. Carrablagh; Co. Donegal. Cuckoo's Note uttered while Flying. Some years ago (during 1894) a number of notes by different writers appeared in the Zoologist with reference to the Cuckoo calling while on the wing. At the time it seemed to me to be a rather unusual occur- rence, though several observers stated that they had noticed it not uncommonly. This year I had a good opportunity of watching a Cuckoo at Tramore in this count}^ and listened to it uttering its call while flying. On one day (June 4) I heard it repeat " cuckoo " no less than eight times during one continued flight, and shortly afterwards the bird called five times, also during one flight. Professor Newton spells the bird's name" Cuckow," in the 4th edition of Yarrell's " British Birds" ; and, in an account of the bird to be found in the last edition of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica," vol. vi., p. 685, he states that thus •* the word was formerly, and more correctly, spelt, changed without any apparent warrant except that accorded by custom, while some of the more scholarly English ornithologists, as Montague and Jenyns, have kept the older form." It seems to me that there was good reason for altering the spelling to " Cuckoo." The bird's name admittedly was given to it on account of the note it utters, as is also the case with regard to other birds— ^.^^., Chiffchaff, Curlew, Hoopoe. I think that most observers will say that " cuckoo" is nearer to the bird's note than " cuckow." W11.1.IAM W. Fl^EMYNG. Portlaw. 48 The h'ish Naturalist. February, In'voluntary Capture of a Swallow. Many years ago, walking by the river Manifold, a tributary of the Dore, I saw a Swallow caught on a fishing line, which was itself caught on a tree. The bird flew backwards and forwards as far as the length of the line permitted, and then hung exhausted temporarily, while from time to time another Swallow descended and attacked the line vigorously with its beak. The prisoner was quite uninjured when released, the hook had passed through the soft part of the lower mandible. It was a pretty sight to see the meeting of the two birds high in the air. Laura R. THORNKr> 56 M 51 J> 53 ), 53 •» 51 >) 45 (1 43 1 > 49 »» 54 The Irish Naturalist, March, Tabi,e II.— Showing Number of Months during which Different Species were observed. Mistle Thrush {Ttirdtis viscivorus). Song Thrush {Tnrdus viusicus), . Redwing {Turdits iliacns)^ Fieldfare {Ttu'dus pilaris). Blackbird ( Tnrdus menild), Stonechat {Praiincola rtibicold), Pedbreast {Erithacus rtibeculd), Whitethroat {Sylvia cinered), Goldcrest {Reguhts cristatus), ChiffchafF {Phylloscopus rupis)^ Willow Warbler {Phylloscopus trochibis)^ Sedge Warbler {Acrocephalus phragviitis), Grasshopper Warbler {Loaisfella iia:via\ Hedge Sparrow {Accentor niodttlaris), Dipper {Cinchis aqziatictts), Long-tailed Tit {Acredula catidata\ Great Tit {Porus major), Coal Tit {Partis ater'), Blue Tit {Parus cceruletis), Wren {Troglodytes pai-vtilus), Tree Creeper {Certhia fatniliaris), Pied Wagtail {Motacilla higiibris), Grey Wagtail {Motacilla melanope), Meadow Pipit {Anthtis pratensis), Waxwing {Ampelis garruhis), Spotted Flycatcher {Musicapa grisold)^ Swallow {Hirtmdo rtistica), House Martin {Chelidon urbicd). Sand Martin {Cotile riparid). Greenfinch {Liguriinis chloris). Siskin {Cardtitlis spimis'). House Sparrow {Passer domesticus), Chaffinch {Fringilla coelebs). Linnet {Linota cannabina), Lesser Redpoll {Linota rttfesccm), Bullfinch {Pyrrhtda etiropad), Common Bunting {Eniberiza miliaria), Yellow Bunting {Emberiza citrinella), Reed Bunting {Emberiza scha-niclus), Starling {Stiirnns vulgaris). Magpie {Pica rnsticd). Jackdaw {Corvus moneduld), Rook {Coi-vtts frugilegits), Skylark {Alatida aj-z'ensis), Swift ( Cypsehis apus), 12 12 5 5 12 7 12 6 12 8 6 3 3 12 2 8 12 12 12 12 ID 9 12 II I 5 7 4 3 ID 6 12 12 TO 12 12 4 12 9 12 12 12 12 12 4 1904. FosTKR. — The Birds of a Neighbourhood. 55 Kingfisher {Akedo isptda), Cuckoo {Cucuhis canorus), Barn Owl {Strix flammea). Long-eared Owl (^Asio otis), Sparrow Hawk {Accipiter nisus), Kestrel {Fako tinmmailus), Heron {Ardea cinered). Mute Swan {Cygnus olor). Mallard (Anas dosras), Tufted Duck (Ftiligula cristatd), Scaup {Ftdigtda marild). Ring Dove {Cohwiba pahwibus), Pheasant {Phasiamis colchiais), Landrail {Crex pratensis\ Water-rail (Rallus aquaticus), Moorhen {Gallhmla chloropiis). Coot {Fulica atrd), Lapwing {Vanelhts vulgaris)^ Woodcock {Scolopax rtisticuld), Snipe {Gallinago coslestis), Sandpiper (Totanus hypoleiiciis), Redshank (Totamis caltdris), Curlew {NuDienius arqiiatd), Black-headed Gull {Lartis ridibiindus), Common Gull (Lams caniis)^ Herring Gull (Larus argeuiaiKs), Little Grebe {Podkipes fltiviatilis')^ Hillsborough, Co. Down. 6 3 I I 7 7 II 12 6 2 I 12 II 4 I 12 7 II I 10 2 I 2 8 2 4 9 NEWS GLEANINGS. John Grattan. Prof. Symington has issued in pamphlet form his recent presidential address to the Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society on the craniological work of the late John Grattan, of Belfast. The address is a high appreciation of the exact methods and mechanical skill of this but little known investigator, and Grattan's ingenious form of craniometer is illustrated and described. S. A. Stewart Our heartiest congratulations to our veteran colleague, S. A. Stewart, of Belfast, on his election to the Associateship of the Linnean Society. A 2 c5 Marcli> FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE FI.ORA OF COUNTY DUBLIN, WITH NOTES ON SOME DOUBTFUL RECORDS. BY NATHANIEL!, COI^GAN, M.R.I.A. When publishing some recent botanical records for the County Dublin in the pages of this Journal in July last, the belief was expressed that in spite of the advanced stale of our knowledge of the county flora some further additions might be expected in the shape of aliens, or critical sub-species. The results of last year's field work have fully justified this expectation. No less than three native and four alien plants have been added to the flora, a proof, if any were needed (and no experienced field worker requires any), that there is no such thing as finality in the botanical exploration of even the smallest county. These additions to the flora are printed in small capitals in the following list, the aliens being distinguished by an asterisk, and at the same time a few records for the rarer county species have been thrown in, the whole being arranged in the usual botanical sequence. Except where otherwise stated, the writer is the authority for the records. Nasturtium palustre, DC In damp muddy ground by the Broad- meadow Water, above Fieldstown, 1903. Trlfollum filiforme, L. — In moist peaty ground at the northern end of the Bog of the Ring, 1903, a wilder station than those in which this species is usually found in Ireland, where it often seems open to the suspicion of having been introduced with grass seed. Agrimonia odorata, Miller. — Sparingly with A. Eupatoria amongst bushes on a grassy roadside at Castle Bagot, Milltown, midway between Clondalkin and Newcastle, 1903 ; apparently very rare in the county. *Sedum rupestre, Hudson. — Fully established and looking quite wild on old rock cuttings in the abandoned limestone quarry at Cloghran, near Cloghran church, Swords, 1903. Galium uliginosum, L.— In fair quantity amongst Sphagnum in a marsh on the flank of Kilmashogue Mountain above Stackstown, at a height of 800 feet, 1903. In Wade's Dublin, 1794, this species is recorded as found growing in wet pastures and by hedges around Templeogue and Tereuure. Wade's authority is, however, insuffi- cient for a critical species such as this is. His records have never been confirmed, and there can be little doubt that his Terenure and 1904. CoivGAN. — Additions to the Flora of Coimty Dublin. 57 Templeogue plant was the var. JVz^/termgii of the coniuion G. palustre^ so that the present record may fairly be taken as the first for the county. It gives the highest vertical range so far observed for the species in Ireland. In Great Britain it attains to an elevation of at least 1,600 feet. Hleraclum murorum, L., var. maculosum, Dahlstedt. — I am indebted to Mr. Praeger for the suggestion that the new Co. Dublin Hawkweed recorded in these pages in July last under the name H. viaculosumf Dahlstedt, might be better named as above, in accordance with the London Catalogue. On re-consulting autho- rities, I find that although Dahlstedt originally described the plant as a species, he afterwards subordinated it as a variety to H. murorum. When comparing my specimens with the description in F. N. Williams's Prodromtis Flor. Brit., p. 136, I extracted by oversight the old synonym instead of the more recent varietal name, which is no doubt better fitted to mark the position of the plant as a member of the complex group, H. nmrortim. He would be a bold man, indeed, who should venture to dogmatise as to the limits of species and varieties in this protean genus, but in the present case it would appear to be the safest course to adopt the varietal name. In cultivation, the conspicuous blotching of the leaves persists, and the Rev. W. R. Linton, having more closely studied the plant, accepts my naming, as he finds the differences between it and Dahlstedt's maculosum insufficient to warrant their separation. It is probably an alien in Co. Dublin ; how or whence introduced does not appear. Senecio viscosus, L. — Some fresh Howth records for this rare species have been kindly supplied to me by Miss R. M. Mahaflfy, who found it between the Bailey Lighthouse and Sutton in 1900, and on Sutton beach in the present year. Though now extremely rare, this species has held its ground in or around Howth for at least TIG years. *IVIatrIcaria occldcntalls, Greene. — In the first record of the appearance in Ireland of the interesting alien, Matricaria discoidea DC. (Jr. Nat., iii., 215), attention was drawn to the two very distinct forms in which it occurred in Co. Dublin— one, the common form, a low, procumbent, much-branched plant, with small flower heads and entire seed crown ; the other, upright and more robust, with large heads and toothed seed-apex. This latter plant, described in Asa Oray's Synoptical Flora of North Atnerica, 1886, and, apparently with good reason, constituted a species by E. L. Greene, appears to be spreading in Ireland, though still rare. In 1902 I found a few vigorous plants growing in waste ground by the Grand Canal below Hazlehatch, its third station for Co. Dublin. Dr. Scully has already recorded it for N. Kerry (Jr. Nat., xii., 114). It would be of interest to have further details of its Irish distribution, as it is likely to occur sparingly wherever M. discoidea is found. In California, 58 The Irish Nattiralht. March according to W. L. Jepson (/%;-. West. Mid California, 1901, p 515), its habitat is the " rich soil of fields," while the commoner M. discoidea, as with us, usually inhabits beaten tracks. A very- distinct dwarf variety of /!/. discoidea, the var. pygmcca of Semler, whicli is found in sandy ground in Bavaria, has not so far been recorded for Ireland, though it may be expected to occur. Nurnberg specimens of this variety in my herbarium are uniformly one- flowered, with unbranched stems ranging from an inch to an inch and a half in height. Llthospcrmum arvense, L. — A single plant near King James's Castle, Finglas, 1903 (Miss M. C. Knowles). Sparingly by the roadside near Carrickmines, 1903 (Arthur D. O'Murchoe). It is hard to decide whether this species be more than a casual in Co. Dublin. Though there are fairly numerous records for it reaching back for a century, in almost all cases it appears to occur in very small quantit}'. *LiNARiA PURPUREA, Miller, — In profusion and thoroughly established for fully 100 yards along the bank of a deep railway cutting, near Island Bridge, 1903. It has undoubtedly originated here as a garden escape or outcast. Chenopodium murale, L. — In two places near Corballis, Portrane, 1903 (Dr. Scully & N. C). Though very rare in Dublin and ap- parently becoming rarer, the appearance of this species in various stations from time to time within the last ico years entitles it to a place in the county flora. *HiPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES, L. — Now fully naturalised on the Rush sand- hills, where it freely reproduces itself from seed. The following notes show its standing here in 1902 : — A large thicket on sandy bluff's above the beach at Rogerstown coast-guard station, with small scattered plants, apparently self sown, in the vicinity ; some hundreds of seedling plants spreading for forty-five paces along a sandy fallow near Rogerstown harbour, the seedlings obviously derived from a row of full grown bushes capping an adjacent sand-dike ; also a large clump on a knoll and in adjacent sandy hollows about 200 yards inland from the coast-guard station, with numerous seedlings appearing in the neighbourhood of the mature plants. In the same year I measured the bared roots of some mature plants growing at the edge of the sand bluffs which had been much undermined by storms and high seas. Though the bushes were no more than three feet high, some of their roots were fully sixteen feet long. Sallx Caprca, L.— This, the rarest of the native Co. Dublin willows, is quite frequent in the dense hazel copses of Lower Glenasmole, a short distance above Bohernabreena bridge, where I counted some dozens of well grown trees last year. •S. PENTANDRA, L. — Although this handsome willow has no claim to be considered native anywhere in Co. Dublin, it appears to be now so 1904. Coi^GAN. — Additions to the Flora of County Dublifi, 59 far naturalised near the head of Kelly's Glen as to deserve admission to the county flora. In this station, not the Kelly's Glen of the old botanists (Glenasmole), but the more eastern glen, now known by that name, and lying between Tibradden and Kilmashogue mountains, I have known this willow for fully a quarter of a century. Originally planted here near the old spa well, it is now spread for a couple of hundred yards along the river, not only in full grown trees but forming young thickets in swampy ground, where it grows in association with Alder and Salix atirita, and looks quite wild. Sparganium negi^ECTUM, Beeby. — Abundant by a marshy overflow of the Broadmeadow Water near Fieldstown, and frequent by the Royal Canal above Lucan station, 1903. Probably widespread in the county and throughout Ireland. This plant is very distinct in its fruit characters from typical S. raviosjtTti, and appears to be fully worthy to rank at least as a sub-species. Potamogcton plantag^lneus, Ducroz.— Occasional in the Royal Canal from Lucan to Clonsilla, 1901. There is reason to fear some error in the previous record for this plant in Cybele, 1866 : — " Common in ditches in the bogs amongst the Dublin mountains." Year after year it has been searched for in the mountains without success, and it seems probable that the Co. Dublin record may have been founded on some accidental mixing of herbarium specimens. If the above Royal Canal record be taken as the only certain one, then the species must be regarded as an alien for Co. Dublin, introduced by the Canal from the midland counties with other aquatic aliens, and long since become established. Sclrpus f luitans, L.— In pools at the Bog of the Ring, 1903.— A rare species in the county, so far, known to me in only two stations, Howth Head and that just recorded. It appears to be absent from the mountains, although its marked calcifuge character would lead one to expect its occurrence there in bog pools or bog drains. Carex axillaris, Good.— By the edge of a wet ditch at Castle Bagot, Milltown, 1903.— Not so well marked here as at Malahide, but like most hybrids this is very inconstant in its characters. C. pallcscens, L. — In the course of a tramp over Seecawn mountain and down the Dodder valley in July last with my friend, Mr. W. H. Bloomer, we had the pleasure of gathering this sedge for the first time in Co. Dublin. It grew in moist grassy places by the upper reservoir near Ballymorefinn, Glenasmole. In Mackay's Catalogue, 1825, this species is recorded for Kelly's Glen, the name then current for Glenasmole, and eight years later, in the Irish Flora, it is recorded for moist meadows at Howth. Wade, too, in 1804 {Planta Rariores) recorded it for Curragha Bog, a locality doubtfully in Dublin, and now drained. These are the only records previous to the present one, which gives welcome confirmation of a record more than three quarters of a century old. At Howth, the plant appears to be extinct. 6o The Irish Naturalist, March, Ci laevigata. Smith. — By the Slade, Glanasmole, at i,ioo feet, 1903 (W. H. Bloomer & N. C.)- — This is the highest station so far recorded for this sedge iu Ireland. Hordeum sccallnum, Schreber. — Sparingly by the Ward river at Brack enstown, 1903. This is a very rare grass in the county, unless it has been overlooked, which seems unlikely. The only other recent record is that by Mr. R. M. Barrington in the second edition of Cybele Hibernica for Broad Meadows, near Swords, where he found it in abundance in 1891. The publication of these notes on the Dublin flora offers a convenient opportunity of drawing attention to some doubtful records, chiefly referring to species not unlikely to occur in the count}^, although the evidence for their occurrence seems at present insufiScient. These species, with the evidence in favour of their inclusion in the county flora, are set out below in the hope that some reader of this paper may be in a position to supply me with further evidence either for or against their inclusion. Hitherto, I have failed myself to find any of them in the county, or to get any definite record for them from those best acquainted with the Dublin flora. In the following list 6"?//^^ means the Catalogue of the Plants of Dubli^i and Wicklow published in the British Association Guide of 1878. Nymphaea alba, L. — Royal Canal, etc., rare : Guide. Stellar la palustrls, Petz. — In Curragha Bog, County Dublin : Wade Kar. Wet slopes of the Dublin mountains (7I/£'^;-(?) : Cyb. Wlyrlophyllunn alternlflorum, DG. — Frequent in boggy places iu Dublin and Wicklow : Guide. Cnlcus pratensls, Willd. — Onabog nearKilliney Bay, 1814: Templeton MS. Above Marlay : Ir. Flor. This species undoubtedly occurs in Wicklow a short distance from the Dublin boundary. Wlyrlca Gale, L.— In mountainous and boggy situations, Dublin and Wicklow, local : Guide. Certainly occurs in Wicklow. Populus tremula, L.— Kelly's Glen : Flor. Hib. Dublin and Wicklow ; rocks and mountains, rather rare : Guide. Rhynchospora alba, Vahl.—Dublin and Wicklow : not unfrequent : Guide. Dublin Mountains, not common : Flor. Howth, App. Carex stricta, Good. — In the Bog of Curragha : Wade Rar. Dublin, by the side of the Royal Canal, &c. : Gidde. Wade's record, if it really belongs to Co. Dublin, is of little weight. I cannot discover the authority for the Royal Canal record, C, curta, Good.— Curragha Bog, Co. Dublin: Wade Rar. Foot of the Three Rock mountain above Marlay : Ir. Flor. This species certainly occurs in Wicklow. t904- Coi^GAN — Additions to the Flora of County Dubliji. 6i Every one of these nine claimants for admission to the Dublin flora occurs in one or more of the adjoining counties, and as regards at least two of them, Cnicus prateiisis and Rhynchospora alba, there are good reasons for expecting that their claim will be fully established by further search in the mountain districts. Sandycove, Co. Dublin. REVIEWS. BRITISH LIZARDS. The Life-History of British Lizards, and their Local Dis- tribution In the British Isles. By Gerai^d R, Leighton, M.D. Edinburgh : G. A. Morton, 1903. Price 5^-. net. We have had works on the British Reptiles as a whole, but no book had ever been written on the British Lizards alone until Dr. Leighton conceived the plan of the present volume. He is well-known as the author of a little work on the British Serpents, published some yea r ago. The pi esent book appeals especially to the field naturalist, to whom the author gives a chapter full of good and sound advice, which greatly enhances the value of the work. The advice he gives is addressed to those who are about to describe an animal to their fellow-naturalists. It is well put, and to the point, and we can strongly recommend the perusal of the chapter to all young zoologists. Another chapter deals with the anatomy of Tjzards, and then follows a description of the various kinds inhabiting the British Islands. The reference to the Common Lizard {Lacerta vivipard) naturally interests us most, as it is the only species indigenous to this country. Dr. Leighton observes that it has a marked preference for mountainous districts, which provides one point of contrast with the Sand Lizard. In Ireland this is not at all the case, the Lizard being more common with us in low-lying areas than in hilly parts. In the appendix Dr. Leighton correctly states (p. 194), that the Common Lizard is generally distributed in Ireland. We fail to understand, there- fore, why in the body of the work only Dr. Gadow's opinion should be referred to, according to whom the Lizard liaj an irregular and local distribution in Ireland. The illustrations, of which there many, are taken from life, and are mostly excellent. About fifty pages are devoted to giving a careful survey of the distribution of Lizards in the counties and vice-county divisions of the British Isles. R. F. S. A 3 62 The Irish Naturalist. March, IRISH LIVERWORTS. A List Of Irish Hepatlcae. By David M'Ardi^e;. Proc. R. I. Acad., xxiv., B., 1.3. 1904. This is a more important work than its title would imply, and consists of over TOO pages. It is stated to be " an attempt to give a full and re- liable list of the Hepaticae of Ireland, as they are known at the present time. It is intended to form Part II. of Cybele Hibernica, and is based on exactly the same lines." The year 1876 was an epoch in the study of Irish Liverworts, when Dr. David Moore published his "Report on Irish Hepaticae"; 137 species were then described and localised. Since his death in 1879, ^^r* M'Ardle has devoted himself enthusiastically to the study of this group of plants, and searched for them in many parts of Ireland, and added largely to our knowledge of the Irish species. The present Ivist is a summary of what has been done since that time, worked out for the 12 botanical provinces of " Cybele Hibernica" in the manner of that work. The 137 species of Moore's Report has been increased to 172 in the present List, not a bad result considering the paucity of workers. After a short Introduction, with remarks on physical features, climate, rainfall, and peculiarities of the Hepatic flora, a table is given of distri- bution through the districts, and a bibliography, followed by the detailed account of species and localities throughout the botanical provinces of Ireland. Much space is taken up in this list by synonyms, which seem out of place in a work of the kind ; space which might have been profitabl}- devoted to notes on the habitats, season of fruiting, and similar obser- vations which would have been of interest and importance in regard to these little known plants from one so familiar with their habits in their favourite haunts in the south-west of Ireland. Mr. M'Ardle gives much space to varieties, no less than 63 of which are recorded. Several of these are described here for the first time, such as the var. e7-ecta of Lejeimea patens, Lindb., and var. viinor of Radula com- planata, L. For the curious proliferous states described in certain species (interesting illustrations of which appeared some time since in the Irish Naturalist), it would have been better to adopt the i^rva forma than variety, as is done by Limpricht. The most important feature of the work is the detailed account of all that is at present known of the distribution of the species and varieties of Hepaticae throughout Ireland. The result is a most useful compilation. It can now be seen at a glance what has been done and what remains to be effected, and how rich the Irish scale-moss flora is, as might be ex- pected from the moist and equable climate of the Emerald Isle. Every page shows how largely Mr. M'Ardle has contributed himself to the result (while at the same time the work of others is fully recorded), and how successfully he has followed in Dr. Moore's steps in extending our knowledge of this portion of the Irish flora. 1904. Reviews. 63 As far as we have tested it, the summarising of records seems to have beeu carefully done, and we have noted few omissions, although there are many duplications of records. Cesia revohila, Lindb., has been very properly omitted, but another species, Kantia Sprengclii (Mart.), recorded from Tanderagee, Co Armagh, 1898, by Rev. H. W. Lett in the "Moss Exchange Club Report" for 1902, should find a place in our list. If we have some adverse criticisms to ofiFer, it is chiefly in matters of detail. Sufficient prominence has not been given to the work of Tem- pleton, who was the first botanist who thoroughly studied Irish Hepaticee Early records are frequently quoted at second hand from Hooker, 1816, or Taylor's work, 1836, when there are earlier ones in Templeton's MSS. For example, on 12th July, 1815, in company with R. Brown, Hooken and Stokes, Templeton collected Cephalozia ctDuifoHa (Dicks.), Plettrozia cochkariforviis (Weiss), Herberta adimca (Dicks.), and other species on Muckish, Co.- Donegal. In the Bibliography there is no mention of Templeton's "Hibernian Flora" MS. deposited at the Belfast Museum, College Square, which contains drawings with localities and dates for the Irish species then known. It is a pity that this list is not complete. Reference should have been made to the " Reports of the Moss Exchange Club," 1896 1903, "Notes on Hepaticse of Ulster" {Irish Nat., 1898), and other scattered papers and notes on the subject. If complete, this list of authorities would have been much more valuable than it is. In the quotation of records in a list of this kind it should always have plain on the face of it who is the collector and what is the source of the record. In " Cybele Hibernica " and "Irish Topographical Botany" this has been secured admirably by the consistent use of brackets for collectors' names, and italics for authors quoted. We fear that th abbrevations used in the List and the mode of quotation will often prove misleading in confusing authors with collectors to persons not familiar with the facts. In the case of the names of species, we note that the customary brackets have been omitted where two authorities occur. This is not a safe practice, though it saves trouble. It is well known that Ireland has a very interesting flora of Hepaticae, with a group of Western or Lusitanian species not found in Britain, but peculiar to the Atlantic coast. Botanists will turn with greatest interest to the section headed " Peculiarities of the Irish Hepatic flora " to see if the researches of the last quarter of a century have thrown any further light on this interesting problem of distribution. This portion of the work is, however, disappointing, it is so brief. The example set in the interest- ing introduction to the *' Cybele " and "Irish Topographical Botany " has not been followed. Certain species are classified under the follow, ing headings : — Alpine or sub-alpine Hepaticse, tropical, tropical South American, North American, British, and Irish types. We should have been glad to have further explanations and remarks upon these types. 64 The hish Naturalist. March, Recent investigation has thrown little fresh light upon the subject. Several species have been added to the group of endemic Irish species. Rut as a set-off against this, some which were alwaj^s considered real natives up to a few years ago, have been found in Moidart on the west coast of Scotland by Mr. Macvicar. On the whole, recent investigation has tended to detract from rather than add to the unique character of this portion of the Irish Flora. Many species thought to be native only in the south-west have now been found in other parts of Ireland, Wales, the English Lake District, but especially on the north-west coast of Scotland. One genus, however, Lejeunea, whose headquarters is in South America, is much better represented here than in Great Britain, three species (Z. flava (Swartz) (a common Andiue species), L. Holtii Spruce, and L. diversiloba Spruce) only growing on this side the channel. It is interesting to compare our Irish list with the " Census of Scottish Hepaticse " just published by Mr. Symers M. Macvicar in the " Annals of Scottish Natural History," Jan., 1904. In this, 205 species are recorded for Scotland, of which no less than 16 are additions to the British flora made within the last few years, since the publication of Pearson's "Hepaticse of the British Isles," wherein 224 species are described. Of thesQ. Junger mania exsect(2for}nis , Breidler, has lately been found by Mr. M'Ardle in Ireland, and others may be expected to occur. As might be expected, we are much poorer than Scotland in northern and alpine species, but richer in southern and Atlantic types. Ireland, as compared with Great Britain, is richer perhaps in Hepaticae than in any other group of plants ; in spite of her poverty in alpines, about two-thirds of the British species are to be found in Ireland. We hope that the publication of this laborious and useful work will stimulate bryologists to try and fill up the gaps which remain, and direct attention to some of the obscure and critical genera, such as Riccia and Fossombronia, which have been neglected hitherto. C. H. WaddEi^i*. ALPINE BUTTERFLIES. The Butterflies of Switzerland and the Alps of Central Europe, By George WheelKR, M.A. London: E. Stock, 1903. Pp. 162. Price 55. net. This excessively condensed and abbreviated fauna will doubtless prove of great value to collectors in the Alps who have already some knowledge of the classification of Butterflies, but the extreme brevity and often total absence of generic characters spoil the book for use by beginners. The author seeks to fill the gap caused by the selling out of Kane's " European Butterflies," and he specializes in the listing and description of varieties and aberrations, as well as in the production of very carefully compiled lists of localities. All the Irish species of Butterflies are included in the fauna of Switzerland. G. H. C. T904. Reviews. 65 USE-INHERITANCE. The Direction of Hair in Animals and Man. By Walter KiDD, M.D. London : A. & C. Black, 1903. Pp. 154. Price 5^. net. In this work Dr. Kidd deals more extensively with an interesting and suggestive, though somewhat neglected subject, than in the little book on "Use-Inheritance," reviewed in these pages two years ago {Irish Nat., vol. X., p. 252). He seeks, to quote his own words, " to co-ordinate the scattered facts of the direction of the hair in the lower animals and man, to furnish interpretations of most of them on mechanical prin- ciples, and to supply an answer to the question, ' Can acquired characters be inherited ? ' " He shows that whorls, featherings, and crests of hair are produced in the skin lying " over a region where strong, very frequent, divergent muscular action prevails," while points of contact with the ground or other opposing surfaces produce " reversed areas" of hair: As an example of the latter contention, it is stated that such a "reversed area of hair on the extensor surface of the ulna is only found in those members of these groups [Primates, Carnivora, and Ungulata] which have the habit of resting this surface against some supporting object." On the same mechanical principles, ** the connec- tion of tropical rain with the peculiar thatch-like slope on the extensor surface of the fore-arm [in many Primates] would be that the rain tends to produce the slope, and not that the slope is produced or adapted for the purpose of running off the rain." Much attention is paid to the differences in the directions of the hair streams on Man and his nearest allies the Apes, and evidence is brought forward to show how these differences can be accounted for by differences in posture and habit. While it cannot be claimed that Dr. Kidd has proved the power of the Lamarckian factor in evolution, he has at least made it easier to believe that some points in animal structure may be due to its influence. G. H. C. INSECT MIGRATION. The Wligration and Dispersal of Insects. By J. W. Tutt, F.E S. London : Elliott Stock, 1903. Pp. 132. Price 55-. net. Everyone has heard or read of the migration of birds, but the migra- tion of insects is a less familiar subject. Strictly speaking, the two are not comparable, since among insects "migration" is not a series of regularly recurring journeys to and from breeding-haunts, but the travels of individuals or flocks, often over large areas, to find new regions in which to live and settle. In this small (and seemingly ex- pensive) but closely printed book, Mr. Tutt has laid entomologists under a deep obligation by compiling from his own observations, and from numerous published sources, a mass of detailed information on thig interesting question. While Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Odonata are not neglected, the larger portion of the book, by far, is devoted to the migratory movements of the Lepidoptera. Species of especial interest in this connection are the European Pyrameis cardtii and the American 66 The Irish Naturalist. March, Anosia archippus. Specimens of both have been found hundreds of miles from any possible permanent breeding-place for the species. We could have wished for Mr. Tutt's views at greater length on the influence of the migration, or, more correctly, immigration, of insects on their present geographical distribution. He believes, however, in a principle well illustrated in Ireland, that " we have, in almost every region, insects representing an exceedingly ancient fauna, intermixed with comparatively recently introduced forms." In his remarks on the geological antiquity of the insect orders, he seems to have strongly over-stated his case. What shred of evidence can be adduced in support of the differentiation of these orders— including even the highly specialised Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera — " before the deposition of the Silurian strata " } Neither the records of the rocks, nor the probable course of irisect phylogeny, support such an extreme view. G. H. C IRISH SOCIETIES, ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include a Baboon and a Lemur from Col. Mackintosh, a Chilian Fox from Dr. R. H. Oulton, a Yellow-hammer from Messrs. Williams and Sons, three Kestrels from Mr. J. Clifton, two Barbary Doves from Miss Cordeaux, a Raccoon from Capt. C. V. Kendall, six Chaffinches, four Greenfinches, three Great Tits from Mr. W. W. Despard, and a Sparrow-hawk from Sir Douglas Brooke. One of the young lionesses has recently had her eye badly injured while playing with her sister. It was not found possible for the keeper to apply a soothing lotion, but her companion is doing all in her power to alleviate the suffering of her sister by frequently licking the sore eye, and it is hoped that the eye will be saved by this friendly animal doctor. An experienced elephant trainer, engaged by the Council, has arrived and is busily engaged in training the Padmahati to carry the saddle so that the children may take rides round the Gardens on its back. January 26. — Annual Meeting in the College of Physicians. Prof D. J. Cunningham, F.R.S., President, in the chair. The Report presented by the Hon. Secretary, R. F. Scharff, Ph.D., gives an excellent account of the progress of the Society. The atten- dance of visitors during 1903 (195,177), shows a slight falling off as com- pared with 1902 (when the numbers were 197,603), and the receipts were ^^2,671, as against £2,']qo \n the previous year. Nevertheless the state ment of accounts shows that an adverse balance of over ;^5oo at the beginning of 1903 has been practically extinguished, owing to the wise policy of the Council in obtaining new animals by exchange rather than by purchase. The disasters suffered by the Gardens during the terrible storm of February 28th (graphically shown in a photograph published with the Report), were quickly repaired, thanks to the generous gifts of 1904- Proceedings of Irish Societies. 67 frieuds of the Society. The loss of a faithful keeper, and of many valu- able animals are sad features of the Report ; the old female Elephant, "Zita," was wisely shot after she had crushed her keeper M'Nally to death, while two Orang-utaus, Butler Bey's beautiful Giraffe, the male Camel, a remarkably fine female Zebra, and a Capybara that had lived in the Gardens for six years, also succumbed. To balance these losses the young Elephant, given by the Duke of Connaught, the two young Giraffes sent from the Soudan by the Sirdar, and two Himalayan Bears, given by Mr. C W. Dunn, have been received, and are in very good health, while prominent among the births in the Gardens during 1903 were two litters each of three Lion-cubs — two males and a female, in April, by " Romulus " out of "Lady Macbeth," and one male and two females, in December, by '* Pluto " out of " Dido." " Pluto " was the only representative of the old Dublin strain, but with the advent of these three promisin-g cubs the succession of true Irish Lions should be secured. The silver medal for photographs taken in the Gardens has been awarded to Mr. J. E. Sullivan, After the adoption of the Report a hearty and well-deserved vote of thanks for his long and invaluable services to the Society was passed to the retiring President, Prof. Cunningham, whose removal to Edinburgh is deeply regretted by all the Council. (An excellent portrait of Prof. Cunningham adorns the printed Report). In responding to the expres- sion of feeling. Prof. Cunningham announced the election of the Lord Lieutenant to the Presideuc}', and the re-election of Dr. Scharff and Mr. A. E. Goodbody as Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, respectivel}'. Vacancies among the Vice-Presidents are filled by the election of Prof. A. Birmingham and Justice Ross, while Professor A. F. Dixon and Mr. T. Martin fill vacancies on the Council. DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. January 13. — The Club met at Leinster House. D. M'Ardi,K exhibited a minute red alga, Pletirococcus tniniattis, which was grov/ing on Lejeunea microscopica. It occupied most of the interior of the swollen leaf lobes, and the Lejeunea had the appearance of bearing copious antheridia. It was collected at Pontoon, Co, Mayo, in 1901, where the Lejeunea grows on the bark of Alder in neat strata, and in fruit. BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY A.ND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. January 28.— The President (Prof. Symington, F.R.S.) in the chair. John M. Finnegan, B.A., B.Sc, read a paper on " Radium." February 17,— W. Swanston in the chair. R. L1.0YD Pr.\egkr lectured on "A Historic Trial : The Limavady Gold Ornaments Case," 68 The Irish Naturalist. March BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. January 19.— The President (W. J, FE:NNE:i,r„ M.R.I.A.I.)in the chair- W. H. Phillips read a paper on " Varieties in British Ferns," which was illustrated by a number of fresh fronds from his extensive collection of plants. Mrs. B. HOBSON read a paper entitled, " Some Souterrains in Antrim and Down." The paper was illustrated by lantern slides, some of which were photographs of carefully prepared plans by Miss Hobson from the sketches and measurements of the writer. The third paper was read by W. H. Workman, M.B.O.U., on " Birds and Nests," profusely illustrated by lantern slides, most being original. The pugnacity of the Great Black-backed Gull, Ihe voracit}' of the Black-headed Gull, the wide distribution of the Warblers, and the increase of the Starling in recent j'ears were commented upon. R. BeIvL read a paper entitled " Notes on the Discovery of Dopplerite in Sluggan Bog." Mr. Bell said that Sluggan Bog, in the parish of Drummaul, is the largCvSt bog in Co. Antrim, containing upwards of one thousand acres. This district was the scene of a remarkable bog-burst which occurred on the 19th September, 1835, The peasantry of the district were much alarmed as a large body of the bog moved rapidly towards the River Main, covering up corn-fields and meadows and roadsi in some places to a depth of twenty feet. The bog offers to naturalists a tempting field for research. A road-cutting at Ball3durgan shows a fine section of peat resting on tough boulder-clay, containing many erratics of North Autrim type. While searching among the peat in Mr. M'Groggan's peat farm, he discovered a peculiar black layer, of. the consistency of stiff jelly. Further investigation showed that this material occurred in situ at a depth of seven feet below the surface. It was about three inches in thickness, thinning out irregularly to the adjoining peat. The substance is like a velvet}' black jelly, which becomes hard on drying, and breaks with the conchoidal fracture peculiar to amorphous substances. As it was unknown to local geologists, samples were sent to Mr. Richard J. Moss, F.I.C., F.C.S , of Dublin, who made an analysis of it, and determined it to be Dopplerite, a substance hitherto unrecorded in the British Islands, though found in Germany and Switzerland. The discovery seemed of such interest that it formed the subject of a paper read before the Royal Dublin Society. The papers were discussed by the President, Miss Andrews, Messrs. Gray, Hamilton, Patterson, May, Welch, Foster, and Milligan. Two new members were elected. February 2. — The members were invited by the President and Mrs. Fennell to a reception in the Museum. Tea was dispensed from eight till nine o'clock, and afterwards Dr. TEMPEST Anderson, F.G.S., delivered a lecture on the West Indian volcanic eruptions in 1902, in which he gave a most interesting account of a visit paid by him, in company with Dr. J. S. I'lett, to the scene of the disturbances in St. Vincent and Martinique. 1904. Proceedi7i^s of hish Societies. 69 BoTanicai. Section.— January 23.— Rev. C. H. Waddell, B.D., de- livered the second of a series of lectures on the Umbelliferce. DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. February 6.— Excursion to Howth.— Twenty members and friends took the 1.50 train from Amiens-street to Howth station. The party, under the leadership of Mr. F. O'B. Ellison, walked round the cliff path to the summit. On the way they had the opportunity of observing a number of very interesting geological features, such as the outcrop of dolomite in the Harbour, showing characteristic contraction spaces, the cliffs of glacial sands and gravels under the Martello Tower, the remark- able breccia in Balscadden Bay, which fills up the great fault between the Cambrian .and Carboniferous rocks, isolated sea-stacks showing the effects of shore erosion, and andesite dykes intersecting Cambrian rocks. When the party reached the summit they had tea, returning to Dublin by the 5.5 train from Howth after a very enjoyable afternoon. February 9.— The President (F. W. Burbidge, M.A.) in the chair. The President delivered an address dealing with the forces brought into play by the action of vegetable life. G. H. Pethybridge, Ph.D., brought forward the question of the relation of local scientific societies to the British Association, and made many suggestions as to the steps which might be taken to advance scientific research. J. Adams, B.A., read a paper on the occurrence of Yew in ajQueen's County bog. The paper dealt very fully with the occurrence of fossil woods in the bogs of Ireland, and showed that a great amount of work remained to be done in the direction of identifying the correct species of the different trees that occur in the prehistoric levels of Irish bogs. Mr. Praeger pointed out the necessity of original work being done in this matter, most writers on the subject being content to collect what some previous writer had said Mr. BurbidgE gave instances of the occurrence of Yew in Ireland. F. O'B. E1.WSON, B.A., gave an elaborate and graphic account of the excursion held on Saturday, February 6. Mr. Howard Fleming was elected a member of the Club. ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION. January 27 The first Annual Meeting was held in the Museum, College Square N., Belfast, Sir R. LI. Patterson, D.L., F.L.S., in the chair. In submitting their First Report, the Council point out that the Association has only been nine months in existence, and that of necessity much of that time was occupied in making arrangements for commencing the various branches of work. These arrangements are now practically complete, and the Council look forward with confidence to the accomplishment of much valuable and original research during 1904. A house has been secured at Larne Harbour, and a fine steam yo The Irish Nahirahst. March, launch purchased. The appointments of Prof. Gregg Wilson, D.Sc, as honorary director, and of Joseph Pearson, B.Sc, as naturalist, have already been recorded in the Irish Naturalist. All the property of the Association is covered by insurance, and a portion of the life members' fees has been invested as a nucleus of a building fund. The Council recommend that an earnest and vigorous effort should be made this j'ear to obtain funds for a combined laboratory and aquarium, the erection of which would undoubtedly give a great impetus to the work of the Association, and prove a valuable means of instructing and interesting the general public in our local marine zoology. The Council gladly avail themselves of this opportunity of stating that the whole success of the Association's work is due to the enthusiastic and self-sacrificing manner in which Dr. Wilson has entered on his self-imposed duties. It is the merest truism to state that without Dr. Wilson's services the work of the Association could not have been carried on. In addition to having virtually founded the Association by his munificent gift of £'2(X), Sir Hugh Smiley has on several occasions placed his steam yacht " Fire-Fay " at the disposal of the working members, and thus enabled them to engage in deep-water collecting. Dr J. St. Clair Boyd also generously lent his yacht for many days during the summer. To Viscount Massereene and Ferrard thanks are due for the loan of his steam launch for several days on Lough Neagh, and the Bann Fishery Companj' also lent their launch on the same lake. The Depart- ment of Agriculture kindly sent their fishery steamer "Helga" on several occasions to Larne Lough. The receipts of the year amount to ;^628, and after investing ^^89 in consols, over ^^35 remains as balance with the Treasurer. The Director's Report describes the arrangements in the temporary laboratory, stating that there are tables suitable for microscopic work, and a Hearson's paraffin bath and a Cambridge microtome have been provided for sectioning. All ordinary re-agents have been stored. A library of reference books has been started, and already contains many valuable works. Two small tanks and simple aerating apparatus have been presented to the Association, so that animals may be kept in life. The work of the Association has been necessaril}' somewhat limited during the past year. Much time has been spent in collecting material for future study, and the naturalist of the Association and the boatman have been indefatigable in carrying on this important duty. Many days have also been taken up by the necessary work of starting beginners on the investigation of the special groups or subjects assigned to them. Now, however, work is being carried on steadily by a considerable number of members and associates, who have undertaken special groups. Mr. Thomas Thornton, A.R.C.S., is studying the Algae of Larne District. Messrs. Gough and Pearson are examining bottom deposits with reference to their character and origin. Mr. Cunningham is engaged in an extensive investigation of surface currents. Professor I904* Proceedings of Irish Societies. 71 Lorrain Smith has undertaken the bacteriological investigation of certain shellfish ; and Professor Milroy has commenced work on the physiological effects of light on the eyes of fishes. Besides these workers numerous members and others have visited the Marine Station at Larne Harbour. At Easter, a party of fifteen members worked there for several days, and almost every Saturday one or more visitors join the naturalist in his dredging expedition. Professor Brady, F.R.S., of Newcastle, has been the only zoologist who has come from a distance to work ; but several other prominent naturalists have indicated their intention of visiting the laboratory, and they will, of course, be heartily welcomed. Besides marine work the Association has undertaken the study of the fauna of Lough Neagh. This is carried on without a special laboratory. Mr. Pearson makes periodical visits of inspection, collects material and statistics, and ■ with the help of several other workers tabulates the results, which promise to be of importance in connection with fishery problems. The naturalist's Report describes the details of the dredging and trawling work. Physical observations, notes of deposits, records of the contents of fish's stomachs are carefull}' made. At Lough Neagh, which is visited for about two daj's a month, special attention is paid to Mysis relida. The adoption of the Reports, moved by the Chairman, seconded by the Rev. President Hamii^Ton, and supported by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, was carried unanimously. NOTES. BOTANY. Catenella repens at Ballygally Head. Catenella repens^ Lightf. , which belongs to the group of Red Seaweeds and is also known by the name Catenella Opuntia, Grev., was found on 23rd September, 1903, on the rocks beneath the old castle at Ballj^gally Head, Co. Antrim. It grew on the shady surfaces of the crevices near highwater mark. The specimens possessed reproductive organs, but whether these were tetraspores or young stages of cystocarps has not yet been fully determined. The only Irish localities for this plant given in Batters's " British Marine Algae " (1902), are Bantry Bay and Dublin Bay. As shown by Harvey-Gibson {/ourn. Limt. Soc, 1892), the figure of the cystocarp, with the accompanying description in Harvey's " Phycologia Britannica," is altogether erroneous. J. Adams. Royal College of Science, Dublin. 72 The Irish Naturalist. March, G-lyceria festucaeformis in Ireland. The discovery of this grass last summer in Co. Down, and the notices of it in the Irish Naturalist for October, 1903, by Mr. Praegtr, and in the Journal of Botany for November, 1903, by Dr. Rendle, are most interesting. Mr. Praeger, who was the lucky finder, is confident that the plant is indigenous to the east shore of Strangford Lough, and he argues that it was impossible for the seeds to have been introduced from the shores of the IMediterranean Sea, which is the nearest place to Ireland where this Glyceria is undoubtedly native. In the interests of science I wish to point out why I am unable to share this view, and why I have much more than a shadow of doubt as to its being indigenous on the shore of Strangford Lough. There are reasons why I think it not only possible but extremely probable that the presence of this grass in Co. Down is due to its introduction by a happy chance at no very remote date. It is true, as Mr. Praeger writes, that, '* in the whole of Strangford Lough there is no port where foreign vessels call. The sea-traffic is con- fined to small local boats with cargoes of coal, bricks, and so on." But I am far from thinking that '* the introduction by land is equally out of the question" ; for there is a way by which it was quite possible for the seeds of this Mediterranean shore grass to have got on the shore of Strangford Lough by a land journey of eight miles from the nearest Irish seaport— it occurred to me, when I first heard of Mr. Praeger's discovery, and previous to the publication of his account of it in the Irish Naturalist, and I am surprised how it escaped his experience and acuteness. About eight miles straight across the water north-west from the Ards locality for the Glyceria, is the little town of Comber, situated half a mile from the shore of Strangford Lough. It is eight miles by rail from the great sea-port of Belfast, and in it is a well-known old established and flourishing distillery (there are actually two distilleries which have been working since the year 1825), where large quantities of cereals from various sources are from time to time used in the manufacture of whiskey. A small stream locally known as the River Inler, or Comber River, runs past these works and supplies them with water, while the tide from Strangford Lough rises to a point in it between the upper and lower distilleries ; and any refuse and sweepings of the lofts from the distillery which may get into the stream are carried by fresh and salt water into Strangford Lough. When this occurred to me, and I reflected that many alien plants are from year to year found growing on waste ground and road-sides near distilleries in other places, the seeds having been imported with foreign grain, I inquired from the manager ol Comber distillery whether grain from a Mediterranean port was ever used by his firm ; and in his reply he informed me that foreign barley had been used in Comber distillery, and that so late as the year 1892 he had a cargo of barley imported via Belfast from Algeria. 1904. Notes* 7,3 But in additicm, there are in Comber, besides the'distillery, large flour mills, which, though now, like most similar mills throughout Ireland, idle, yet formerly did a large business and used a considerable quantity of Egyptian wheat in the course of the trade. And my correspondent has very kindly taken the trouble to ascertain that before this Mediterranean wheat was ground^ it had all to be washed, so that various seeds from this source must have found their way into the Comber River. And when a map of Co. Down is examined, it is easy to see that at every ebb-tide whatever floating matter, such as seeds or the like, is carried by the Comber River into the head of Strangford Lough must thence go south-east, which is precisely in the direction of the Ards shore, and when it is borne in mind that the prevailing winds in Ireland are from the west, it does not take a very elastic imagination to suppose seeds from Comber distillery and flour mills finding a resting place where were gathered the plants of Glyccria festticaformis on the Ards shore. While the fact that these plants were found by Mr. Praeger nearer the sea-water margin than the Aster Tripolium and Glyceria niaritima of the indigenous flora, suggests their having only lately come there, and that they have not yet had time to mingle more a-field with the true natives. H. w. Lett. Loughbrickland, Co. Down. I have read Canon Lett's statement with much interest. In the fol- lowing remarks I treat his hypothesis at some length, because it seems to me that we field botanists sometimes fail to pay due regard to the nature and value of evidence of cases of this kind, and proceed on lines which cannot be classed as either logical or scientific. First, let me say that I was not unmindful of the existence of distilleries and former flour-mills at Comber. On many occasions during the last twenty years I have f-tudied the alien plants which languish on the rubbish heaps there. Canon Lett's theory is that seeds of Glyceria festuca:formis came to Com- ber with foreign grain, were thrown into the Comber River, carried by wind and tide down and across Strangford Lough, and obtained a foot- hold along the several miles of coast on which at present the plant is known to grow. Now, to bring the hypothesis within the range of pro- bability, several factors must contribute. First, some evidence is required of the probability, or even possibility, of the seed of the grass reaching the distillery or flour-mill. What is the case as regards this point? The foreign grain which is quoted as having been used at Comber, is barley from Algeria, and wheat from Egypt. Now, G. festucceformis does not grow in Algeria, nor in Egypt, nor indeed anywhere on the southern shores of the Mediterranean ; and with the failure of this key-stone of the arch, where is our hypothesis? 74 The hish Naturalist. March, But despite this reverse, let us "in the interests of science," pursue the matter, aud see whither the next step in the hypothesis will lead us. Assuming, for the sake of argument, that grain from, say Northern Italy, where the plant does grow, had at some time been imported, it surelj' requires an elastic imagination to conceive how the seed of a plant which affects such a habitat as Glyceria festiiccBforniis is likely to become mixed with cereals. The bulk of distillery and corn-mill aliens are weeds of cultivated or waste ground — Melilots, Medicks, Sisymbriums, Silenes, and a hundred more — and plants of other situations, such as sea-shores, or marshes, or woods, are generally conspicuous only by their absence. An examination of the Comber casuals shows that they are no exception to this rule. Would it be rational to doubt that Scirpus h-iqueter is native on the Shannon estuary, because it could be shown that one of the Limerick flour-mills had, at some time or other, used wheat that came from the South of England ? Yet the Limerick casuals are legion, several of them have established themselves, and S, triqtieter grows almost within a stone- throw of some of these. Then further. Having, by some strange chance, got the seeds of our maritime grass (they are not particularly light seeds, nor gifted with any special means of dispersal) mixed with our foreign grain, and that grain duly transported to Comber, and the seeds safely launched thence into the river, how comes it that, though capable even as a recent immigrant of forming an extensive colony across eight miles of sea— a remarkable feat — the plant has not established itself about the Comber River, where the ground is suitable, and where there must have been a hundred seeds floating for one which reached its distant actual station ? Yet G. festti- ccrformis has never been detected in that well -worked ground. Could it even be shown that any one of the Comber aliens has spread down the river and established itself, this at least would be a straw to which we might cling. But even this collateral evidence is not forthcoming. I need not pursue the matter further. Of course it may be argued that plants do spread to unexpected places, and that we cannot prophecy the range even of an alien from the known facts of its introduction. Quite so. But in the present case, the fraction representing the probability of each step in the hypothesis is so small, that the product is a fraction which is for practical purposes insignificant. Not only in our distilleries aud flour-mills, but in stores, and indeed in every grocer's shop and hen-run over the country, foreign grain is to be found. It is little exaggeration to say that seeds of foreign plants rain down year by year all over our islands, and this it is that makes the work of the field botanist now-a-days so difficult ; but, unless built on some foundation of fact, and supported by buttresses of probability, a hypo- thesis raised on this circumstance alone will not stand. Could Canon Lett — who, by the way, does not say that he has studied either the plant, or its Irish habitat, or the Comber casuals — put forward a connected argument such as Mr. Colgan {/ournal of Botany, xxxii., 104. 1894) introduced in connection with Prof. Areshoug's plea in favour of 1904. Notes, 75 Artemisia Slellei'iana, then indeed the claim of Glyceria festiiavformis to native rank would be seriously imperilled. But at present the facts seem to point the other way. It is the ver}' absence of any working hypothesis, such as Canon Lett endeavours to set up, coupled with the mode of occurrence of the plant and its relations to its environment, that has caused me to believe that it is native. The working out of its distri- bution in the North ot Ireland will probably throw light on the question. It will aflford me much gratification if Canon Lett will help in this. R. Li// 52 47 46 1904. Moffat. — Bats, Hedgehogs, a7id Fivgs in Winter. 85 Date. November i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 8, 9, TO, II, 12, 13; 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 19. 20, 21, 22, 23. 24, 25. 26, 27. 28, 29. 3O' December i, 2, 3. 4. 5» 6, 7. 8, 9' 10, 12, I3» 14, I5» 16, 17, i& 19, Bat. N. NN. N. N. I I 5 NN. N. [No Hedge hog. ' Frog. Tempera- ture, Fahrenheit Degrees. I 5 N. N. N. 2 I N. 2 2 N. N. 3 1 N. N. I 2 I 2 3 2 4 3 observatio I 2 2 2 I N. ns.J i^ 45 50 50 46i 43i 41 43 42i 46 49 49 4ii 38 34i 34 33 i 39 i 43i 49 49i 48 43 39 41 42^ 44^ 43 42 43i 45 47 46 44 4ii 46i 49 42^ 37 38 36 34 36i 36 34 2>9h 39 36i 36I a. Frog at 8,30 p.m., when temperature had risen to 46*^. A 3 86 The Irish Naturalist. April. 1 Tempera- Date. Rat. Hedge- hog. Frog. ture, Fahrenheit Degrees. December 20, _ _ 34 21, - — - 34i 22, - I - 37h 23, — T - 38 24, - 2 - 36i 25, - \b — 39 26. - I - 36i 27, — I — 33* 28, 3 2 — 43* 29, — 2 — 40 30, I - — 47^ 3^ N. ^_ 45* Januar}' i, — 46 2, I _ I 44i 3, 4 — 48 4, — — — 41 5, — — 43* 6, — — — 45 7, — I — 43 8, I — — 44 9, 3 — — 47^ 10, I — — 49 II. ~ — 41 12, [No observatio ns,] 46 13. — - - 36 14, — I — 34 15, — — . 39* 16, — — - 39i 17^ — I — 38 18, — — — 39i 19, 2 — — 44 20, N. — — 47 21, 3 — \d 48 22, 5 — Jg 48 23. 3 - — 44i 24, i "~ 1 - — 34 25» — Ova, 35 26, — — — 36 27, - — New ova, 40 28. - I New ova, 36 29. — — — 36I 30, 1 — *- 33 31, — — — 36 February i, - — New ova, 38 2, _ ^ New ova, 38 d. Hedgehog caught in rabbit-trap during night. c. Frog at 10 p.m., temperature 46^. (/. Frog at 8 p.m., temperature 48. e. Frog at 9. p.m., temperature 47^. t904- Moffat — Bats, Hedgehogs, and Frogs in Winter. 87 Tempera- Date. Bat. Hedge- hog. Frog. ture, Fahrenheit Degrees. Feb ruary 3, _ _^ _ 374 4, - - New ova, 364 5 — — — 34 6, _ - New ova, 344 7. — - New ova, 36 8, — - - 341 9. - - New ova, 31 lO; — — — 324 IT, — - New ova, 314 12, - — — 304 I3» — — — 32 14. . - — — 35 15. - — — . 374 16, - — — 39 17. I N.N. (spawning) 40 18, — — N.N. ( „ ) 40 »9» — N.N. ( „ ) 37 20, - N.N. ( „ ) 364 21, I — N.N. ( ,. ) 424 22, No obser vations 0 n these nights, r 44 48 474 454 43 I 45 23. 0% A except that Bats were out in 24, some n umbers 0 n the 23rd and - 25. 26, 27, >» 25th, a nd were n ot seen (though looked for) on th e 26th. 28, N. — — 46 Ballyhyland, Co. Wexford. THE FORMATION OF IRON ORE IN LOUGH NEAGH. BY GEORGE C. GOUGH, A.R.C.SC, F.G.S. My attention wa.s drawn some time ago to the iron ore of Lough Neagh by Mr. Welch, who presented to Queen's College, Belfast, a sample dredged from Lough Neagh in 1900, and which was the subject of a note b}' him in the Irish Naturalist for July, 1901. Soon after^ Mr. Pearson, of the Larne Marine Station, brought me a specimen w^hich he had dredged in the same lough, of what the fishermen there call " cinders," and which are found in considerable quantities in certain parts. These "cinders" are irregular in shape and size, and are dark brown or black in colour, with a more or less scoriaceous appearance. Their outer layer, which gives them this appearance, can be flaked or broken off fairly easily, and 88 The Irish Naturalist* Aprils its uneven fractured surface often shows a black resinous lustre. The specific gravity of this layer, as taken by a Walker's balance, was 2*50, the specific gravity of the ** cinder " being 2 •67. On being sectioned and examined, it wafi found to be a typical basalt in a fairly fresh condition, the felspars and olivine being only slightly altered, covered by a crust of iron oxide. Nevertheless there is au abundance of small groups of rhombic zeolites, and the magnetite has been hydrated and changed to limonite. The crust, being the more interesting part, I examined chemicall)^ and found it to contain iron oxide, manganese, magnesium, calcium, carbonic acid, phosphoric acid, and water, w^hich are the usual constituents of bog iron ore. Another portion was taken with a view to the estimation of the iron present. After being crushed, when it had the appearance of cocoa, it was dried at 100° C, weighed, and then treated with warm hydrochloric acid for some time, until all the iron was dissolved. The insoluble residue, consisting mainly of silica, was carefully washed, and the washings added to the dissolved iron and made up to 500 c.c. with distilled water. The ferric chloride was then reduced to the ferrous state with stannous chloride and titrated with a standard solution of potassium permanganate. Several determinations were made, the result being that I found the percentage of iron present to be 38'89. The insoluble rCvSidue was dried at 100*^ C. and weighed, the percentage being 1890. If the iron be calculated as limonite (2 FeoO.j, 3H2O) the percentage is 6493, which with the insoluble matter brings the total to 83*83 per cent. The rest is made up of manganese and phosphoric acid, of which there is a fair amount, and much smaller quantities of calcium and magnesium carbonates. When Mr. Welch's ore was examined, I found it to be very variable. It consists of small, rounded masses, some spheroidal with concentric structure, others flattened and disc-like. Some, however, on being broken open, showed that they were small rounded and sub-angular pieces of basalt, with an ex- ceedingly thin layer of ore on the outside which gave them the same appearance as the rest of the masses. All apparently have a nucleus of basal t\ and specimens can be found show- ^ One specimen seemed to the naked eye to have as nucleus a tiny frag- ment of mica schist. I904- GouGH. — Iro7i Ore in Lough Nea^h. 89 ing the gradation from such as I have just described to those where the nucleus can onh^ be detected b}' grinding down a section and examining it under the microscope. Selecting some of those which appeared to consist chiefly of ore, I found the specific gravit\', taken with a Jol3''s balance, to be 2-53. These were crushed, dried at 100° C, weighed and treated as previous specimen, the percentage of iron being 36-93. Calculated as limonite, the percentage is 61 "66, the per- centage of the insoluble residue being 36-51, giving a total of 98-17 per cent. The remainder consists apparently of a small quantity of magnesium carbonate ; no manganese, phosphoric acid, or calcium being found. The COo in the specimens seems to vary greatly, some giving little or no effervescence with acid, others a fair amount, but none very much. From my examination, it appears to me that the ore is being formed chiefly from the decomposion of the magnetite in the basalt in and around the lough. As suggested by Prof. Cole, in a note attached to Mr. Welch's letter, I have examined the gelatinous residue remaining after solution of the iron in dilute HCl, but have found no trace of cellular structure either in the form of Algae or Diatoiiiacese. I believe that the altered iron in the fragments of basalt acts as a segregation centre on which the limonite is deposited from the iron in solution in the lough, on the smaller particles, with a concentric structure. In the section of the " cinder " there seems to be continuity between the iron in the basalt and the ore incrust- iug it. Whether the Tertiary iron ores were formed in the same way I cannot sa}^ but I intend to section some specimens of pisolitic ore in the hope of finding a similar nucleus of basalt. In conclusion, it is interesting to note that the pisolitic ore now forming is practically pure limonite, while that incrust- ing the " cinders " is an impure variet}^ having the usual com- position of the bog ores. Queen's College, Belfast. go April » IRISH SOCIETIES, ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include a Silver Pheasant from Lady Constance Butler, small Birds from Mr. W W. Despard and Miss K. Barlow, and a Wood- cock from Mr. R. M. Barrington. A Golden x\gouti has been born in the Gardens. The new young Elephant. " Padmahati," is now being trained, and it is hoped that she will soon be able to carry visitors to the Gardens for short rides. BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB February i6. — Prof. Gregg WiIvSON in the chair. R. Lloyd Praeger read a paper on " Plant Associations, with special reference to the Flora of Ireland." After referring to the vegetation of the world as a whole, he dealt with the general conditions of life, and discussed the various ecological factors and their influence. The special characters developed by plants in response to peculiarities of environment were next described. Plant associations were then discussed, and an account given of a recent survey of the Dublin district by Dr. Pethj'bridge and the speaker, A strong appeal was made to the members to start this branch of botanical research. The paper was illustrated by lantern slides, maps, and books. Rev. C. H. Waddell and R. Welch discussed the paper. March 15.— The President, W. J. Fennei.Iv, M.R.I.A.I., in the chair. There was a large attendance Previous to the meeting the "science gossip half hour" was held in the new clubroom, when there was an exhibit of British freshwater shells of the genus Hanorbis exhibited by the conchological members, a special feature being a large locality- series of those very troublesome species, P. carinatus and P. tnarginatus, sent over by members of the Conchological Society in Lancashire to assist in determining Irish examples, the difficult}- being that many Irish specimens, especially those in the north-east, seem to be inter- mediate forms. The English shells were found equally puzzling, and judging by the names attached to a number of the shells, English conchologists are as undecided on this question as their Irish brethren The general conclusion arrived at was that really typical P. carinatus of the text-books is excessively local in Ireland, and evidentl}' rare in England. The B.N.F.C. collectors are lending their series to the Concho- logical Society at an early date, as it is proposed to have a meeting on this special subject. The President having taken the chair, an illuminated address was presented to the Treasurer (W. H. Phillips), on the occasion of his golden wedding. With a few years' interval Mr. Phillips has been Treasurer of the Club since 1864. [904 Proceedings of Irish Societies. 91 R. Wklch read a short note on Helicella znkkarenst's, a rare land shell, which Arthur W. Stelfox, a member, found feeding on the roadside about a mile inland from Rostrevor. This mollusc lives in the Kabylie district of Algiers, and how a specimen came to be found alive in County Down is a mystery. The shell was named only after great difficulty, full-grown specimens being found in the well-known Norman Collection in the British Museum. It was th'is same observer who found a Pyreneen shell alive at Belmont, Belfast, feeding on the roadside, some years ago. George C. Gough, A.R.C.S., F.G.vS., read a paper on " Geology and Scenery." The paper was illustrated by a fineseries of lantern slides. Wm. Gray, M.R.I. A., read a paper on "The Club's Influence in Pro- moting the Advancement of Science." Five new members were elected. February 27 — Botanicai. Section.— Rev. C. H. WaddelIv, B.D., delivered the third and last of a series of lectures on the Umhelliferce . Before the lecture, the following resolution, moved by Mr. Waddell, and seconded by Wm. Porter, was passed with much enthusiasm, viz. : — "That the members of the Botanical Section of the B.N.F.C. desire to express their great gratification at the honour recently conferred on Mr. S. A. Stewart by the Linnean Society in electing him an Associate of that body ; and they respectfully tender him their cordial congratu- lations on the occasion." March ii. — Geoi^ogicai. Section.— A party of twenty assembled at Castle Junction and proceeded under the guidance of Messrs. Bell and Orr to Whiterock quarries, where some time was spent looking for fossils. The section exposed is in the sides of a mountain ravine cut deeply through the Chalk, Yellow Sands, and the underlying Greensand beds. Heavy rainfalls, such as that of September, 1902, have scoured a deep channel through the talus which has formed in the long disused quarry, and have left a very characteristic fan-talus on the lower ground. The exposure here is of the characteristic Antrim rocks, Upper Greensand and Upper Chalk overlain by sheets of basalt. Details of the section are well given in Dr. Hume's "Cretaceous Rocks of Antrim," Q.J.G.S., vol. liii., p. 587. The Greensand and Chalk are very fossiliferous, and the search of the members was rewarded by their finding many specimens of sea-urchins, shells, fish teeth, sponges, &c. G. C. Gough, F.G.S. , gave a short explanation of the origin of the flint, which occurs here in tabular masses as well as in nodules through the Chalk. A visit was paid to the Ballymurphy brickworks, Springfield Road, where the Keuper Marls are extensivel}' worked for brickmaking. The marls are here intersected by parallel basaltic dykes which now stand up like high walls. These have baked the clay for a short distance on either side, making it quite hard and brittle. The stratified marls are overlain by unstratified Boulder clay to a depth of several feet, and from this deposit marine shells have been procured by some of the members. 92 The Irish Natio'alist. April, DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. March 5. — Geological Excursion to St. Dolough's. — Tvventy-oue members and visitors were present. The party left Amiens-street by the 1.45 train. From Portmarnock the members walked through St. Dolough's Park to the quarries behind the church. Here Mr. DuflFy explained the geological features of the ground, and discussed the question as to the age of the limestone, which is usually given as T^ower Carboniferous The party then proceeded round the quarry, extracting such fossils as could be reached. This resulted in a very typical col- lection of the fossils for which this quarry is noted. An interesting feature of the day was the examination of a glaciated land surface which had been laid bare by the removal of the overlying Boulder-clay. The approaching darkness prevented further work being dene, and after having taken tea with Mrs. Hone at St. Dolough's Park, the party returned to town. Very severe snow showers fell frequently during the afternoon. March 8.— Fourth winter business meeting was held in the Royal Irish Academy— the Vice-President (C. B. Moffat) in the chair. G. H. Carpenter, B.Sc, lectured upon " Some Problems of the Irish Fauna," calling attention to the existence in Ireland, and to a less degree in Western Britain, of South-western ("Lusitanian "), North American, and Arctic faunistic groups, in addition to the common wide- spread Britannic species of animals. The South-western group must be regarded as undoubtedly older than the Arctic, on account of the restricted and discontinuous range of its members ; this portion of our fauna, at least, must be regarded as pre-glacial. It appears to show the presence in Miocene times of a continent, including Ireland and the Atlantic isles. Probably the south British animals represented in the west of Ireland are also pre-glacial. Reference was made to Dr. ScharfTs explanations of the absence from Ireland of the distinctively Eastern fauna, and the periods at which he believes the various sections to have entered our area. The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides. W. B. Wright, B.A., considered that the glaciation of the present Irish land-area — now proved to have extended to the extreme south coast— would render impossible any survival of a pre-glacial fauna, except perhaps on tracts to the south and west now submerged. F. O'B. EiviyiSON, B.A., objected to the extreme glacial theories of Mr. Wright, and spoke strongly against the "continental" theory of the origin of the Atlantic isles. P. Duffy read an account of the excursion held on Saturday, March 8th. Miss M'Ardle was elected an associate member. I904- 93 NOTES. ZOOLOGY. New Irish Copepods. During February, whilst examining the branchial sacs of several simple ascidiansfor parasitic Crustacea, I found a single female specimen of the Copepod Botachiis cyliudratus,, Thorell, and also several specimens of Notopterophonis papilio^ Hesse, besides several of the commoner species. These are both new Irish species, although there is little doubt that the latter is by no means rare. I also obtained Dactylopiis brevicornis Claus, in the bottom tow-net in Larne Lough. So far as I can ascertain, this has not been recorded before from Irish waters. Joseph Pkarson. Marine Laborator}', Larne Harbour. Water Beetles in Co. Dowd. Mr. W. H Patterson, M.R.I. A., has sent me some water beetles taken by him in a quarry on a hill near Giluahirk, south of the Knock. The beetles were captured in November, a month in which none but a most ardent collector would venture forth with the water-net ; results, how- ever, show that such a venture is rewarded. The most interesting among the beetles sent is Hydroporiis dorsalis, F., for this is but the second record of its capture in Ireland ; the first will be found in the " List of the Beetles in Ireland," p. 821, where it is recorded as captured in the Lagan Canal, near Moira, by Mr. Buckle. This is another species of northern origin added to our fauna, ranging to Finland and Siberia — in former as far north as 68'' 10' (vide Sharp's Dyliscidce^ p. 481, Trans. R.D.S., 1882). Mr. Patterson onl}- obtained one specimen, but where there is one there are likel}- to be more. Besides this, he took Khantus nolaitis, Berg., which has not been previously met with in Co. Down ; also Agabus utigukularis, Thoms., A. nebidostis, Forst., and Gyrinus minuitis, F. ; Hydroporiis lineatuSy F., was quite plentiful, and H. planus, F. , and H. me/nnonitcs^ Nic, were also met with. W. F. Johnson. Poyntzpass, Co. Armagh. Is the Frog a Native of Ireland ? As the recent discovery of bones of the Common Frog in the cave deposits of Kesh Corran, Sligo {Trans, R.I.A,, xxxii., Sec. B., p. 183), has once more drawn attention to this question, so vigorously dis- cussed in vols. II. and VI. of this Journal (1893 and 1897), the following quotation may be of interest. Though by no means from a recondite 94 The Irish Naturalist. April, source — it occurs on p, 315 of Dubordieu's Statistical Survey of the County of Down, published iu 1802 — the passage appears to have escaped notice in the course of the discussion. It has not, at least, been referred to or quoted in these pages so far as I can discover. " The introduction of frogs into this country, from which they have spread iu such numbers through the rest of the kingdom, though in itself a subject of no importance, must form a curious and interesting object in the e3'es of a naturalist. That they are not indigenous, and that they first made their appearance near Moira, in the western parts of this county, can be proved beyond contradiction, but by whom they were first imported is uot so certain. I was assured by an old gentleman of the greatest veracity, who died some years ago above the age of eighty, that the first frogs he ever saw w^ere in a well near the above- mentioned town, from whence he brought some of them to Wariugs- town, where, until that time, they had never been seen ; the quickness with which they multiplied, and the rapidity with which they spread are surprising, especially the latter, in a creature not very well adapted, at least in appearance, either to move with celerity or wdth per- severance ; and there are many stories still current of the terror and surprise excited by the view of this disgusting though innocent animal, which seems formed to be the prey of every voracious creature either by land or water within whose reach it comes." It may be that the deliverance of the Kesh Corran cave deposits on this question is so weighty, as to justify the assertion, causa finita est. On the other hand, it may perhaps be still permissible to keep an open mind in the matter, and should that be so, the passage just quoted may be taken as affording some evidence of the rapidity with which that "disgusting though innocent animal," the Common Frog, effected its very thorough settlement in Ireland. NaTHANIEIv COI.GAN. Sandycove, Co. Dublin. Birds of the Isle of Man. Having undertaken a work on this subject, which will shortly be published, I would gratefully receive, and duly acknowledge, any notes contributed by readers of this Journal. Information is particularly desired with regard to the following species : — Whinchat, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Wood Warbler, Dipper, Twite, Merlin, Rock Dove, the species of Grey Geese and sea-frequenting Ducks. P. S. RAI.FE. Castletown, Isle of Man. Snow Goose in Longford and Mayo. In the Zoologist iox December Messrs. Williams and Son, of Dublin, record two specimens of the Snow Goose {Chen hyperboretis) shot in Co. Long- ford on October 28th, while in the January issue of the same magazine Mr. R. Warren records this bird both in Co. Longford and^in Co. Mayo. 1904. Notes. 95 Herons in Belfast Lough. Some correspondence about Herons that lately appeared under " Nature Notes " in \}^^ Northern Whig induced me to communicate to that Journal my views as to the causes that have led to the greatly reduced numbers of the birds frequenting the bay now as compared with former years, and that communication I have now been asked to repeat, in a slightly extended form, for the Irish Naturalist. Thompson (vol. ii., p. 135) records fifty seen at a time on the Co. Antrim side of the bay, within three miles of Belfast, on nth November, 1840 ; and on another occasion (p. 133) he reckoned sixty. On 14th November, 1847 (p. 134), he counted forty-two, awaiting the falling of the tide, in a large ploughed field at Parkmount, the seat of H. H. M'Neile, Esq., near Belfast. It is strange that, while mentioning other heronries in the neighbourhood, Thompson does not mention the one at Park- mount, although, as we have seen, he was aware of Herons frequenting the place ; yet from what Mr. M'Neile told me twenty-five years ago, the Herons must have commenced nesting there some twenty years prior to the date last mentioned, namely, about 1827. So recently as in 1878 I have recorded seeing twenty-nine in one afternoon, while now sometimes for weeks I do not see one. I did see one this week, and a few are still to be seen most days on the Co. Antrim side. I attribute the beginning of this falling off to the restriction of the birds' feeding grounds by the railway and other embankments on both sides at the upper ex- tremity of th'e bay; but for the Herons' more recent and almost total disappearance from the upper reaches one must look for other reasons. The " new cut," as it used to be called, and other harbour improvements, culminating in the Victoria Channel, diverted the former flow of the tide and the river from the old tortuous channels ; and, by making an increased "scour," gradually swept the mud or ooze off the banks, and with it the Ribbon or Grass Wrack {Zostera marina) that grew on it. This Zostera was the haunt of multitudes of eels, which formed the principal food of the Herons ; so now that the mud, and with it the Zostera, and following it the eels, have all gone, the Herons have gone too, an interesting and curious chain of circum- stances. The eels have, to a large extent, given place to other fish, and the Herons have been succeeded by a greatly increased number of Cormorants and Red-breasted Mergansers, both of which species obtain their food by diving. We have Thompson's record of the forty-two Herons .seen at one time at Parkmount in 1847. On 22nd March, 1879, I saw twenty-one there in a group, and at the same time there were about twenty-three to twenty-five nests in the place ; while latterly, as Mr. M'Neile kindly informs me, under date 6th February, 1904, twelve is the maximum number seen, barely one-fourth of the numbers there twenty- five years ago. Within the last eight or ten years, Mr. Wilson tells me, the Herons have ceased nesting at Belvoir Park ; but the birds still frequent a lake in the grounds, and also the river Lagan, which bounds one side of the demesne. The birds may often be seen on the stretch of g6 The Irish Naturalist. April, foreshore between Carrickfergus to below Kilroot Point, while Larne Lough still has a numerous colony, natural conditions not having been much interfered with there. ' I believe there is a small herony at Redhall. The increased numbers in which the Red-breasted Merganser visits the Bay now- is remarkable. I remember when the bird was quite rare here ; while a couple or three winters ago a flock of not fewer than four hundred — probably more — remained about three-quarters of a mile to a mile off Holywood for several weeks ; and I see the birds in small com- panies— up to eight or ten — ever}' da)' that I am on the shore now. Cormorants, too, after having become much scarcer than the}- were early in the last century, have become more numerous again within the last twenty years or so. When my book on the birds of the lough was published in 1880, the largest number of Cormorants recorded as having been seen by myself on any one occasion was seventeen ; that was on the 25th February, 1873. On 3rd February, 1894, walking down from Belfast to Holywood, near Tillysburn station, I saw within five minutes no fewer than fifty-five, all flying inland from Belfast Lough over the hills, apparently going to Strangford. On 29th September, same year, I saw thirty-five in one flight near the same place, and going in the same direction. These birds are very destructive to fish. I understand one shilling for each bird killed is now paid for their destruction on a certain important salmon river in the North of Ireland. Four pence each used to be the fee at Horn Head. In the assize records of the Co. Antrim for the year 1729, mention is made of a person in Island Magee who had killed ninety-six Cormorants in one season. I suppose the numerous Cormorants that frequent the Co. Down shores from Greypoint down to the entrance to the lough, find night resting-places on their own shores, and probably in the Copeland Islands ; but most of the rest of our local birds of this species seem to roost at night at the Gobbins. From Whitehead, on 31st August, 1902, I counted sixty-five flying down between 6 and 6.18 p.m. ; and on 7th September no fewer than eighty flew down between 6 and 6.5 p.m. — thirty in one flight. Lady DufFerin wrote me from Clandeboye, on nth March, 1897, that eleven were seen at one time on the lake there a day or two pre- viously. Some few Cormorants, probably non-breeding birds, now stay here all summer. I have seen them on the lough in June. R. LivOYD Patterson. Holywood, Co. Down. Little Crake in Co. Kildare. The second Irish-taken specimen of the Little Crake {Porzaria parva) is recorded by Messrs. Williams in the Zoologist of December last (ser. 4, vol. vii., p. 460). It was shot at Rathangan, Co. Kildare, on November 12th. An interval of nearly fifty years has elapsed since the previous record of this rare bird. 1 On 9th September, 1888, thirty-six Herons were seen together on Swan Island, Larne Lough, and they have greatly increased since, — Eds. 1904. Notes. 97 Siskin breeding in Co. Wicklow. The Siskin is by no means a rare breeder in this county. To my certain knowledge it breeds at Glendalough, Lough Dan, Luggela, in the vicinity of Laragh, and I believe it to breed in many other parts of the Co. Wicklow, but have no proof as yet. In the month of May, 1901, I found in one day three nests at Glendalough— two of them had three eggs in each— the third, on which the bird was sitting, I did not climb to, as the branch was so slender I was afraid to venture down it, knowing the risk of upsetting the contents. The height of the Siskin's nest from the ground seems to vary. I have found them very high up (both at the end of a branch and against the main stem of a tree), and also very low down. One nest, near Laragh, was not eight feet from the ground ; another in the same locality was about twelve feet. The birds are very tame during the breeding season, and when on the nest will let you almost put your hand on them before they will stir. Last year I found a nest with six eggs, on which the bird was sitting so tightly that I had to remove her with a piece of stick. The nests are easily found if one watches the birds, as they appear to take no precau- tion to put you off the track, as some of the other species do, but, on the contrary, they will lead you direct to their tidy little abode. One nest to which I climbed, while sitting on the branch admiring the structure, with its mistress sitting tightly thereon, the male bird came and perched on an adjoining bough, and sang the sweetest song I have ever heard. There is no doubt as to the thieving propensities (mentioned by Rev. Wm. W. Flemyng, I.N., February, 1904) of the Siskin when building its nest, as I have watched it on more than one occasion taking moss from the nest of a Chaffinch, and once from the nest of one of its own species. CHART.I5S Br.AKE Knox. 8 Milward Terrace, Bray. Winter Visitors. The following rare specimens have been received by us for preservation during the past few months, and the appearance of so many arctic visitors betokens severe weather in the north. On the i6th September we received an adult Brent Goose {Anser bernicla) which was shot at Buttevant, an inland localit}', by the Rev. F. Coughlan. This early appearance is worth noting. An adult male Long-tailed Xy^x(lk{Anas glacialis)^d.^ sent us from Kilkee on 27th October, and on the 6th Novem])er an Eider Duck {Somateria fnollisitna), which was shot at the Old Head of Kinsale by Mr. J. O'SuUivan. During the latter part of October and first week in November we received about nine Short-eared Owls {Asio accipitrinus) from different parts of the Co. Cork, this being the largest number of this bird we ever obtained within the space of a week. 98 The Irish NaturalisU April, We have received two specimens of a southern visitor, the Glossy Ibis {Plegadis falcinellus), one from Rev, F. Coughlan at Buttevaut and the other from Dr. Hutch, Conna, which was sent on October ist. The latter bird, which has the head and neck speckled, has much longer legs than the former. On the i6th December we received what in all probability was a specimen of the Red-necked Grebe {Podicipes griseigena) which was obtained at East-ferry; the head and neck of this specimen was so badly injured by dogs as to render identification almost impossible. We have, however, hopes of proving same beyond doubt. At present we cannot state definitely. On the 4th January a Spotted Crake i^Porzana maruethi) reached us from Buttevant. F. R. ROHU & Son. Cork. Were the Irish Elk and the Reindeer contemporaneous in Ireland ? The late Professor Leith Adams (" On the recent and extinct Irish Mammals," Scient. Proc. Royal Dublin Society, vol. ii., 1880, p. 78), asserted that the Reindeer and the Irish Elk had lived contemporaneously in Ireland in former times. Mr. W. Williams (" On an attempt to elucidate the history of Cervus Megaceros, commonly called the Irish Elk," Scient. Proc. Royal Dublin Society, vol. ii., 1880, p. iio), however, has since shown that in the case of the Ballybetagh Bog at any rate, the antlers of these two species of deer were not found on the same level (p. no). He pointed out that both Reindeer and Irish Elk remains occurred in the deposit underlying the peat, but that those of the former animal were discovered in the upper clay, and the remains of the Irish Elk in the stratified lake sediment beneath the clay. Mr. Williams concluded that the lower deposit must have been laid down during a temperate climate, while arctic conditions prevailed when the Reindeer lived in Ireland. Without wishing here to discuss the soundness of Mr. Williams' con- clusions, I should like to draw attention to a second apparently contem- poraneous occurrence of Irish Elk and Reindeer remains near Mullingar, in the County Westmeath. Mr. Cleary, a veterinary surgeon at Mullingar, had a drain cut on his property in the townlaud of Kilpatrick, about two miles from Mullingar. During the operation he discovered a number of bones which he offered to the National Museum in Dublin. I was unable at the time to inspect the site, but James Duffy— a museum attendant, who has shown particular interest in fossils, and whose judgment and power of observation can be relied upon - was sent to fetch the bones and report on the circumstances of their discovery. He brought back a fine head with incomplete antlers of the Irish Elk, I904- Notes, 99 and also the posterior portion of the skull of a Reindeer with the antlers still attached, and he informed me that these remains were found about fifteen feet apart, but on the same level five feet below the surface of the soil in white marl, and that there was sand under the marl, but neither sand nor turf above it. He thought that there was probably peat above the marl formerly, and that it had been entirely cut away for fuel. I should be glad to hear from any reader of the Irish Naturalist of any discovery in the country of Reindeer remains, and of the circumstances of their occurrence, as it would be of great interest to ascertain whether this northern species lived together with the Irish Elk in Ireland, which deer, we have reason to believe, came to us from the south. R. F. SCHARFF National Museum, Dublin. BOTANY. Glyceria festucseformis in Ireland. The reply of Mr. Praeger to my remarks on the possibility of Glyceria festticceformis being an alien in County Down, does not embrace all that should be said. To get at the truth in a question of natural history like this, both sides should be duly stated and weighed. Mr. Praeger is an able advocate, but he is a special pleader. For there is an omission in his reply which reduces the force of his elaborate arguments. Though I know Strangford Lough, the Ards, the Quoil, and Comber for more than fifty years, and think I might be able to show Mr. Praeger something about their plants and casuals which he does not know, I acknowledge that I got the idea of the possibility of the seed of this grass being introduced with grain in a foreign ship from Mr. Praeger himself! His words, in his original account of his discovery in the Ards, are : — " That the plant is indigenous there can be no shadow of doubt. In the whole of Strangford Lough there is no port where foreign vessels call." This surely implies that if such port or ship had ever existed there w^ould be a possibility of the plant having been intro- duced by it. The words mean nothing else. In his reply Mr. Praeger does not take the slightest notice of having made this admission. But he cannot get over it. Then, as to the Mills and Distillery at Comber, Mr. Praeger, who, in his original account, did not even allude to their existence, now tells us he knew all about them, and the seeds they deposit about Comber. While he would have us understand that nothing but "Corn weeds" seeds are ever imported with Mediterranean barley. Why, I know of fourteen grasses that have been from time to time so imported, and specimens of some of these are now in my herbarium. It would be an interesting experiment to get a bag of the siftings and sweepings that contain these foreigners, and grow them for a season. I did not state that the cargo or cargoes of which I had been informed and which I quoted, was the only Mediterranean grain that had ever loo The Irish Naturalist. April, 1904 been used at Comber. I have a guess that some of the barley that has been coming into the British Islands, to the enormous amouiit of 150,000 tons per annum, chiefly from Asia Minor and the lyevant, has come to Comber. And this it is which, owing to careless growing and threshing, is the source of the foreign seeds which are everywhere, and which give rise to the multitudes of casuals found about distilleries and malt-houses. And though Mr. Praeger mentions only Northern Italy as a place where this plant does grow, Dr. Rendle gives " Taurus " as a locality, and this Taurus I take to be that district of Asia Minor close to the I^evant, in which is the mountain range called Taurus. So much for the argument of no grain coming to this country from a port in a district where the grass grows. I should like to be clear of all doubt before including this plant amongst the natives of Ireland, and this can scarcely be till it is proved that Comber Distillery has never existed ! As to Mr. Praeger's sweeping assertion :— " Glyceria festucceformis does not grow in Algeria, nor in Egypt, nor indeed anywhere on the southern shores of the Mediterranean ; and with the failure of this keystone of the arch, where is our hypothesis V The keystone is all right— my theory has met with no reverse ; quite the contrary, for Mr. Praeger is woefully wrong here. Now look at these facts. In the Flora d' Alger, of Battandier et Trabut, 1884, Glyceria disiajts v. festucceformis is recorded from Batua, Oran, &c., in Algeria ; in Ball's Spicilegium Florae Marocanse, Glyceria festucceformis is recorded from Tangier; and in Post's Flora Syria, Glyceria distans (our plant) is recorded from " Syrian dessert." But as neither Dr. Rendle nor Mr. Praeger refer to these works — especially the first two — it affords me much pleasure to introduce them to their notice. Mr. Praeger has pulled down upon his own argument an incubus which neither his boldness nor skilful pen can remove. The crushing demolition of his reply is complete. H. W. lyEJTT. Loughbrickland. The last paragraph of the above note is the only one on which I need comment, as afifecting my statement in the last number of this Journal. The obvious slip which I made regarding the Mediterranean range of G. festucaeformis had already been pointed out to me. This grass does grow, as do many of our native maritime plants, on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. The remainder of Canon I^ett's note seems to me somewhat beside the point. I wish also to correct my reference to a journey across " eight miles of sea." The distance by water from Comber to the nearest point of the plant's range, as at present known, is half as great again — namely, twelve miles. R. Li,oYD Praeger. Dublin. May, 1904. lOI BIRDS MET WITH IN THE SHANNON VALI.EY. BY R. J. USSHKR, D.I,. Thk largest river in the British Islands, with its great lake expansions, was, until twelve years ago, as unknown to me as it is to many a naturalist and tourist even in our own island ; but since in 1892 I began by exploring I^ough Derg and L,ough Ree, I have become familiar with aspects of bird life almost absent from the eastern and southern parts of Ireland. I^ough Derg runs a tortuous course for twenty-seven miles, with two branches, which form the bays of Scariff and Youghal. The shores are much diversified with wood, some of which is natural. There are many small islands and considerable reed beds, which afford nesting-places to various waders and water- fowl, while mountains overlook the lake in certain parts, heightening the grand effect of the lake and its surroundings. I was hospitably entertained at Castle Eough, which forms a projecting part of the Co. Tipperary shore, and here vestiges of the native forest intermix with more modern timber. The proprietor, Mr. Anthony Parker, has a collection of the birds of Eough Derg in his hall, and in a list of those he had ob- served he mentioned the Garden Warbler. Not expecting a bird so little known in Ireland, I asked him for a specimen, and in May, 1893, I received from Castle I^ough a bird of this species, recently shot. The interest excited by this specimen was enhanced by the statement that Mr. Parker had discovered a nest, which, on my visiting him a few days afterwards, he showed me in a deep bed of briars not far from the house. I was able, in this case, to identify the bird which owned this nest, which, to establish the discovery, was taken, and is in the Dublin Museum. The warning note is a ticking sound quite unlike the churr of the Whitethroat. Both before and after the taking of this nest I heard the song of the male birds near that and several other spots in the Castle I^ough woods and grounds. A cautious observer might at first think it came from a Blackbird, but it is more voluble and varied. The bird does not dwell on its notes, but hurries over them and then ceases, to recommence after an interval in some neighbouring tree or brake to which it had made its way unobserved ; for to A 102 The Irish Naturalist. May, see this sweet songster is seldom possible, the art of hiding it- self among the foliage being practised with great skill, as in the case of the Blackcap and other warblers. I subsequently found that the Garden Warbler is a regular summer visitor to the islands of L^ough Ree, to the woods of Castle Forbes, and to I^oughs Key and Arrow, further north, as well as to Castle Caul dwell on Lough Erne, where it was known to Sir Douglas Brooke and Mr. Bloomfield. Launching on Lough Derg, a little stony islet overshadowed with willow trees was found to contain the nest of the Com- mon Sandpiper, while on a stony point that projected into the lake, Ringed Plovers' eggs were found, and an excited Red- shank, whose home was also near, stood on the top of the old castle uttering her alarm cries. In the open lake, near Castle Lough, is a wooded island fre- quented b}- sundry Mergansers, which took flight before we landed, and which nest in June among the thickets and coarse herbage. On the open, rush}^ part of this island we found nests of the Reed-Bunting, that most characteristic land-bird of the Irish lakes, whose monotonous ''chit-chit chatter" is to be heard on every island. Next, crossing towards the Clare shore, we came to a group of low, grassy islands, the home of several pairs of Common Terns and also of Redshanks, that circled over us with their piercing cry. Black-headed Gulls had a small colon}^ there, partly on the grassy islands and partly on isolated rocks near them. One of their nests was on the top of one of those stone pyramids built for beacons. Crossing an island, I observed two birds on the water of a little bay which were resting un- suspectingly. They were gathered up with puffed-out plum- age and necks drawn in, and looked not unlike Coots, but on their perceiving me their long necks were raised, showing white in front, and I recognised them as they dived to be Great Crested Grebes. Searching the little bay I found their nest with a fresh-laid ^%% covered up. Proceeding up Scariff Bay, we came to extensive beds of great rushes growing in the water, from which issued two small specimens of the Crested Grebe, fully fledged, which were joined by an old one upon the lake. There are many breeding places of this species round Lough Derg and Lough 1904. UsSHKR. — Birds met with in the Shannon Valley, 103 Ree, as well as in most of the Irish lakes, but where the bottom is rocky, as in Ivough Corrib, they seem to be absent. Returning towards Castle lyough we saw a pair of L,esser Black-backed Gulls on Scilly Island. These Mr. Parker ob- serves to arrive in early spring on I^ough Derg, where they may generally be seen during the breeding season, though their nest has not been found. I^esser Black-backs have nests on the stony islands of Loughs Mask and Corrib, and on the foreshore of an island in Lough Erne, while colonies exist on inland bogs and mountains, as well as on the sea coast. The water birds I have described as nesting on Lough Derg quit it in winter, when they perform a local migration to the coasts and estuaries ; but this lake is also visited on migration by Whimbrels in May, and further up, atBanagher, I was told that flocks of " Gadwings" are seen on the Shannon shores in' Februar}^ or March, birds larger than Redshanks, whose beaks are long, like those of Woodcocks. I wish vSome resident there would shoot one, and let us see if the}^ are Godwits. In any case the}^ are migrants. Among the birds obtained on Lough Derg, which are pre- served at Castle Lough, are the following marine species '.'• — Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Great Northern Diver, Great Black-backed Gull, Pomatorhine Skua, and Stormy Petrel j while at Bal Ivor I saw an 03^ster-catcher, which had been killed on the Little Brosna, a tributary of the Shannon. These specimens show that even sea-birds make use of the great water-w^ay of this river, which affords a route from north to south, and vice ve7'sa, without passing round the stormy and remote coast of western Connaught. While following the Galway shore of Lough Derg I saw many pairs of Mergansers and some Great Crested Grebes ; there were Redshanks at intervals and Lapwings, evidently breeding, many Black-headed Gulls, and an occasional Common Tern. At the northern end of the lake, on several small islands that skirted the demesne of Lord Clanrickarde, Wild Ducks had their broods, and a Mallard that I surprised flapped along as if his wing were broken, evidentl}' to allure me from the young. If this were his object it evinced a care for his progeny with which the male duck is not credited. At Church Island I started a brood of ducklings in clover A 2 ro4 The Irish Naiiiralist, May, which rushed into the water. The female parent at once flew out in front, displa3dng herself before me. She had the broad bill and pale blue wing coverts of a Shoveler. Near this place young Shovelers were shot on nth July, 1863, as recorded by Mr. G. H. Kinahan, and since then this species has greatly increased as a breeding bird in Ireland. I have met with it in Scariff Bay, and I was assured that it breeds above Banagher, along the back rivers or side channels of the Shannon. The Stock Dove was first noticed in the vicinity of I^oiTgh Derg in 1896 by Mr. Hibbert, of Scariff, and in more recent j-ears Mr. Parker has frequently found it at Castle lyOUgh, where he believes it nests. This is the most western district in Ireland known to me to which the Stock Dove has spread. Travelling by boat up the Shannon, from Banagher to Athlone, one sees an almost uninhabited country. There are no extensive swamps nor reed beds, but the broad river flows between green "callows," which are meadowed in summer and often flooded in winter, with boundless, high, red turf- bogs on the Galway and Roscommon side, and in places on the eastern side, too. Trees are scarce or absent. The most noticeable bird in spring and summer is the Curlew? which is frequently seen feeding on the river-banks or flying to and fro ; it breeds on these great red bogs. Redshanks are also numerous ; they nest in the callows, which are full of Meadow-sweet. As the boat proceeds, the Common Sandpiper starts from many a point with its clear cr}^, and wdngs its way across the gliding flood. At several places, chiefly above Banagher, I saw Dunlins in breeding plumage, busily catering for their mates or young. Black-headed Gulls occurred all along the river, but not in large numbers ; they have breeding colonies on the Westmeath bogs. Coots were numerous, and Dab- chicks repeatedly met with, and here and there a Heron ; I saw one of these chased vehemently by a I^apwing from its nesting-ground. Skylarks and Corncrakes were often heard, and Reed-Buntings several times, while Swifts were frequently dashing pavSt. The song of the Willow-Wien, more than any other sound, enlivened this great lonely river, even in parts where there seemed to be hardly a willow to hold the bird. 1904- USSHER. — Birds met with in the Shanytoji Valley. 105 The stately round towers and ruined churches of Clonmac' noise overlook the great water-way and its wilderness of turf bogs, and here was seen a Corn-Bunting, a bird not often met with in the interior of Ireland, though in the maritime counties it is common enough. Near Athlone a I^esser Black- backed Gull was on the river ; it is partial to the vicinity of river towns on account of the offal to be got there. At Glynwood, on the Westmeath side of Athlone, is pre- served a fine Greenland Falcon, which the butler took alive with a hand-net, when it was quite fatigued, at Glenmore in Co. Donegal. It lived in confinement for about five years. lyough Ree, the second largest of the Shannon lakes, is broader than Lough Derg in its lower half, and its deep bays contain extensive reed beds, which are inhabited by great numbers of Coots. I found that the nests of these birds had been flooded by a rise in the waters of the Shannon, and some of them had since been raised with fresh materials, and fresh eggs laid above those that had been swamped. lyough Ree is a special resort of the Great Crested Grebe, whose croak, coming across the waters, attracts attention to its tall white throat, surmounted by its tippeted head. One little lagoon that I visited contained more than one nest of this bird with newly-laid eggs. The nests are not usually made until June, when the rushes are grown sufficiently to conceal them ; these structures are low platforms of rotten rushes, but little above the water, and sometimes have pond mud upon them. I never saw so many nests of I^ittle Grebe as on Lough Ree ; they were floating lumps of aquatic herbagC; which contained uncompleted clutches on 7th June ; but in a lagoon the nestlings had just emerged, and on our approach one of these immediately took to the water and dived, using legs and wings for a short distance, and on emerging dived again and again. On some small sedgy islands, and on a lonely shore, I found nests of Tufted Duck with fresh eggs. These birds, of which several pairs were seen, were looked upon as a new breeding species in 1892, but the young of the Shoveler had been previously obtained when flapper-shooting. The Black Islands, in an unfrequented portion of the lake, belong to Co. Longford. These were formerly resorted to for illicit distillation ; they are now haunted in the breeding io6 The Irish Nahcralist. ^^lay, season by Lapwings, Ringed Plovers, Redshanks, Common Sandpipers, Dnnlins, and Tufted Ducks, while here, as else- where on Lough Ree, Mergansers make their home. Further north, on an island in the middle of the lake called Inchcleraun, stands a group of ruined churches. The rich grass is broken in places by huge masses of briars. From these proceeded, during my visit, the song of the Garden Warbler, which I had heard in 1S92 and 1893 on Nun's Island lower down the lake. I heard this song again in the woods of Castle Forbes, which skirt Lough Forbes, a smaller expansion of the Shannon further north than Lough Ree, and I was fortunate in finding the nest of the Garden Warbler, containing young. It was among low briars in the wood, and was composed of fine dry grass stems. On the stony beach were Ringed Plovers and Sandpipers, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull appeared on the wing, which seemed much discomposed at my presence. Tufted Duck vSwam off from the reed beds, where Wild Ducks were accom- panied by their young broods. I saw several Terns and Black-headed Gulls over ilie lake, and, from the number of the latter seen from the train at one spot on a neighbouring bog: they must have a breeding-ground there. I next explored Lough Allen, which lies nearest to the source of the Shannon. Its upper portion is closely shut in by mountains, which makes it liable to those dangerous gusts so much dreaded b}^ boatmen. On tw^o small islands, com- posed of boulder stones and gravel, I found that colonies of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns had eggs on 3rd June, but no young were yet hatched. A male Wigeon was plainh^ seen taking flight from one of these islands. He was accompanied by another bird, presumably the female. Lesser Black-backs were on this lake also. At the north-west corner of Lough Allen is a small wooded island ; between the low trees and the stony beach is a margin of Meadow-sweet and other rank herbage. In this I found the tortuous run of a Duck, and on following it up found a female Merganser, which flapped away almost from my feet. The ten fresh eggs were well surrounded with down in a comfortable nest. Cappagh, Go. Waterford; 1904. lo; FURTHER CA.PTURES OF MYvSIS REEICTA IN IREEAND. BY W. F. DK V. KANE, M.A., DI,. I HAVE to auiiounce the discovery, in June last, of a third Irish locality for Mysis 7-elicta, Eoven, when dredging in Eough Corrib &t a depth of from no feet to 132 feet, at the Cong end of the lake, off Coagh Island. The specimens were small in size- and not plentiful, the largest haul being fourteen. I tried various lesser depths in vain. The bottom was generally soft mud, but the successful dredging was done on gravel, or stiff mud strewed with some stones. In Eough Fig. I. '^Awhx^'o oi Mysis reliita. Early stage. Magnified. Froui brood pouch of female. Lough Erne. February 1 1, 1904. Neagh, on the other hand, my experience has been different, a bottom of hard sand and gravel in July proving unproduc- tive, the animal only occurring on the mud. Nevertheless, I am told by Mr. R. Welch that in the early summer he found gravel the most productive ground in the northern end of that lake. But I have had similar experiences in Eough Erne throughout the summer, and so late as the 30th of November, finding mud the most profitable, both in shallow waters and in the deepest soundings. It is evident, therefore, io8 The hish Nahiralisi. May, that this crustacean moves in shoals in search of its food, and that no certain rule can be laid down as to its feeding grounds up to the present. Moreover, the instrument used for its capture must be taken into consideration. I under- stand that Mr. Welch used a small marine dredge ; and this, however lightly it may be made, must, I think, sink more or less in the mud, and thus collect only occasional specimens, whereas, on hard ground, more success would result, even though the animals were scarce. I am not able to state any- B Fig. 2. A. 'P.mhryo o{ Mysis relicta. Later stage. Magnified From brood pouch of female. Lough f; rue. F'ebruary ii, 1904. B. Head Region.) ,, , . , , C. Tail Region, j ^^°'^ ^'^^'^^ magnified. a. auditory organs, b. maxilla, c. gnathopod. thing as to the abundance or otherwise of Mysis elsewhere in Ivough Corrib, for I had no opportunity of testing any other 1904. Kanb. — Further captures of My sis relicta in Irelaiid. 109 portion of this large sheet of water, Its absence from Lough Mask, as well as Lough Conn, Lough Melvin, and Lough Oughter, of which I have convinced myself, seems to me very- significant, as bearing on Loven's theory of its marine origin and introduction ; but before drawing any conclusions, I am anxious to gather more facts, and to extend my re- searches to the Shannon, Lough Derg, Killarney, and the Mullingar lakes. Up to the close of 1903, the largest Irish specimens I had met with measured . from the tip of the antennal scales to the extremity of the telson 20 to 22 mm. Being desirous to ascertain the maximum growth attained, and to know something about the winter development of the ova and young, I procured some specimens in Upper Lough Brne on the nth February ultimo. On the ground where they had been plentiful in past summers none were taken, but two short hauls in the deepest hole in that portion of the lake produced 28 female specimens, showing that probably they frequent deeper water in winter. No males were seen. The average size was considerably greater than any that I had yet seen. Four selected at random measured 22, 23, 23, and 24 mm. respectively, the latter being within i mm. of the length of those from Lake Onega recorded by Czerniavski. A mass of embryos in various stages of development dis- tended the incubatory pouches. The auditory organs in the pair of caudal lamellae were distinctly represented by dark spots (see fig. 2, a), and from two to four similar spots in some specimens on the sides of the ventral region of the abdomen, near its junction with the cephalothorax, indicated the incipient abdominal ganglia. Van Beneden has described the embryology of the genus, but it is possible that no data have been hitherto available as to the condition of develop- ment of M. relicta at this season, since other European habitats in the fresh waters of Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, &c., would probably be frozen over in February. Drumreaske, Mouaghan. A 3 no The Irish Nahualist. May, CHANGES ON THE FORESHORE OF BEIvFAST EOUGH. BY SIR R. I.LOYD PATTERSON, D.I.., F-L-S- The preparation of m}^ note on Herons, &c., which appeared in the last number of the Irish Nahiralist, directed my attention more particular!}^ than usual to a matter I have been noticing for some time back — namety, the great changes that have been going on within living memory, but particularly during the last twelve to fifteen or eighteen years, in the character of the foreshore on, at least, the Co. Down side of Belfast Eough. Late in the ^' forties " the County Down Railway Company constructed the Holywood section of their line, reclaiming, about Conn's Water and low^er down all the way along as far as opposite the Palace grounds at Holywood, a very consider- able extent of land from the sea, and at the same time throwing the embankment across from the railway to the point of the Kinnegar ; but even long after that the sea came up close to the present Queen's Quay terminus and covered the ground where the coal sidings are situated and some of the workshops and other buildings now stand. In fact, the railway skirted the sea all the way from just outside Belfast station to the Kinnegar embankment near Holywood, except for the very short distance where it cut through the point fields at Sydenham, then called Ballymisert ; Queen's Island (formerly called Dargan's Island), and the Twin Islands — both works the result of harbour improvements — were then really islands. At various times further reclamations of land were made ; Queen's Island was united with Queen's Quay, which had itself not so long before come into existence, and the former flow of w^ater through the old channel at the back of Queen's Island was consequently stopped, and a great extent of land right down to Sydenham reclaimed. Since then Queen's Island and the South Twin Island have also been connected, so from Queen's Bridge down to the eastern extremity of the South Twin Island now forms one continuous land connection. Some of the results of these changes are mentioned in my book on some of our local birds I904- Pattkrson. — Changes on thefoi'cshove of Belfast Lough. 1 1 r &c., published in 1880. On p. 121 I find the following : — " Of the great expanse of banks in Belfast Ba}^ formerly all covered with the Zostera nia7dna or grass wrack, those on the County Down side are rapidly changing their character, becoming hard and clean sand banks instead of soft ooze. A great ph5^sical change of this nature cannot fail to have some effect on the inhabitants and feathered frequenters of these wide flats." The change here alluded to continued, graduaUj- but- very slowly becoming more apparent, till the dredging out of the Victoria channel, which was commenced in 1885 and finished in 1891, gave it a fresh impetvis, and at th^ same lime turned it partly into a new direction. With the exception of the making of the quite recent Musgrave Channel, partly in the bed of the old channel where thetraining ship " Gibraltar " used tolie, no very material change — be3^ond the stripping of the Zostera grounds — is discernible from the outer point of the South Twin Island down to off the point of the Kinnegar ; but from there all the way down the shore to Craigavad, a distance of between two and three miles, the change is ver}- remarkable. This change consists in a complete stripping off or denudation of the former surface of the bottom between high and low-water marks, of course to a varying extent, but in some places to as much as between two and three feet, or exceptionally even more, boulders of these sizes and ridges of sandstone which were formerly buried and concealed now standing out to the heights mentioned. It is said that the land here is slowl}' sinking, and I believe it is so, for I remember the old pump at Cultra Point, the stump of which is now about twenty yards below, standing at the top of the sloping beach, well above ordinar>^ high-water mark ; and old Holywood people have told me they remembered it standing in the field^ ; but even if this sinking is taking place it must be very slow, and would not, in any case, be sufiicient to account for the phenomena observed, as boulders ridges, bottom, and all would have sunk togeihe?'^ and this is apparently not the case. Down to Cultra Point, which in i See /. N.A\., pp. 16-1S, plate i., 1893.— Eds. 112 The Irish Nahiralist. Maj', itself being rocky, shows uo change, and below which the foreshore was always narrower, and subject always to the varying influence of the wind, the tide is as far in now at two hours' flood as it was some few years ago at four hours' flood. While high-w-ater mark remains approximately where it was twent}^ years ago, the low-water line is not within fully a quarter of a mile as far out from the shore as it used to be — I mean the tide does not now ebb, by a quarter of a mile or more, as far as it formerly did — and the water, when the tide is in, is deeper to the extent of the thickness ol the denudation plus the sinking. The force and volume of the waves breaking on the beach or against the sea walls are thus increased, besides which the formerly softening ejQfect of the Zostera is gone, as those responsible for the up-keep of the batteries and sea walls find to their cost. What has been stripped away consisted of soft estuarine ooze or mud, the accumulation of which had gradually, probably during many centuries, covered the original harder bottom, and the boulders that rested on it. A fewj^ears of artificial conditions seem thus sufiicient to have undone the natural work of centuries. Changes in the animal life of the foreshore have quickly followed. The few remaining Holywood fishermen are now able to dig bait within one hundred yards of the foot of Shore Street, and along a considerable stretch running parallel to the railwa}^ not farther away than that; while they formerly could not procure an}- nearer than Marino. As to the birds : Curlew^s and Oyster-catchers are still seen abundajitly ; but I think their numbers are diminished by about one- fourth as compared w^ith thirty to fort}^ j'ears ago. All the smaller waders, too, are less abundant, this remark applying specially to Dunlins, of which one never now sees the. immense flights that were the delight of both the orni- thologist and the gunner some years ago. The quite recent filling in, in connection with the Musgrave Channel; has dCvStroyed a great extent of the birds' former convenient resting and feeding grounds in the reclaimed lands between Conn's Water embankment and Queen's Island and that locality, which, particularly in wet or stormy weather, were frequented by great numbers of all the smaller waders, which seemed not to venture on their long flights in 1904. Vattv^v^soi^.— CIia7iges on the foreshore of Belfast Lo7i^h. 113 unfavourable weather. The tide not ebbing as far as it did, and some of the grounds that are still available being covered by the incoming tide sooner, and left bare by the ebb later than formerl}^ have further reduced the extent of the birds* feeding grounds and the time within which they can procure their food, so the present diminished numbers of many species seem but a natural consequence of these altered cir- cumstances. Often now one sees the birds flying down over the flood tide earlier than formerly. On returning to their feeding grounds over the falling tide," the birds frequenting both shores seem to come in massed flights to about as far as Cultra Point, when those that intend to remain on the County Down side keep straight on parallel to the shore, while those going to the Whitehouse banks on the north shore of the Bay strike obliquely across it westwards. Croft House, Holywood, REVIEW. FOR EXAMINATION CANDIDATES. Second Stage Botany. By J. M. Lowson, M.A., B.Sc, F.L.S. London : University Tutorial Press, Ld., 1904. Price 3^. bd. This book, as its sub-title shows, is an adaptation of the same author's ** Text-Book of Botany " to the requirements of the second stage exami- nation of the Board of Education, South Kensington. Part I. deals in two chapters with the general external morphology, physiology^, and histology of the Plant ; the eleven chapters of Part II. are devoted to the Augiosperm ; the remaining eight chapters of the book, comprising Parts III. and IV., treat of the Vascular Cryptogams and their relations to the Flowering Plants, and of the Lower Cryptogams. There are also two appendices, and some sets of examination questions. The unfortunate divorce between morphology and physiology, which usually takes place in books of this kind, occurs as early as the second paragraph of the Introduction ; the former, with its thousand and one technical terms, claiming and obtaining henceforward preferential treatment, to the detriment of the latter, which is practically dismissed in a couple of chapters. The author lays stress on the necessity of practical work it is true, but the few experiments which he suggests in the physiological part of the book are put forward in such a half-hearted fashion, and usually in such meagre outline, that the student would probably never dream that they were meant to be performed. It would be well nigh impossible, for instance, for a student to set up a so-called "water- culture " from the barest hints given on p. 132, and doubtless he would 114 The hish NaUiralist. May, jiidiciousl}' skip Question 5 of the Examihatiou Paper of 1903 ! A book of this kind is bound to be more or less dogmatic in its character rather than suggestive or stimulating, and in his facts the author is, on the whole, concise and up to date, though here and there a questionable statement is made. On p. 126, for instance, it is erroneously stated that the cells of the palisade parenchyma of a leaf are without tntcnelhdar spaces, a mistake which is also introduced into the diagram on the fol- lowing page. The explanation of the presence of annual rings in wood as being caused by transverse pressure is quite inadequate, and it is not strictl}' correct in speaking of the root nodules of the Legumiuoscc to say that the " bacterium " or fungus is always present in the soil. The author can scarcely be blamed for the syllabus he feels himself called upon to write up to ; and since the first and only obligatory ques- tion in each of the examination papers given at the end of the book is concerned with plant description, we must give him credit for sparing no pains in providing the unfortunate student throughout the book with a dose of technical terms which will probably serve him a lifetime. Thus we find such a simple thing as " leaf- fall " is preferably tobe known as " phylloptosis," and when we read as the final sentence, "Fruit: a pseudocarp consisting of an aetario of aclienes borne on a succulent thalamus" we close the book with a shudder. Strawberries without the cream, indeed ! "Test-tubing" has been successfully chased from the chemical labora- torie.s of our schools; when will some strong man arise and stamp out the equally soul -destroying description of -'specimens" in technical terms from our botanical classes, and so make unnecessary the writing of large parts of such books as the one under review? Geo. H. Pethybridge. NEWS GLEANINGS. New Royal Irish Academicians. At the Annual Meeting of the Royal Irish Academy, held on March 16, the following were elected members : — William Frederick Baile)', B.A. (Dub.), EvStates Commissioner, Dublin ; Rev. Kdward Alfred D'Alton, C.C., Belcarra, Co. Mayo; Prof. Andrew Francis Dixon, M.B., Sc.D., (Dub.), Trinity College, Dublin ; John Fraser, M.A. (Dub.), Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin ; William Alexander Goligher, M.A. (Dub.), Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin ; Very Rev. James Joseph Kelly, D.D., Dean of Klphin, Athlone ; Thomas Philip Lefanu, B.A. (Cantab.), Bray ; Prof Kuno Meyer, Ph.D., Lecturer in Celtic, Iviverpool University ; Prof William M-Fadden Orr, M.A., Royal College of Science, Dublin. At the same meeting the following names were added to the Council : — W. P:. Adeney, D.Sc. ; Prof K. J. M'Weeney, M.D. ; Prof Gregg Wilson, D.Sc; Sir T. H. Grattan Ksmonde, M.P. ; I^dward Gwynu, M.A. ; and T. J. We.stropp. 1904. Neivs Gleanings. 115 The Chair of Botany in Trinity College. With much regret we have to record the retirement from the Pro- fessorship of Botaiiyin Trinity College of Dr. Edward Perceval Wright, who has lield this chair for over thirty-five years. Dr. Wright's name and his scientific record are so well known, that they need hardly be referred to here. Abroad, he tasted the delights and fatigues of tropical work in his exploration of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. At home he carried out man}' researches, both botanical and zoological, and did a vast amount of work in the arranging of the splendid her- barium of Trinity College. To supporters of the Irish Naturalist, to which Dr. Wright has ever been a helpful friend, the leading part which he took in the founding and management of the Natural History Reviezv, is of special interest. We are pleased to learn that Dr. Wright's connection with the Botanical Department of Trinity College is not to be altogether severed, as he retains the post of Keeper of the Herbarium. Dr. Wright's successor is Dr. Henry H. Dixon, for some years past his Assistant, whose name is already known throughout the scientific world for his brilliant researches on plant physiology, and notably on the ascent of sap and similar subjects, much of the work being done con- jointly with Professor John Joly. We wish Dr. Dixon a career as long and distinguished as that of his predecessor, Dublin Museum. Miss Jane Stephens, B.vSc, a Graduate of the Royal University of Ireland in Natural Science, has been appointed a Temporary Assistant in the Dublin Museum. Miss Stephens studied at the Royal College of Science, Dublin, and University College, London, and has received a zoological training which has specially fitted her for Museum work. vShe is now engaged in naming and re- arranging the large collection of Marine Invertebrates— a work which was much needed. IRISH SOCIETIES. ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include a Grass Paraket from Lord Bdnam, a Black-backed Gull from Mr. K Robinson, and a Tortoise from Mr. D. N. P. MacLean. Ten Monkeys and two Spoonbills have been purchased. The young Elephant, "Padmahati," after several months training, is now able to carry passengers and to perform a number of intelligent tricks. Mr. H. M. Barton, for many years Treasurer and Vice-President, whose recent death caused the deepest regret to the Council, has left, by will, ;^ioo to the Society. It has not j^et been decided to what purpose this money shall be devoted, as there are several suggested improvements which the Council propose to carry out if funds be available. ii6 The Irish Natjiralistn May, BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. March 22.— A lecture was given by SeaTon F. Mii,ijgan, M.R.I.A., F.R.S.A., oil "Around Youghal and the Blackwater with the Royal Society of Antiquaries." BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. GEOI.OGICAI, Section.— This Section has recently resumed active work, with James Orr as Acting Secretary. Several winter excursions have been held. On the afternoon of February 13 over 20 members visited the geological collections in Queen's College Museum, being conducted by George C. Gough, F.G.S., Lecturer on Geology in the College. On February 27 a large part}' visited Canimoney Hill, where the quarries were examined with care. CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. February 26. — Miss H. A. Martin gave a lecture on *i Insectivorous Plants," illustrated by lantern slides. She also exhibited a number of botanical specimens collected on the excursions conducted by Prof. Johnson last year. Aprii, 4. -The first excursion of the session took place. The party, numbering twelve, went by rail to Raffeen, and walked, via Ballea Castle to Carrigaline, thence home by train, conducted by Messrs. J. ly. Copeman, R. A. Phillips, and James Porter, B.E. The physical and geological features of the district were shown on sketch contour maps, with transparent geological covering sheets prepared by Mr. Porter. From Raffeen the route la}- over the Carboniferous slate for about three miles to Ballea, along its junction with the limestone which here over- lies it, the chief feature being the post-glacial ravine of the Owenboy river. The drainage of the ten mile section of the synclinal valley from Upton to Ballea, originally consisting of an eastern and a western system, uniting at Five-mile-Bridge to form a southward-flowing stream, was upset through the closing of the southern exit by a deposit of glacial clay. The waters accumulated to form a long narrow lake, which found an exit over a depression at the extreme eastern end. The escaping waters had such a fall into the Carrigaline valley on the south that they were able, since the glacial period, to cut the picturesque ravine of Ballea It was almost too early in the season for plant-collecting ; but among those noted by the botanists may be mentioned Barbarea pracox, Cochlear ta afi^/ha, Senccio vulgaris var. radiotus, Euphorbia hibcrna. Of Arum 77iaculatum about a dozen clumps of the spotted form were noticed, while one plant, found by Mr. Copeman, had beautifully variegated leaves, all their midribs and veins being bright yellow. 1904. Proceedhigs of hish Societies. 117 ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION. March 23. — A most successful conversazione was given by the President and Council in the Queen's College, Belfast. The guests numbered several hundreds. After tea, which was served in the Entrance Hall, the guests proceeded to inspect the large series of exhibits in the Natural History Museum upstairs. The list of exhibits was as follows : — Table A, (i) Collecting apparatus, (2) copepods of Larne district, (3) living specimens from Larne Harbour, Mr. Pearson ; Table B, (i) physical apparatus for marine work, (2) foraminifera of L^arne district, Mr. Gough ; Table C, vsponges of Larne district, Miss Patterson; Table D, sea-anemones of the district, Mr. Gallway; Table K, annelids of the Larne district, Mr. James Orr 5 Table P", Crustacea of the Larne district, Mr. Rankin ; Table G, bivalves of Larne district, Mrs. R. Patterson; Table H, gastropod molluscs, cuttle-fishes, &c., Messrs. Green, Walpole, and Welch ; Table I, (i) maps showing results of experiments for determining surface drift, (2) local polyzoa and brachiopods, Mr. Cunningham ; Table K, birds of Larne district, Mr. Workman ; Table L, seaweeds of Larne district, tuuicates, fishes,. &c., Mr. Thornton ; Table M, (1) demonstration of effects of gases on ciliary movement, (2) demonstration of methods of recognising animal and vegetable pigments, (3) demonstration of effects of different forms of light upon the development of the eyes of fishes, &c., Professor Milroy. About 9 p.m. the guests assembled in the Examination Hall, when a lecture was given by Professor Gregg Wilson from photographs of the work at Larne, shown by limelight. March 30.— A public lecture on "Trout Culture" was delivered by Professor Gregg Wii^sON, D.Sc, in the Belfast Museum. The chair was occupied by Walter H. Wilson (President of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, and President of the Belfast Anglers' Association), and there was a large audience. After referring to fish farms, the lecturer gave a detailed account of the life-history of the Trout, pointing out the conditions necessary for its welfare, and illustrating the best kinds of natural food to be introduced and encouraged in lakes and rivers, and the shelter which should be provided for the young. The various enemies of trout were described, and means for their destruction suggested. The lecture was illustrated by lantern slides, live trout, and hatching boxes, and was favourably discussed by F. J. Kennedy, R. Welch, and J. M. Dickson. 1 1 8 May, NOTES. BOTANY. Some Cork Plants. During a short visit to Cork harbour last summer the following few plants were noticed in the neighbourhood by the Rev. E. S. Marshall and myself: — Atriplcx Httoralis, Ivinn. —sparingly on Brown Island at the back of Great, or Queenstown, Island, Bast Cork. Potcniilla procunibeus, Sibth. — frequent about Crosshaven and Currabinuy, Mid Cork. P. subciccia, Zimni. (= P. procunibcns X sylvestyis^—y^'xWs. the above, frequent ; while Mr. H. W. Pugsley names a Funiaria gathered on Currabinny strand, " F. Borcci, Jord., var. seroiina, Clavaud." R. W. SCUI.I.Y. Dublin. ZOOLOGY. Paludestrina (Hydrobia) Jenkinsi. Mr. J. D. Dean, in the Joional of Conchology. vol. Ji, p. 15, gives some interesting notes on the way certain fish in his aquarium behave with regard to this species, Carp evidently preferring it to ordinary food ; but not so Perch, Roach, or Dace. He also speaks of the statement that the mollusc seems to have " taken over " a locality to the exclusion of other species of shells, but has heard no reason assigned for this. In Ireland we hardly have had time to work out this question. At the station where it was first found — little brackish pools on the margin of theBann along Portstewart sand-dunes— it certainly lives b}' itself so far. That is not the case, however, in a wide shallow drain near Coleraine bridge, where it lives with Liniuaia peregra. In the Newry locality (/.TV., vol. viii.,p. 271) the latter and Planoi-bis spirorbis are abundant in the drains. Recently (on March i) Mr. J. N. Milne turned up plenty oi P. Jenkinsi with Aplexa Iiypnorjun, L. peregra and Planorbis spirorbis in a shallow drain along the railway that we were examining, quite close to Limavady junction. This is a new station for the species, and an interesting one; for Mr. Milne, who has worked these drains for man}' years, is absolutely certain it was not there three years ago, but is a later introduction. It will be worth watching to see how the species behaves here. The drain is on the inside of the rail embankment, and we could not find it in the one on the outside. About ten days later I made careful search for it in many drains and pools, in the intakes along both sides of the line between Eglinton and Culmore stations. I did not see a trace of the shell alive or dead, and evidently missed the pool near Culmore where Mr. Milne got the fine coronated specimens some years ago. It is quite possible that the species is still very local here, though it is plentiful in the Fojle not far away. R. \Vei,ch. Belfast. I904- Notes. 119 Injmies to Pollan in Lough Neagh. People who are in the habit of using Pollan — the " fresh -water herring " of the old writers —from Lough Neagli as an article of diet, occasionally observe injured specimens, even to the extent of having pieces torn from their backs. Inquiries have been made as to the cause, which seemed to be not a little mysterious, and since I reside not far from the lake, it was suggested that I should endeavour to ascertain the real cause. I there- fore questioned a number of persons engaged in fishing in the lough. Too frequently Lough Neagh fishermen are the last persons from whom to glean information concerning the great sheet of water they should, know so well ; but on this subject I was greatly surprised at the readiness with which I received answers, and in five consecutive instances all to the same purpose, namely, that the said injuries were caused by the •' ramper eel," a local term for the small Lamprey or Lampern, which is about ten inches' in length. This, like all the lampreys, has a mouth formed for suction, and is frequently seen by fishermen adhering to the backs and sides of Pollan, even while confined in the net ; and so effect- ually does it attach itself that when out of the water, it is at times with great difiiculty that it is separated from the pollan. The wounds previously mentioned are declared to be caused by this sucking process, which may be so severe as to cause the death of the fish. When this is not the case, the marks of the wounds are never wholly effaced. This small Lampre}-, it appears, does not confine its attention solely to Pollan, but attacks Trout also. And when the attack is effectual, that is when the Lamprey.has secured a proper hold, the trout becomes greatly agitated, darts wildly about, and occasionally leaps high into the air in its endeavour to rid itself of its foe. The evidence thus far gained seemed conclusive as to their being one cause only for the injuries referred to, but the last person engaged in fishing spoken to did not believe the " ramper eel " was the cause of the mischief, but that it arose from Cormorants, and gulls of a particular kind, diving and attacking the Pollan while confined in the nets. Here was a surprise. That the Cormorant, with its formidable hooked bill, is capable of inflicting grievous injuries, is not to be for a moment doubted, and some gulls have powerful ones too, so that the evidence, while a little conflicting, appears to show that the w^ounds in Pollan are caused, not onl}^ b}' the small Lamprey, but also by Cormorants and gulls. W. S. Smith. Antrim. Stone Curlew in Co. Donegal. Mr. W. S. Taylor reports to me that a Stone Curlew {Q\dicnemus scolopax Gmelin) was shot by Mr. G. J. W. Kd wards at Magheragallen, Gweedore, Co. Donegal, on I2tli October, 1903. D. C. Campbp:t,i,. Londonderry, i2o 7 he Irish Naturalist. May, 1904. Bittern in Co. Waterford. A very fine Coinmoii Bittern {/yofaurus stellaris) was shot within a mile from heie on 5th February, 1904. The farmer who killed it brought it home, and kindly made me a present of it. It has gone for preservation to Messrs. Williams & Sou. Mr. Williams says it is a male. He also says that he could not see anything in its stomach. Mr. Ussher has many interesting observations on the Bittern in his " Birds of Ireland," particularly with regard to the time of its occurrence. Out of 105 in- stances noted, it appears that December is the month in which the greatest number have been obtained. In " British Birds," by W. H. Hudson, there is a fine coloured plate of the Bittern, hy the celebrated bird artist, A. Thorburn. It i3, however, doubtful whether it is as true to nature as the plate by Frohawk, in " British Birds," by various authors, vol. 4. Most observers say that the bird during the day remains with bill erect and pointing upwards. The latter is the way in which it is drawn by Frohawk. This is the first occasion in which I have seen this really beautiful bird in the flesh. WlI,I,IAM W. Fl^EMYING. Coolfin, Co. Waterford. Rough-legged Buzzard in Co. Down. In November of last year (1903) Mr. Richard Gardner shot a bird of this species {Buico lagopus) in the neighbourhood of Hillsborough. Mr. Gardner kindly lent me this specimen, which measures twenty-five and a half inches in length and is therefore a female; and I have to thank Mr. Robert Patterson, who has examined it, and authenticates the record. Previously this bird had been obtained twelve times in Ireland, of which Co. Down can claim four, viz.— at Dundonald in 1831, at Killinchy (2) in 1831, and atPortaferry in 1895. Nkvin H. Foster. Hillsborough, Co. Down. Greenland Falcon in Donegal. In the Zoologist for March, Mr. H. Eliot Howard states that an immature Greenland P'alcon {Falco candicans) was trapped by one of the tenants on Horn Head last December. Bat abroad in bright sunlight. On 9th March, atone o'clock, p.m., I observed a bat {Vcspenigo pipis' trelhis) busily engaged over a pond in pursuit of flies. The day was mild and bright, and, contrary to general belief, this bat did not seem at all discommoded by the strong sunlight, but flew about, ascending and descending in characteristic manner, and appeared quite an adept in evading the branches of trees overhanging the water. Nevin H. Foster. Hillsborough, Co. Down. w H •< J X o > J < H <: N «6 ^ O ^^ • XI ii O C rt eu T3 c C! • t— t frt JO w 3 O Q -4-t 1. u ^ Oh Cfl" 8 •1-H C/3 '^ 4J en •■-t Wi c rt • fH S 1894 i'532 „ similar returns for subsequent years up to the present being as follow (I am indebted for them to Mr. W. A, Currie, the courteous Secretary of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners) : — First three months. Whole year. 1895 705 tons 3,194 tons. 1896 1,076 >' 3.518 „ 1897 240 }> 1,229 „ 1898 2,237 >• 3.974 M 1899 1,547 J. 2,610 „ 1900 694 jj 1,287 ,1 I90I 724 »> 1,436 „ 1902 660 >> I;2I4 „ 1903 274 >j 566 „ 1904 65 »> It will be observed that shortly after the almost blank years 1892 and 1893, and again after a comparatively small year, such as 1897, a considerable, in the latter case a very large, increase is shown ; while, on the other hand, a considerable 1904. Pattkrson. — The Common Mussel in Belfast Lough. 149 diminution generally followed the big years, such a^ 1894 ^^^^ 1896, 1899 being no exception, although the quantity is so large, as in that year newly-found beds continued productive till over-fishing had its usual result. The recuperative power of the Mussel is evidently very great, a couple or three years apparently sufficing to restock almost exhausted beds. In certain circumstances raking and dredging cause a great destruction of the bivalves besides those that are taken. A few years ago, when these methods of capture were in active operation on some beds off Marino and.Cultra, a severe north- westerly gale came on with the result that an enormous quantity of Mussels, which had been forcibly detached from their natural "moorings " on the floor of the sea, were driven ashore at Cultra Point, where at high-water mark they formed a ridge about sixty yards long, two yards broad at the base, and between two and three feet high. In October, 1898, the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries held an inquiry here, with the result that a close time for MUvSsels, from 15th May to 30th September, both days included, was promul- gated. This I considered very desirable; but the Mussel-fishers objected ; and, after some time, the restriction was either modified or entirely removed — I forget which — the result being apparent in the diminished returns of the last couple of years. This year I saw several of the Mussel boats lying in Conn's Water, laid up unused. The Mussels fetched 10s. per ton at the ship's side ; and, besides those exported, some were used for bait by the Ardglass and other fishermen, and some are locally used as food , so it will be seen that the industry was one of some importance to those engaged in it, and its recurrent decline, due in my opinion to overfishing, is much to be regretted. So far written, a friend, to whom I was speaking on the subject, lent me the " Report on the Irish Fisheries for 1902," published by the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction, on p. 70 of which are given returns of the take of Mussels in eight coastguards' districts mentioned. I cannot accept the figures there given as accurate — that for tlie Carrickfergus district being 1,029 tons for that year, while the official Belfast figure is 1,214 toUvS, or 185 tons more. It may be that the Department's figures are accurate as far as they 1 50 The Irish Naturalist. J"b% go, but incomplete. Be that as it may, the returns from eight districts total i,688 tons, deducting from which the 1,029 tons credited to Carrickfergus, would leave only 659 tons for the other seven places, of which Valentia with 358 tons is the largest, and Waterford with 10 tons the smallest. From the prices stated to be realised — ranging from £1 10s. per ton at Waterford to £^ per ton at Pullendiva — and from their destinations — viz., Liverpool, Bristol, I^eeds, Manchester, Brad- ford, Derby, Wolverhampton, and Preston — it is evident that all these are used as food, except possibly some from Pullen- diva which go to Glasgow. The return under notice states that at Waterford 120 persons find employment in gathering Mussels, that the quantity gathered was 10 tons, the price obtained £1 \os. per ton, and the value £\^, which works out 25. ^d. per head for the 120 people. Arrived at in the same way the 10 persons stated to be employed in the Carrickfergus district, at I05. per ton for 1,029 tons, realised ;^5t 125. each (on an average of course) ; but I am satisfied that the number of persons mentioned in the latter case is largely understated. I have seen 15 to 20 boats, none of them manned by less than two hands, discharging, or waiting their turn to discharge, their "take" into the Scotch steamers. Calculated in the same way, the earnings of the Mussel gatherers at Pullendiva averaged ;^8o lis. ^d. each. Comparing that with the 2s. 6d. at Waterford, one may naturall} infer that there is some mistake somewhere. Local fishers used to complain that in the hurry of loading on board the steamers there was often no time for weighing, and they sometimes lost from one to two or even three cwt. to the ton in giving overweight. Croft House, Holywood 1904. TCI NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF EOUGH DERG AND ITS SHORES. BY ANTHONY PARKER, J. P. Garden Warbler {Sylvia hortemis^ Bechst.). This Warbler still frequents its usual haunts here, but I have, as yet, failed to hear it elsewhere than in the Shannon valley. In 1901, and again in 1902, I heard it on April 25, the earliest date upon which I have recorded it — never having noticed it before May in any other year. This year it was very late in arriving ; I did not observe it until May 8th, although on the look-out for it. On June 7, 1900, I found a nest with five young, and the}^ had flown by June 11. Siskin {Cardtielis spintis, Linn.). This species is such a rare visitor here that I think it worth notice. On February 26, 1900, I saw a small flock on some Alders b}' a stream which flows through the demesne ; and again, on February 9, 1902, I saw them in the same locality, but do not remember to have seen them anywhere else. Shoveler {Spatula clypcata, Einn.). In June, 1901, a pair frequented the little bay here, and I was almost certain they had a nest ; but the Bald Coots per- secuted the ducks so that they left, after having been here up to June 18. On May 27, 1903, niy nephew found a nest on one of the islands off the Clare shore opposite this place. Tufted Duck {Fuligula cristata, Leach). On the loth of May, 1904, we started for Dromineer on the Tipperary side of Lough Derg) ; thence we went by a row- boat to a small island, where a pair of Tufted Ducks were swimming close by; on then to another island, where there were two pairs more swimming some distance off. 152 'rhc Irish Naiiwalist. Jiilji We then rowed across to the Connaught shore ; in one bay- there were four Tufted Drakes on the water together — no female ; but on an island not far away was a duck of the same species partly eaten. It is very remarkable how these birds have increased of late years in the breeding season. There were a good many last winter, too, more than usual about here. vStock-Dove {Coluniba ccnas, I,inn.). This bird still continues to frequent this place, although many of its favourite breeding haunts have been laid low by the terrible storm of Februar}^, 1903. So far as I can ascertain, Stock-Doves appear, if undis- turbed, to breed twice in the year, the first lot leaving the nest towards the end of May, when the old birds seem to take them away, as though to teach them to do for them- selves. Towards the middle or end of June they vSeem to return again and prepare for a second brood. Generall}^ the nest is in the hollow stump of an ivy-covered tree, or the thick growth peculiar to the Lime tree. When in the latter, and the trees in full leaf, it is sometimes very difficult to get them to leave the nest, and quite out of the question to reach it by climbing. In autumn and winter, however, they seem more shy and wary than the Wood-Pigeon, although they are sometimes shot " flighting" with the latter from their feeding grounds. Woodcock (Sco/o/>ax rus^icula, L,inn.). On July 18, 1903, my keeper showed me a Woodcock's nest with three eggs which he had found on July 12. On July 26 she was still sitting, but a couple of days later left with two young ones. A few days later I saw Woodcock quoted for sale in the Dublin Corporation markets ! I.KSSPCR Bi.ACK-BACKKD Guix {Larits fiiscus, Linn.). I have been able to observe the breeding of this gull on Lough Derg. On June 4, 1902, my son and a nephew were "dapping" together from a boat, near the Clare shore of Lough Derg, when the latter observed a 1904. Parkkr. — Notes 071 the Birds of Loiigh Derg. 153 Black-backed Gull sitting hard on a bare reef of rocks, forming a small island. The nest was only about eight inches above water-level, and contained three eggs, one of them just hatched out, the chick in another breaking the shell. On June 11 I took one of the young birds, and it throve so well for a few days that I sent for the second. The third ^^'g did not come out. The young birds had a healthy appetite, and were apparently thriving well, but first one and then the other got stifi* in the joints of the leg, and were unable to stand up. Both died, the second on July 15. On May 13th this year another nest was found near the same place containing three eggs, on which the gull was sitting. Castle Lough, Nenagh. IRISH SOCIETIES. ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include two Green Monkeys from Mr. W. F. Manice, and two Green Monkeys from Mr. W. Adams, a pair of Crowned Pigeons from Mr. Henniker Heaton, six Rudd from Mr. Leonard, a Tortoise from Dr. M'Weeney, a Crested Mynah from Mr. H. B. Rathborne, and eleven foreign birds from Sir John Maxwell. The Elephant " Padmohati," and an elegant little carriage drawn by a Shetland Pony, are now available for carrying children around the gardens. A new entrance for members from the Polo Ground can now be used. DUBLIN SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS. We are very glad to hear of the formation in Dublin of a society whose object is to encourage a deeper and more intelligent interest in a group of animals that is especially open to persecution, though it includes many of the most beautiful and of the most useful of all living things. Lady Ardilaun is President, Miss Constance Pim and Mrs. Hogg Honorary Secretaries, and the committee includes several of our best known Irish ornithologists, such as Rev. C. W. Benson, R. M. Barrington, and C. B. MbfFat. We wisli the new society every success, and shall watch its progress with interest and sympathy. jc^ The Irish Naturalisf.^' ■ July, BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. May 21.— Excursion to Hii,i.sborough.— This excursion created a record, as one hundred and sixty-seven members and friends attended. The party travelled to Hillsborough by the 1.45 train, and were met by Mr. Nevin H. Foster (Hon. Secretary), who was both guide and host for the day. By permission, the demesne of the Marquis of Dowushire was first visited, and proved a good collecting ground. On arrival at the lake, a swan sitting on her nest was pointed out, while dotted over the water were to be seen Mallards, Coots, Moorhens, and Uttle Grebes. But the scene which elicited most numerous expressions of admiration was the fine collection of conifers growing by the upper end of the lake. These afforded typical nesting sites and feeding places for the numerous Great, Blue, and Coal Tits, Redpolls, Golden-crested Wrens, and Siskins, which flew about from tree to tree. On the way to the old castle the members were disgusted at the blot on the fair landscape made by the keepers' •• museum." Hanging on a tree, in various stages of putrification, were half a dozen Owls and the same number of Kestrels, along with Sparrow- hawks and Stoats. Merely from the low standpoint of game preservation little objection can be taken to the two latter, but how many years must elapse before the ignorant gamekeepers learn that Owls and Kestrels are the best friends they have, and should be strictly protected? It has been pointed out over and over again in various journals and newspapers that Owls and Kestrels live chiefly on rats and mice, and are most bene- ficial in clearing off enormous quantities of these pests. Rats will destroy all the eggs they can get at, therefore keepers should., in their employers' interests, preserve Owls and Kestrels as the deadly enemies of rats, but ignorance and prejudice are hard to overcome, and so the innocent suffer for the guilty. To add to their feelings of disgust the members were shocked to observe that in most cases the legs of the victims showed clear evidence of a lingering and painful death by the odious pole-trap^ Fortunately the Pole-trap Act, which has recently passed through Par- liament, will put an end in future to such barbarity, which is a disgrace to civilisation. Some damp, mossy glades in the woods were searched for the smaller land shells. Here Hyalinia radiatiila was found, with its rare pale-green variety. The lakes yielded abundance of Planorbis albiis. Rather fine specimens of Valvata cristata were plentiful near the margins, with some large Pisidhim fontiuak. Near the old castle the very local Limax flavus lives in old trees. One of the tree snails, Balea, was observed on old trees, but in small numbers. After being photographed, the large party went to the Corporation Arms Hotel, where tea was kindly provided by Mr. and Mrs. N. H. Foster. Afterwards a short business meeting was held, and twelve new members elected. The 6.30 train brought the members back to Belfast. 1904- ^55 NOTES. ZOOLOGY. AUolobophora cyanea in Ireland. Among some earthworms I received on February i6th from the neigh- bourhood of Finea, Co. Cavan, I found one which I was not familiar with. On examining it more closely I found it agreed with Mr. F. Beddard's description oi AUolobophora cyanea Savigny in colour, positions of the clitellum and the tubercula pubertatis, and also in the arrangement of the setae. It is, however, much shorter than the type, there being only 90 instead of 156 segments. Mr. Beddard has very kindly examined the specimen, and has been able to confirm my diagnosis It has been recorded from Kurope and the Argentine, but has not yet been found in England. J. TRUMBUI^Iy. Mai abide. White Wagtails. Irish ornithologists will be glad to learn that Motacilla alba has visited Bartragh on its way north this season. My friend, Captain Kirkwood, observed a little flock of six birds on the loth May ; these onl)' remained to rest for an hour and then resumed their northern flight. On the 13th he observed a solitary bird, which he kindly shot for me as I required the specimen for the Belfast Museum. These birds were seen, as usual, to haunt the damp sandy flat of pasture outside the garden at Bartragh, and were evidently delayed on their northern journey by the high north-west wind blowing on the days previous to their arrival. They have now been observed on Bartragh Island for seven years in succession, regularly appearing in April or May and almost always after, or during a gale of north, north- west, or north-east wind. So I think there can be no doubt now of their line of spring migration passing over Bartragh directly north. Robert Warren. Moyview, Balliua. Turtle Dove in Co. Down. On 24th May, a bird was shot in this neighbourhood and submitted to me for identification. It proved to be a female of one of our rarer summer visitants — the Turtle Dove (yw/z/r co??imu?ns). It had eggs in the ovary and showed no traces of having been in captivity. There are only two recorded instances of this bird having bred in Ireland (both more than half a century ago), though it is common in England. Nevin H. Foster. Hillsborough, /56 Ihc Irish Naturalist. July, 1904. BOTANY Botanizing en route (Dublin and Wicklow). On the way to Drogheda on June ill thought I saw the blue-gray foliage o{ Elynnts on the east side of the railway cutting just south of the Delvin River. Returning in the evening, a speed of 65 miles an hour made botanizing difficult, but I located a large patch of this grass in the place indicated. As to the standing of the plant here, railway cuttings are always suspicious habitats, but there appears at least no reason for a deliberate planting of the grass at this spot, as at Bray {I.N., x., 20) and the sea-shore, the natural habitat of the species, is close at hand. The Bray colony, it may be noted, is flourishing prodigiously, and displays already (June 8) an abundance of flower-stems. vSlierries is the only other recorded Dublin station for this handsome grass. Proceeding by steam tram to Brittas on June 12, Crepis biennis was seen in abundance in several fields of grass be3'ond the Embankment station. This plant was added to the Dublin flora by Mr. Colgan only lately from Killiney [I.N., xi., 184). Later in the same day, the beautiful Viola Ititea was seen in glorious profusion, making the short pastures quite yellow, in fields at Ballyfolan, t\ mile N.B. of Kilbride, Co. Wicklow, and thence it occurred frequentl}- to the county boundary near Brittas and Talbotstown. Lackan, six miles to the S S.W., is the only previously recorded Wicklow station {Recent Add., 1872). On June 19, Saxifraga stellaris was seen in great abundance along the Shankill River from Kilbride camp almost to Cloghleagh Bridge, a distance of over a mile. The range of elevation here is 1,100 to 800 feet. The plant also grows by springs on the hills overlooking Kilbride camp. Coming from Wexford in January, I noticed from the train a fine growth of Cladium Mariscns in the Murrough marshes, between Newcastle and Kilcoole. This plant was found on the Murrough — its only Wicklow station — by Dr. Moore some time before 1866 {Cyb. I.), but there does not appear to be any note of its having been seen in the county since. R. I,I.OVD Praeger. Dublin. OBITUARY. CLAUDE W. BUCKLE. With the deepest regret, we record the premature death, in the early spring of this year, of one of the most careful and talented entomologists who ever worked in Ireland. During his residence in the Foyle and Belfast districts, Mr. Buckle formed a very large and beautifully mounted collection of beetles and other insects. His two noteworthy papers in this Magazine—*' Beetles Collected in Lough Foyle District," vol. ix., pp. 2-11, and "Entomological Notes from Ulster," vol. xi., pp. 40-44— contain over fifty additions to the Irish fauna. His power of discriminating species among the Staphylinidte and other obscure families was wonderful. His early death is a sad loss to Irish zoology. iRisu Naturalist, Vor,. XIII. 1 [Plate 2. ADKLANTHU.S DUGORTlENSIS. To face page 15 7. J August, 1904. 157 A NEW HEPATIC. BY RKV. H. W. I.ETT, M.A., M.R.I.A. [P1.ATE 2.] During a shoit visit in June, 1903, to the Island of Achill, Co. Mayo, with the object of investigating the mosses and hepatics for the Fauna and Flora Committee of the Royal Irish Acadeni}', I found a hepatic which was quite new to me, and I sent it to Professor Douin, of Chartres, who described it in the Revue Bryologique for May, 1904. The following is a translation of his description: — Adelanthus dugrortiensis, Douin and H. W. Lett, sp. w^z/.— Plant dioicous (?), of a brownish -yellow colour. Stem 10-50 mm. long, branched (fig. i), branches rising laterally before the stem, which also afterwards lengthens [or sends out a shoot— H.W.L.] at the apex; when dry the tops of the branches are incurved like a bishop's crozier, this is also sometimes the case when the plant is in a moist condition. In a transverse section the stem is elliptic (fig. 15), having a distinct border of three to five rows of coloured cells with thick walls, the cells of the middle being hyaline and thin-walled. Leaves elliptic in shape, I'l — 075 mm. long at the ends of the chief branches, much smaller towards the base of the shoot (fig. 4). I In the normal form (fig. 2), the leaves are arranged erect on either side against the stem, which thus lies between them, as in Alicularia compressa Q.n(\ Jamesomella Carringtoni, their ends being turned forwards to the front [they are homomallous — H. W. L.] In the topmost leaves the back margin is entire and strongly reflexed, along (figs. 3, 5, and 7) to its insertion (fig. 2) in the stem, where it very distinctly embraces the stem (fig. 15). In the leaves on the lower part, the back margin is much less distinctly volute. The end and front margin are flat and toothed (except near the insertion, where the margin is entire); these teeth are small and consist each of one projecting cell. The cells of the margin of the leaf have very distinct walls (fig. 9), and are clearly marked by lines into polygonal shapes; they are 16-30 /t in diameter. With regard to the other cells (figs. 10, II, and 12), their walls are indistinct where they touch each other, and there remains little but the inside shape showing that they were wider and separated by very thick walls. At the base and in the middle portion of the leaf (fig. 12) he cells are much elongated, 15-20 fi wide and 40-75 /t long. The epidermis is smooth. A 158 The Irish Naturalist. August, When the surface of a leaf is viewed from above, it presents the follow- ing features from the anterior or front edge to the posterior or back, first a front flat-toothed margin, then a convex surface, next a concave portion, and lastly the back or posterior revolute margin. There are nounder-leavesoramphigastria. The antheridia, archegonia, and fructification are all as yet unknown. Growing on shady rocks amongst Scapaitia gracilis^ HymenophylluTn tjmbridgense, etc , at 2,000 ft. above the village of Dugort, Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland, 24th June, 1903. Observations. — In the genus Adelaiithvs the female flowers are found on very short branches at the base of the stem. I have vSearched for them in vain on the little specimen which has been sent to me. Herr F. Stephani, the distinguished hepaticologist, to whom I sub- mitted it, writes : — " The plant which you have sent me is an AdelantJuts, unknown till now ; ?V is the most interesting discovery which we have leceived for a long time ; the plant is ver}^ close to A. nnciformis (Tayl.) Spr., which is found at the Cape of Good Hope, in Madagascar, and at Cape Horn. Ireland, as doubtless you are aware, is a country classic for an ancient flora still preserved there, though lost in the neighbouring countries. Your new plant belongs to a small group of rare species which have the characteristics of the hepatics of hot climates. A great many of these 'plantse relictte' of Ireland are known only in a barren condition." The back margin of the leaves, which is curiously incurved, easily distinguishes this new hepatic from all the other European species. This characteristic, however, is less noticeable than in A. loiciformis, which is quite different in the large teeth of its leaves. It is very near it, if it be not the same species. I have no doubt that in further researches a plant with flowers will be found. I have complied with Mr. Lett's wish that the name of the village near which it was discovered should be given to the plant. Through the courtesy of Professor Douin and the generosity of Herr Stephani, I have been able to compare a specimen of Adela7ithjis uiiciforviis (Ta}^.) from Terra del Fuego with the plant from Co. Mayo. The size, colour, and general appearance are much the same. But the leaves of tinciformis are larger, much closer to each other at the stem, more square in outline with a more acute point, more homomallous, the teeth of the margin stronger, and the areolae smaller than in duoorticnsis. These points of difference are very distinct when stems of both plants are examined side by side on the same slide with a 2 in. or i in. object-glass. Aghaderg, Co. Down, 1904' Lett.— -^ New Hepatic, I59 EXPI.ANATION OF P1.A.TE. I, plant, natural size ; 2, end of a branch, side view (normal form); 3, thinner part of branch seen from above; 4, the same seen from below with the lower leaves much smaller: 5, a leaf taken from No. 3, and seen from above ; 6, a leaf from No. 2, side view, from below ; 7. the same seen from above ; S, a leaf removed from the stem, and seen from above ; 9, cells of leaf No. 8 taken from the point a ; 10, cells of the same leaf taken at b ; II, cells of the same leaf taken at c ; 12, cells of the same leaf taken at d\ 14, section of upper part of fig. 13 showing the involute margin ; 13, transverse section of above through mm. (fig. 5) ; 15, transverse section, of the stem and a leaf through /rj (fig. 6). (Figs. 2-8 x 18; figs g-12, 14, X 100 ; figs. 13. 15, X 36). REVIEWS. FOR BEE-KEEPERS. The Irish Bee Guide, a Manual of Modern Bee-keeping. By Rev. J. G. DiGGES, M.A. Pp. 220. no figures and many plates. Lough Rynn : " Irish Bee Journal " Office. Price 2s. (paper covers), y. (cloth). The writer of this little book is well known as Editor of the Irish Bee Jour7ial which for several years past has proved a most useful channel of information for Irish bee-keepers. And now he has given us in an attractive and handy form — so far as it can be given by clear description and excellent illustration — all that the beginner in apiculture needs to know and much that will prove of value to the expert. The book is divided into three sections. In the first, the natural history, anatomy and life-history of the Hive-bee are discussed; this section is illustrated with a very good selection of figures, mostly from the classical work of Cheshire. The structure of the bees, both external and internal, is described accurately and in sufficient detail, while the story of their lives and labours is told vividly and poetically. The second part of the book contains an account of hives and their fittings, as well as of the various appliances for feeding and handling bees, and for extracting honey and wax. But it is the third and largest division of the book that will appeal especially to the practical man, for here are found directions for manipu- lating the bees and using the appliances. Breeding, swarming, hiving, rearing, feeding, and marketing are all, in turn, fully discussed. Nor are the diseases of bees forgotten, foul brood being dealt with at length, and the means for its prevention and cure pointed out. We heartily con- gratulate the author on the publication of this book, which is well printed on paper that shows up to advantage the numerous "halftones" distributed in the text. A 2 i6o The hish Naturalist. August, THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. A Natural History of the British Lepldoptera : a Text-book for Students and Collectors. By J. W. TuTT, F.K.S. Vol. iv. (with Synopsis of Contents of and General Index to Vols, i-iv.) Pp. 535, portrait and 3 plates. London : Swan, Sonnenschein & Co., 1904. Price, i/. net. Each volume of Mr. Tutt's monumental work surprises the reader by the vast amount of information which it contains, and inspires deep admiration for the untiring industry of the author. As the previous volumes have not been noticed in this Journal, it may be of interest to give a general review of their contents. Vol. i. (published in 1899), con- tains eight introductory chapters on the ^^^ and embryology of the Lepidoptera, the inner and outer structure and defences of the larva, and colour-variation in the imago. Then the subject of classification is taken up, and Mr. Tutt gives his reasons for abandoning the schemes proposed in recent years by Comstock, Dyar, Hampsbn, and Meyrick, and arranging the families of the Lepidoptera in three great series or stirpes — Noctuo-Hepialid, Geometro-Eriocraniid, and Sphingo-Micro- pterygid. These divisions rest chiefly on the form of the ^%'g^ which being largel}' an adaptive character is not reliable for the purpose of a primary classification. The arrangement adopted by Mr. Tutt has the practical inconvenience of leading the student up from the generalized forms to the specialized families of the same " stirps," and then returning to the primitive members of the next " stirps." It seems to us that the more natural arrangement would be to take all those families that are now universally admitted to be generalized, and to treat of them, first, passing on to the higher groups afterwards. Mr. Tutt's scheme is depen- dent on a special theory of phylogeny, which many morphologists will be unable to accept. The stirps first considered is the Sphingo-Micropterygid, and the sur- vey of the included families takes up all the four volumes so far issued. In vol. i. are described the Micropterygidse, Nepticulidae, Cochlididae, and Anthroceridse. Vol. ii. (published 1900), contains five most valuable introductory chapters on the metamorphosis of the Lepidoptera, with special reference to the external and internal structure and phylogeny of the pupa. Then the systematic treatment is continued with the Psychids (considered as a "super-family" comprising several families), and an in- stalment of the Lachneidse (Eggar-moths). The account of the little- known Psychids, filling over 300 pages, is particularly admirable and valuable. In vol. iii. (published 1902), the Eggar-moths are finished, our single species of the Dimorphidae (Endromidae), and of the Saturniidae are surveyed, and the Sphingids are commenced. The fourth volume now before us concludes the Sphingids. The thoroughness with which Mr. Tutt's work has been done will be appreciated from the fact that the thirteen species described in this volume have over 500 pages devoted to them. Many British students of the Hawk-moths will be surprised to see nearly every species placed in a distinct genus — elpenor^ for example, is separated from porcellus, livornica 1904. Reviews. 161 from gain, and galii from cuphorbice ; pinastri from ligustri, and ligiistri from convolvuli. This generic "splitting" is undoubtedly warranted by struc- tural characters, and its acceptance by all serious students is only a matter of time. We doubt, however, if the names which Mr. Tutt adopts for these genera will meet with acceptance. Urged on by what is supposed to be an uniform "law of priority," various systematists are arriving at results that threaten to confuse the whole nomenclature of the Lepidoptera. Messrs. Rothschild and Jordan have lately published a monograph on the Sphingids of the world, and the genera they accept are accepted also by Mr. Tutt. But when we come to names anarchy reigns supreme. For example they call ligtistri Uyloicus, he calls it Sphinx. They apply Sphinx to ocellatus, which he calls by the familiar Smerinthus. But they retain Macroglossa for stellatarum, which Mr. Tutt finds it neces- sary to regard as the type of Sesia I If there were any prospect of arriving at finality, the body of working naturalists might be induced to accept these changes ; but when no two authorities can agree what changes are required, is it any wonder that most workers prefer to keep to names which they know and which all understand? But enough of such disputes about words and names. The student will turn to Mr. Tutt's book, not for barren discussion, but for information how his favourite insects live, feed, grow, pupate, vary, migrate— and he will not be disappointed. In the volume before us, taking, for ex- ample, an insect which often attracts notice in this country — the Death's- head — we find over 70 pages devoted to the species. There is a discussion of the feeding-habits of the caterpillar — so commonly found in potato fields— in relation to its protective coloration, and a long and interesting account of the well-known squeaking sound made by the moth, and the various theories that have been put forward to explain it. Mr. Tutt leans to the view that the sound is caused by the expulsion of air from the oesophageal sac to the exterior at the base of the proboscis. Another biological point of special interest, dealt with at length, is the " terrify- ing " attitude and marking of the elpenor caterpillar. Full information on the occurrence and distribution of the various species will be found, but we cannot congratulate Mr. Tutt on his ar- rangement of this material. The counties of all divisions of the United Kingdom are given alphabetically, e.g., Aberdeen, Armagh, Berks. Consequently it requires no little patience to trace the Irish range of any particular insect. The only other serious criticism which we are disposed to make is that structural figures of the characters relied on for the separation of the genera would have added largely to the value of the book. But Mr. Tutt has given us so much that it is perhaps ungracious to complain that we have not more. The volumes are unrivalled as a scientific account of the families of which they treat, and we do not wonder that the author, realizing the magnitude of the task on which he has entered, asks for collaborators to aid him in the volumes yet to come. We heartily wish him worthy helpers and a joyful completion of his great work. G. H. C 1 62 August, NAJAS MARINA IN THE MEGACEROS-MARL OF LOUGH GUR. BY CLKMENT REID, F.R.S. So little is 3'et known about the Prehistoric and newer Ter- tiary flora of Ireland, that the discovery of Najas marina may encourage botanists to take up the subject. Dr. Scharff a few weeks ago sent me three small samples of peat, marl, and sand, from excavations made at Lough Gur in order to obtain Hfcgaceros. The samples were too small to 5'ield man}- species ; but the)^ showed that here, as at other spots, the marl}' deposit is largely a O^ra-marl, yielding also freshwater shells, leaves of sallow {Salix cincrca), and a few seeds of common bog plants. One fruit only of Najas viarhia was also found. Najas marijia is a submerged flowering plant which, in Britain, onl)- lives at a single spot, in Hickling Broad in Nor- folk. Its former distribution, however, was much wider. It occurs at several localities in Norfolk and Suffolk in the Pre- glacial '"'Cromer Forest-bed" ; it is found in a newer deposit (probabl}^ Interglacial) at Hitchin, in Hertfordshire; it also occurs in Barry Docks, in South Wales, in a marl associated with a submerged peat, in which was discovered a polished stone implement. The marl at Barry Docks may be of the same date as the Megaceros-r^2x\'6 of Ireland. From Ireland Najas marina has not been recorded previousl)^; but the distribution of the species of this genus is singularly sporadic in both living and fossil state. Njlexilis, still living in Ireland, has not yet been found fossil in Britain, though it occurs both recent and fossil at several places in Scandinavia and German3^ N. gramiiiea^ a widely distributed tropical species, lives in Britain as an accidental introduction into a canal w^hich receives waste hot water from a mill. N, viiiiory a plant of the Mediterranean region and of central Europe, is found in Britain in Preglacial and Interglacial beds. Geological Survey, London. 1904. 163 THE DIARY OF AN IRISH NATURALIST. BY R. F. SCHA.RFF, PH.D. In the year 1843 an excellent and instructive paper appeared in the Annah and Magazine of Natu7'al History " on the species of Limax found in Ireland." This was one of the earliest notices which have been published on the habits and distinctive characters of our Slugs. As the author, the Rev. Benjamin James Clarke, was an Irishman, this fact may be of additional interest to the readers of the Irish Naturalist. Though he seems to have been a correspondent of William Thompson, very little has been recorded of the life of this keen observer, except that w^e gather from his paper just referred to that he inhabited a place near Portarlington in the Queen's Co. called " La Bergerie." Quite recently Mr. Clarke's diary, written in the years 1837 and 1838, which proves to be of considerable interest to naturalists, came into the possession of our Museum. His power of observation and wide knowledge, as revealed in the diary, are very remarkable ; and the keenest pleasure is evinced throughout the pages in noting down the facts of Nature as they presented themselves to him. The animated world around him seems to have been a source of intense interest to him. On page 21 we read about the fights he observed between the large larvae of dragon-flies and sticklebacks. He relates how he saw one of the former fiercely attacking a fish twice its own size with its mandibles, which it firmly fixed in the head of its prey. Then, again, he notes the ravages caused to gooseberry and currant bushes by the larvae of the sawfly and gooseberry-moth, both of which left black currant bushes untouched. A particularly interesting capture which entomologists, no doubt, would wish to have verified by the actual specimen is one recorded on page 21. He notes having taken a specimen of the " Clifden Beauty" at dusk on the Emo Road, being the first of that rare moth ever captured by him about this neighbourhood. 164 The Irish Naturalist. August, But Mr. Clarke was not unmindful of the existence of other insects, and records (p. 47) having taken the rare beetle Carabiis 7iitc?is off the bog of ClonbuUock. Even microscopic creatures were not beyond his ken, for he tells us of the occurrence of Hydra viridis, Cyclops qtcadrico7iiis, and Cyclops castor in the neighbouring ditches (p. 128). When we come to his special subject, the land and fresh- water Mollusca, his remarks are naturally of particular interest. Pla7iorbis comeus he refers to as being very plentiful in the townland of Clononne3% and he also mentions Helix fusca, Helix lamellata^ Acme lineata^ Coecilianella acicicla, Biilivmms obscurus^ and other uncommon species as occurring in the neighbourhood. Ornithologists will be interested to learn that on Mr. Clarke's authority the Crossbill was seen near J^a Bergerie in the spring of 1838, one gentleman having shot no less than seven of them. Dublin Museum. NOTES ON THE MOLLUSCA OF NORTH CORK AND WATERFORD. BY p. H. GRIKRSON. The following notes were made during the summer and autumn of 1902 and summer of 1903, in the northern portion of the Co. Cork and in Co. Waterford, over an area extending across the greater portion of the south of Ireland, and varying greatly in its soil and geological features. I have confined m3^self simply to giving the name of the nearest town to where the specimens were taken, with the number of the one-inch Ordnance Survey map after it. I have followed Dr. ScharfF's nomenclature as given in hish Naturalist^ 1892. I am much indebted to Messrs. L. E- Adams and R. Welch for help — the former for naming slugs, &c., and the latter for sending me the names oi Hyalinics and Fisidia. The trouble- some immature Hyalinice Mr. Welch submitted to Messrs. L. E. Adams or G. W. Taylor, and the Pisidia to Mr. Oldham. 1904. GrieRSON. — Mollusca of N. Cork and Watcrjord' 165 North Cork comprises all that portion of Co. Cork north and east of River Lee, and is denoted in the following by " N.C." Co. Waterford is given as *' W." Vltrlna pellucida, Mull.— N.C. East and West of Macroom (185-186), Castletownroche (176). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin (177), Stradbally and Dun- garvan (178). Hyalinia cellaria, Mull.— N.C. Doneraile (164), Carrigtwohill (187), Castlemartyr and Killeagh (188). W. Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Dungarvan (178,) Dunmore (179), Portcully (van albino) (179), north of Youghal (188). H. alllarla, Miller.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Killeagh (188). W. Mount Congreve (var. viridula) (168), Cappoquin (type and var. virididd) (177), Tramore (179), 6 miles north of Youghal (var. viridtila) (188). H. nltldula. Drap.— N.C. Doneraile (164), Mallow (175), Castletown- roche (176), Midleton and Carrigtwohill (187), Killeagh (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin (177), Dungarvan (178), Tra- more (179). H, pura, Alder. — W. 6 miles north of Youghal var. nitidosa (188). H. radlatula, Alder,— N.C. Mallow (175), East of Macroom (var. alba (186), Midleton (187), Castlemartyr (188). W. Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177). H. crystallina, Mull.— N.C. Killeagh (188). W. Cappoquin (177), Portcully (179). H. fulva, Mlill.— N.C. Killeagh (188). W. Cappoquin (177), 6 miles north of Youghal (188). H. excavata, Bean.— N.C. 2 miles west of Macroom (185), Killeagh (188). W. 6 miles north of Youghal (188). H. nitlda, Miill.— N.C. Mallow (175), Midleton (187), Castlemartyr (1 88), Shanagarry (196). Arlon ater, L.— N.C. Charleville (164), 6 miles west of Macroom (185), Midleton and Youghal (188). W. 6 miles north of Youghal (1S8). A. subfuscus, Drap.— N.C. Macroom (186). W. Cappoquin (177). A. hortcnsis, Fer.— N.C. Youghal (188). W. Dunmore (179), 6 miles north of Youghal (188). A. circumscriptus, Johnst.— W. Cappoquin (177), Dunmore (179). Umax maxlmus, I^.— N.C. Macroom (186), Youghal (188). W. 6 miles north of Youghal (188). L. f lavus, Iv.— N.C. Macroom (186). W. Cappoquin (177)- / i66 the Irish katufalisL August, Umax margrlnatus, Mull.— N.C. Macroom (i86). W. Cappoquiu (177). Agrlollmax agrrcstls, L.— N.C. Macroom (185-186), Youghal (188). W. Cappoquin (177), Dunmore (179). Amelia Sowcrbyl, Fdr.— N. C. Youghal (188). W. Dunmore (179). Helix pygmasa, Drap.— N.C. West of Macroom (185). W. Cappoquin (177). H. rotundata, Mull.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Doneraile (165), Castle- townroche (176), near Macroom (var. pyrainidalis) (185-186), Midleton (187), Killeagli (188), vShanagarry (196). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin (177), Dungarvan (178), Dun- more (179), north of Youghal (188). H. rupestrls, Drap.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Fermoy and Castletown- roche (176), Midleton (187), Youghal (188). W, Mount Congreve andWaterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Dungarvan (178). H. pulchella, MUll.—N.C. Kanturk and Mallow (175), Midleton (187), Youghal (t88), Shanagarry (196). W. Cappoquin (177), Dunmore andPortcully (179), Dungarvan (var. cos tat a) (178). H. aculeata. Mull.— N.C. Macroom (185-186). W. 6 miles north of Youghal (188). H. lamellata, Jeff.— N.C. Killeagh (188). H. hisplda, L. — N.C. Charleville and Liscarroll (164), Doneraile (165), Mallow (175), Castletownroche (176), Macroom (185-186), Blarney Castle (186), Midleton (187), Shanagarry (196). W. Mount Congreve (168), Portlaw( 167), Cappoquin ( 177), Stradbally (178), Durimore (179), 6 miles north of Youghal (188). H. rufescens, Penn.— N.C. Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Blarney Castle (1S6), Midleton (187), Killeagh (188), south of Cloyne (195), Bally- cotton (196). W. Cappoquin (177), Dungarvan (178), Dunmore (179), Ardmore (188). H. fusca, Mont.— W. Cappoquin (177). H. virgata, Da Costa.— N.C. Middleton (187), Youghal (188), Bally- cotton (196). W. Colligan (177), Dungarvan and Stradbally (17S), Tramore and Dunmore (179) H. Intersecta, Poir.-N.C. Mallow (175), Castletownroche and Fermoy (176), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Ballycotton (196). W. Portlaw (167), Cappoquin (^177), Portcully, Tramore, and Dun- more (179) H. ericetorum, Mull.— N.C. Glanworth and Castletownroche (176), Youghal (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Dungarvan (178), Tramore and Portcully (179). H. acuta, Mull.— N.C. Youghal (188), vShanagarry (196). W. Dungarvan (178), Tramore (179). 1904- Grierson. — Mollusca of N. Cork and Waterford. 167 Helix neinoralis, Mull. — N.C. Milford aud Charleville (164), Doneraile (165), Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Macroom (185-186), Blarney (186), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Mount Cougreve (168), Cappoquin (177), Stradbally (178), Tramore aud PortcuUy (179), Ardmore (188). H. aspersa, Mull.— N.C. Milford aud LiscarroU (164), Kauturk and Mallow (175), Castletownroche(i76), Macroom (185-186), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Cloyne (195), Ballycotton (196). W. Portlaw (167), Mount Cougreve (168), Aglisli and Cappoquin (177), Lackeudarra aud Dungarvan (178), Portlaw and Dunmore (179), Ardmore (188). Cochlfcopa lubrica, Mull.— N.C. Charleville and Liscarroll (164), Kauturk and Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Macroom (185-186), Midleton (187), Castlemartyr and Killeagh (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Portlaw (167), Cappoquin (177) Portcully (179), 6 miles north of Youghal (188). CoBCilianella aclcula, Mull.— W. 4 miles from Cappoquin on Water- ford Road (177). Pupa anglica. Fer.— N.C. Killeagh (188). W. Cappoquin (177), Portcully (179). P. cylindracea, Da Costa.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Kauturk and Mallow (175), Casiletownroche and Fermoy (176) Macroom (185), Blarney Castle (186), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shana- garry (196). W. Mount Congreve and Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Dun- more (179), Ardmore (188). P. muscorum, Mull.— N.C. Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shana- garry (196). W. Dungarvan (178), East of Youghal (188). Vertigo edentula, Drap.— N.C. Macroom (185), Killeagh (188). W. 6 miles north of Youghal (188). V. pygmaea. Drap. -N.C. Mallow (175), Midleton (187). W. Aglish (177), Tramore and Dunmore (179), north of Youghal (1S8). V. antivertlgo, Drap.— N.C. Buttevaut (164), Midleton (187), Castle- martyr (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Cappoquin (177)- Balea perversa, L-— N.C. Macroom (185), Killeagh (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin (.177)- Clausilia bidentata, Strom .—N.C. Liscarroll (164), Mallow (175), Macroom (185-186), Castlemartyr aud Youghal (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin (177), Stradbally and Dun- garvan (178), Portcully (179). Succlnia putris, L.-N.C Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Macroom (186). W. Cappoquin (177)- 1 68 The Irish Naturalist . August, Sued n la elegrans, Risso— N.C. Castletownroche (176), Killeagh and Youghal (t88), Shanagarry (^196). W. Ardmore (188). 8. oblongra, Drap.— N.C. Mallow (175), and just south of River Lee near Macroom, (185). Carychlum minimum, Mull— N.C. Buttevant and Doneraile (164), Mallow (175), Castletownroche (176), Macroom (185-186), Midleton (187), Castlemartyr and Killeagh (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Cappoquin C177), PortcuUy (179), Ardmore (1S8). Alexia dentlculata, Mont. W. Dungarvan (178). Llmnaea peregrra, MuU.-N.C. Milford, Charleville, and Doneraile (164), Fermoy (176), Macroom (185-186), Cork and Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Cloyne (195), Shanagarry (196). W. Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Stradbally (178), Tramore (179), Ardmore (188). L. palustrls, Mull. — N.C. Milford and LiscarroU (164), Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Macroom (185-186), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Portcully (179). L. truncatulaf Mull. — N.C. Milford and Charleville (164), Midleton (187), Youghal (188). VV. Cappoquin (177), Ardmore (188). Physa fontlnallSf L. — N.C. LiscarroU and Buttevant (164), Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Cork and Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Ballycotton (196). W. Waterford (168). Aplexa hypnorum, L.— N.C. Fermoy (176), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Waterford (168), Ardmore (188). Planorbis marirlnatus, Drap.- N.C. Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Youghal (188), south of Midleton (195), Ballycotton (196). W. Mount Congreve and Waterford (168). P. spirorbls. L — N.C. Fermoy and Castletownroche (176), Macroom (186), Midleton (187), Youghal (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Waterford (168), Cappoquin (177), Stradbally (178), Ardmore (188). P. contortus, L.— N.C. LiscarroU and Buttevant (164), Mallow (175), Castletownroche and Fermoy (176), Macroom (185-186), Youghal (188). W. Mount Congreve (168). P. albus, Mull.— N.C. Buttevant (164), Macroom (185-186), Carrigtwo- hill and Midleton (187). P. grlaber, Jeff.— W. Cappoquin and Cappagh (177). P. crista, L.— N.C. Youghal (188). W. Ardmore (188;. i904« Grierson. — Molhisca of N. Cork and Waterford, 169 Planorbis fontanus, Light— N.C. Femioy (176). Ancylus fluvlatilis, Mull.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Mallow (175), Castletowuroche (176), Macroom (185-186), Killeagh and Youghal (188). W. Mount Congreve (168), Portcully (i79\ Ardmore (1S8). Acme Ilneata, Drap.— N.C. Macroom (185), Killeagh (188). Bythlnla tentaculata, L.— N.C. Buttevant (164), Mallow (175), Fermoy (176), Midleton (187), Ladybridge (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Mount Congreve and Waterford (168). Hydrobla ulvae, Penn.— N.C. Midleton {187), ;Youghal (188), Shana- garry (196). W. Near Youghal (188). H. Jenklnsl, Smith — N.C. Ballycotton (196). W. \Vat«rford fi68), Cappoquin (177). Valvata plscl nails, Mull. — N.C. Mallow (175), Castletownroche (176), Youghal, (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Cappoquin (177). V. cristata. Mull.— N.C. Doneraile (164), Castletownroche (176), Youghal (188). Sphaerlum corneum, L.— N.C. Liscarroll (164), Killeagh (188). 8. lacustre, Mull —N.C. Mallow (175), Midleton (187), Shanagarry (196). Plsldlum pulchcllum, Jen.— N.C. Doneraile (164). P. nltldum, Jen.— N.C. Ladybridge (188) P. fontlnale, Pfr.— N.C. Doneraile (164), Mallow {175), Castletown- roche (176), Carrigtwohill (1S7), Youghal (188). W. Dunmore (179). P. milium, Held.— N.C. Fermoy (176), Carrigtwohill (187), Killeagh (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Tramore and Dunmore (179). P. obtusale, Pfr.-N.C. Mallow (175). P. puslllum, Gmel.— N.C. Fermoy (176), Mallow (175), Carrigtwohill and Midleton (187), Killeagh (188), Shanagarry (196). W. Cappoquin (177 \ Portcully (179). Unlo margarltlfer.— N.C. River Sullane (185), River Lee (i86\ Clondalkin. 1 70 August, IRISH SOCIETIES. ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include three Green Toads from Dr. O'Donnell, a Horu- bill from Mr. D. A. Donovan, an African Leopard from Drs. Garland and Montgomery, a Grey Parrot from Miss L. Garland, three Algerian Geckos from Mr. H. B. Rathborne, two Hedgehogs from Mr. J. Rossiter, and a Hare from Mr. E. Horan. A Barbary Lamb has been born in the Gar- dens. A new Rodent enclosure or " rockery " is in progress, and is now at an advanced stage. This enclosure is intended for the housing of the smaller Rodents, such as Guinea pigs, Rabbits, and the like. It is nearly circular in form and provided with numerous dens divided off by rocks, and a mass of rockwork, some six feet in height, forms a pictu- resque background. There will be plants such as stonecrops in variety growing in amongst the rocks, and when completely finished it will make a good and at the same time pleasant retreat for the specimens for which it is intended, whilst also adding to the already far too limited accommodation for the housing of the live slock of the Gardens. DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. June 4.— Excursion to Wicki^ow Head.— A party of members and friends left Harcourt-street by an early train for Wicklow. F. O'B. Ellison, B.A., then led the excursion through the town to the lower slopes of Wicklow Head, and gave an account of the geological formation of the district, pointing out the very great extent of the dark gray micaceous slates which form the head. These slates dip to the N.E. at au average angle of 45 degs., and are developed to an immense extent in the district round Wicklow Head, there being a stratagraphical thick- ness of at least 5,000 feet. The slates are interstratified with numerous ash beds. After luncheon, the party divided into two sections, one walking along the cliffs to the lighthouse, near which some good examples of sea stacks and rock bridges are to be seen. The other section moved inland in search of botanical specimens. Miss Ryan, B.A., was elected a member. June 25. — GIvEnasmoi^R. — Twenty-one members and visitors assembled at Oldbawn Bridge in the afternoon. The party, under the direction of F. O'B. Ellison, B.A., walked along the river Dodder to where the Rath- mines waterworks have submerged the valley under two large reservoirs. The conductor pointed out some of the interesting features of this valley. Glenasmole as a valley dates from pre-glacial times. The upper part is excavated in granite and the lower part in Silurian slates, and their associated basic intrusive rocks. During Glacial times this valley has been largely filled with Boulder-clay and stratified gravels. It is entirely T904. Procecdhigs of Irish Societies. lyi through these latter accumulatious that the present bed of the Dodder River has been cut. The party on proceeding up the valley had an opportunity of viewing the bold heights which the Boulder-clay forms on the east side of the river, fifty to sixty feet over the floor of the valley being often reached. Large masses of gravel cemented into conglomerate by the action of water containing lime in solution were very conspicuous on the western side of the valley. By this time the party had reached Mr. O'Byran's Lodge, and were compelled to take shelter from heavy rain which commenced to fall. After tea an effort to reach the upper lake was made by the more adventurous of the party, but the continued rain made walking very difficult. The party then walked back to Tallaght, and returned to town by the steam tram. Mr. Felix E. Hackett, B.A,, B.Sc, was elected a member. NOTES, ZOOLOGY. The Manx Shearwater. Crossing over to Belfast from Liverpool at about six o'clock on the morning of i8th June, and a mile or two south of Skullmartin Light- ship, our steamer the " Caloric," passed through the largest company of Manx Shearwaters I ever saw. I saw the birds first about half a mile ofl^, flying about irregularly back and forward in all directions ; but, when we came into the middle of the company, to my surprise some of the birds appeared from below the surface, and flapped off" a few yards before getting into their regular flight on finding the steamer so near them Many of these birds were not more than ten yards from where I was standing on deck. I seemed to be locking right down on them, some of them coming to the surface not more than five to eight yards from the ship's side. There may have been from about 150 to 200 of the birds certainly not less than the former number— and it was one of the most interesting, and indeed beautiful, sights of the kind I ever saw, for I know of no bird of more graceful flight and easy elegance of movement than the Manx Shearwater. The large number seen that morning, in a locality far removed from any breeding station of the species that I am aware of, is curious, as I should have supposed that the important family duty of feeding their young would have detained the majority of the birds nearer their nesting haunts than this till later in the season. R. Lira(^a ^wrawrt), an alpine abundant on the Ben Bulben range, but which only occasionally descends to sea-level. Mr. J. White, junior, a local naturalist, arrived with fresh specimens of the Maidenhair {Adtanitit?i Capillus- Veneris), which he had collected eri route on the shore on the north side of the Rosses promontory. Col. Wood-Martin, D.Iv., who accompanied the party during the afternoon, was invaluable in supply ing information concerning local history and archaeology. At 7.30 the return journey to Sligo was made. In the evening, and on each succeeding evening during the trip, members assembled in the Town Hall, where, by the kindness of the Mayor (Mr. Thomas Flanagan), a fine room was placed at their disposal for natural history work. Wednesday, Jui.y 13. Heavy rain had fallen during the night, laying the deep dust of the day before. The sun came out as the party started northward in brakes at 9,0. A halt was made at Drumcliff", to examine the antiquities there. The high cross is considered one of the finest of the sculptured tall crosses of Ireland. The round tower stands close to the crosses on the opposite side of the road, l)ut little except a stump now remains. This round tower is placed by Miss Stokes in the first or earliest style of towers, being built of " rough field stones untouched by hammer or chisel," < J o H < o 1/3 a en D X! J o D O C O o E < - TO - 03 K 15 o X o t> K^ C/5 w K H in oo r^ X (J) 1904. Wki,Ch & STKI.FOX. — Sligo Conference^ Mollusca, 185 fairly well distributed, and common. P. glaber, another eastern species, we did not find, but Miss Warren gives it in her list. Such distinctly northern or alpine species as Helix arbtisiorum, which is found as high as 7,000 feet in the Alps, and H. lamellata assist in giving a northern character to the fauna. In addition to lists mentioned, P. H. Grierson gives (/. Nat., vol. x., 1901, p. no), records for other parts of Leitrim. Our 1900 visit included Lough Gill, Dromahaire, Carrowmore, Collooney, and Ball3'sadare, Drumclift, Streedagh Point sand-hills, and the island of luishmurry. On one day G. W. Chaster and E. Collier visited Glencar, where they collected 49 species, partly in Sligo, but mainly well over the Leitrim boundary. We confined our attentions strictly to Leitrim on this present visit, both in the low ground round the eastern end of the lake and in the Swiss Valley (Plate 8). Those who climbed the mountain may have collected in both counties A. ater and H. nemoralis. We dis- tinguish the 'records from the former visit, where we did not repeat them, as " Glencar 1900," for Leitrim, or " Glencar (Sligo)." On the slopes and in little hollows at base of the large dune at Strand- hill we found many small "pockets" of wind-collected land-shells. These were sieved on the spot, and yielded a fair number of Vertigos, Acme, &c. In the wind-eroded sand-valley south of the dune we noticed a broken -up mass of firmly consolidated sand. This we would have passed, as such calcretes are common in some more northern sandhills, but for the fact that it contained a number of land-shells, including Helix nemo7-alis (see Plate 9), H. hispida, and Cochlicopa hibrica. Such modern sandstones may be seen to perfection in the course of formation in the Rosguill Peninsula, North Donegal, where the shallow pools on the great sand-flat of Tranarossan dry up frequently in dry weather, depositing the lime held in solution among the sand grains. As at Rosguill, the Sligo sands are partly composed of finely comminuted shells. An instance like this is of interest in showing one way in which even great masses of sandstone may have become consolidated with their fossil remains in past ages. We found another little instance too of "the testimony of the rocks" being stored up, it may be for future ages, the tufa (Plate 12) forming in Knocknarea Glen, was rapidly enclosing some small Helices, Hyalinicz, and Cochlicopa. The weather was not good for collecting, much too dry and hot. Even the rain at night did not seem to affect matters. In this respect — dry hot days — we certainly had the Galway and Kerry experiences over again. Many members of the party handed us shells from time to time, and we have to thank Messrs. Gallway, Gunn, Baker, and Foster for nanding over a box of finds almost daily. On careful consideration, partly for convenience of reference to almost all Irish lists of past 12 years, we adopt Dr. Scharfif's nomenclature as given in this Journal, vol. i., 1892, We know that Dr. Scharff has for some 3'ears past considered a revision of this advisable, and has the work in hands; but, in the meantime, we prefer to use it rather than the lately published revision of the Conchological Society. The varieties are as given in Adams' Manual, 2nd Edition, 1896. iS6 The Irish Naturalist. September, IvisT OF Species. Vitrlna pelluclda, Mull.— Generally distributed, but not plentiful, dead shells only. Hyalinia cellaria, Miill.— Sparingly over the district during both visits, partial to old graveyards ; Inishmurry. The fine specimens some 12.75 mm., from Glen car prove to be the large non-typical form, with dark cobalt or indigo animal, often mistaken for H. Draparnaudi, It s common in parts of I^aucashire, the Isle of Man and especially so in the glens near Ballycastle, Co Antrim (see Adams, I.N., March, 1S98). Mr. J. W. Jackson kindly compared them with special collections of typical H. Drapaniaudi in Manchester for us. H. alliaria, Miller.— Rare ever}- where ; Rosses Point, Raghly, Rock- wood, Glencar, Church Island, Dromahaire, Inishmurry. The greenish variety not noted anywhere. H. nitidula, Drap.— More abundant than the two last. Rosses Point, Drumcliff, Lissadill, Raghly, Glencar, Rockwood, Inishmurry. H. pura, Alder.— Fairly common among Hypnwn in suitable situa- tions, usually the vslV. nitidosa ; a few of the type at Rosses Point, Rockwood, and Swiss Valley. H. radiatula, Alder— Rosses Point, Rockwood, Glencar, Church Island. The var. viridescenti-alba, so common in Kerry and Antrim, was noted only at Glencar. H» crystallina, Mull. — The most abundant of all the Ifya/zmce, hut not met with on Inishmurry. Common in the shell pockets. H. fulva, Mull, — Decidedly rare; Rosses Point, Raghly, Rockwood, Swiss Valley, Glencar woods, Dromahaire. H. nitida, Mull. — Along a stream-side at Rosses Point; Lough Gill shores at Tobernault; common with Stcccitiea elegans on Watercress in a marsh near Carrowmore. Arion atcr, L. — The previous dry season may possibly have accounted for the scarcity of this species. At altitudes above about 1,000 feet, the jet-black form only was noticed, and these were the only adult specimens found. A few partly grown, at Rockwood and Rosses Point, of the brown and lead-coloured forms. In 1900 also at Inishmurry, Ballysadare, and Drumcliff. A. subfuscus, Drap. — A few only at Lissadill, Slish wood (Rock- wood), in the cave mouth at GlenifT (altitude about 1,400 feet) and slopes below, and east end of the Swiss Valley. The only adult specimen noticed was among those found at the cave. A. hortensis, Fer.— Sparingly in each locality visited, mostly young specimens ; moderately common in September, 1900. A. circumscriptus, Johust — Decidedly rare ; Lissadill Glen, below Doonee Rock, Glencar near fall. Ballysadare and Dromahaire Abbey, 1900. 1904. Welch & Sr^i^^ox.— S/igo Co?2/ere?ice, Molhisca. 187 LImax maxlmus, L. — Not a trace of this species anywhere during the week's visit During our 1900 visit the var. Fe7-ussaci was found at Glencar. L. marginatus, Miill. — A few in Knocknarea Glen, and in the Glencar woods near the fall. This was about the only species that the heavy shower brought out on the crawl at Rockwood, We got some then in the Slish woods. Agriolimax agrestlSi Iv, — Common inmost damp places; larger in Glencar and at the cave in Gleniif than elsewhere ; Dromahaire Abbey, Ballysadare old church, and var. iti^ra on Inishmurry, 1900. A. laevls, Miill. — As usual not common; along stream sides, Rosses Point ; Raghly ; Ivissadill Glen ; lake shores of Lough Gill at Rock- wood and Glencar Lake ; Dromahaire, 1900. Where Hyalmia nitida occurs, this species will usually be found not far off, and both are sometimes 'associated with Vertigo antivej-ligo and a small, deep-red form of Siiccinea elegans in the marshes of north-east Ireland. At Rosses Point it was with the first named. Amalia Sowerbyi, Fer. — One or two only in Slish Wood, but in 1900 we found a number inside the cashel on Inishmurry. Helix pygmaea, Drap. — Very rare at Rockwood, a few in the Strand- hill shell pockets, one in Glencar. In moss at Glencar (Co. Sligo), 1900. H. rotundata, Miill. — At all the localities visited, but not so common as on Inishmurry and in the district south of Sligo in 1900. H. rupcstris, Drap. — Generally distributed on the limestone; abun- dant on some dr}' stone dykes at Rosses Point, Raghly, Carrowmore, Lissadill, Glencar, and Swiss Valley. On cliffs at the cave at GlenifiF; in profusion at Dromahaire Abbey, living with Balea perversa among the flat stones on summit of dyke, 1900. H. pulchella, Miill. — A few under stones at Rosses Point, and in abund- ance dead in shell-pockets at Strandhill ; var. costata on shore at Glen Lodge, Knocknarea, and some nice specimens with the type, in an exceedingly dry situation under stones on the short turf along the strand at Raghl3\ Only inland locality, Glencar, 1900. We have never taken the variety except in a very dry situation, though the type may be found also on lake shores and in marshes, locally, all over the central plain. L. E. Adams states {Mamial, 1896, p. 57) that in Scotland it is more plentiful on the east coast than on the west. In Ireland the reverse holds good. H. aculeata, Miill. — A few in moss, Lissadill Glen ; near Doonee Rock ; in shell-pockets, Strandhill ; with var. albida, Glencar woods, Glencar (Sligo), 1900. H, laiYiellata, Jeff. — Very local, only in old native woods as usual. Adams states {pp. «/.)that " It is one of those few species of which no one has been ingenious enough to find varieties." Among mossy stones and dead leaves, under Doonee Rock we found a few colour- less specimens with the typical form. A few near Glencar fall, 1900. 1 88 The Irish Natnralisf. September, Helix hispida, L.— Not very common : Rockwood, Ivissadill, Raglilv, Glencar; var. alba, Glencar ; var. concinna, a dark red form, commou on grassy ledges under the cliffs at the cave, Gleniff ; a few in Glencar. It is curious that in Antrim and Down this form is the one most abundant at or near the sea level, especially on short sandy turf; the hispid form higher up or more inland. It was in myriads— a form with small umbilicus— in valleys in the dunes at Strandhill, H. rufescens, Penn.— More or less common at almost all localities. Lissadill, Rockwood, Carrowmore, Knocknarea Glen, Strandhill, Glencar, at fall ; Dromahaire, 1900. H. fusca, Mont. — On Luxtda, right under the spray of the waterfall at Glencar -, rare in moss in Slish wood and below Doonee Rock. H. arbustorum, L. — This northern species has long been known to live in Glencar about the falls. We found only immature dead specimens at the lower fall after a keen search. Yet they were fairly common there, partly grown (Chaster and Collier), September, 1900. They seem to prefer a high altitude in the Sligo district, as A. \V, Stelfox found them swarming much higher up the ravine, close to the cliffs, in July, 1901. We found them in profusion, both young and old, on damp vegetation in both mouths of the great cave in Gleniff, especially among Golden Saxifrage in the smaller mouth. Here they live in deep shade ; the habitat, a narrow rift, faces north-east, and as the altitude is about 1,400 feet, they get the full benefit of the mountain mists and frequent "cloud-caps." These alpine specimens, both type and vars. cincta, flavescem, and fusca, are quite as large as the finest from Murlough Bay, Co. Antrim, which live in sheltered damp woods, almost at sea level. In England the northern forms of this species are usually smaller than the southern (Adams, op. cit.), but our Irish specimens are quite as large and fine as any Dover specimens we have seen. At the cave they are associated with alpine plants, such as Arenaria ciliata^ Saxifras(a aizoides, Sediim Rhodiola, Draba incana, Asplenium viride. H. acutai Mull, — This seems to be the only xerophile on the coast near Sligo, though Miss Warren {Joe. cit.) records H. ericeiorum and li, intersecta from localities not much further west. We found it on Knocklane dunes near Raghly, and the var. strigata on Strandhill dunes, and at Cliffony, 1900. H. ncmoralfs, Iv— We did not find this as freely as on our previous visit, 1900, except on the sandhills. As on the West Donegal dunes, a good many white-lipped specimens were noticed, mainly of the pale yellow form with translucent bands so common at Bundoran. These were at Knocklane dunes. In myriads dead, and abundant alive, and some calcreted as mentioned, at Strandhill, where A. W. vStelfox found a nice scalariform specimen ; a few at Rosses Point and Rockwood. At Annacoona, on the summit of the Irish Naturalist, Vol. xiii.] [1'late 9. ^ NAT. SIZE. R. Welch, Photo. Helix aspersa with reversed form of shell. From dunes near Ardtermon Castle, Raghly. NAT. SIZE. K. \\ (.'Ich, Photo. Recent Sandstone, Strandhill dunes. Calcrete of shell-sand forming a sandstone, with contained landshells, A, upper surface, B, under surface of a thin bed. To face p. 189.] 1904. Welch & Stelfox. — Sligo Co7iference, Molhisca. 189 mountain above GlenifF, altitude i ,700 feet, Stelfox and Gunn found a colony of large heavy shells, var. rubella, with white lip^, and var. roseolabiata ; unfortunately, they were much weathered— some had hardly any epidermis remaining. Some of these measure 24 x 19 and 23 X 20 mm. They were also fairly common and large in the cave mouths, GlenifF. All over the dr)- stone walls of the beehive cells, sweat-house, and cashel, Inishmurry, sestivating in the crevices, we found a large race of this species in 1900, more like the Valencia Island shells than the still larger Aran form. H. aspersa, Mull. — Not common anywhere except about Doonfore, Knocklane, and one little stone heap on margin of the sandhills near the old castle, Raghly. We have never found before in any part of Ireland so much variety in colour, markings, size, and shape, as occurs on this limited area; almost all the texture, shape and colour varieties (so called) were there with connecting forms also. A dozen dead shells broken in a mouse run, Strandhill ; a few at Rosses Point, rare at Rockwood and Glencar. At latter place Mrs. Praeger found a very beautiful large specimen of the var. tuididata, Moq. In the cashel on Inishmurrj', and at Dromahaire, 1900. SiNiSTRAi, FORM. — While the forms living with H. nemoralis at the Knocklane end of the dunes were mainly light banded, at the Raghly end A. W. Stelfox found a little stone heap about ten yards long, where dark bandless forms, exceedingly rare in Ireland, were plentiful ; some were almost black, but most had unfortunately lost the greater part of the epidermis. Some were unicolorous, {nigrescent Moq. .-') others with a little banding or narrow undulatory markings, and some very thin. While we were examining these he was fortunate enough to find a fine dark reversed specimen alive. It was about three quarters grown, and is the first we have any knowledge of in Ireland. A few have been recorded {/ourn. of Conch.) from various parts of England. Needless to say it is, like Mr. Standen's specimen {/oum. of Conch., vi., p. 176) being pampered, and is making shell fast. It does not seem to be as active as dextral specimens we have kept alive for over nine years past, and likes to shelter under the lettuce it is fed on during the da}'. Mr. Standen, whom we missed very much at this Conference, gives {loc. cit., vii., PP- 33-38) a most interesting account of the reproduction of lost love-darts in his sinistral and a dextral specimen vShould we succeed in rearing it to maturity it will be carefully dissected to see if the organs differ in position, &c., from those of dextral specimens. (See Plate 9). Buliminus obscurus, Mull.— This species seems to have mainly an eastern and northern range in Ireland (see Scharff, I.N.. 1892, p. 109). It is common but very local near Larne and Belfast. We found it near Athlone on our way home from the Galway Conference, 1895. A keen search in many likely habitats in woods and at base of cliffs gave no results about Sligo, and we were much surprised to find 14 dead specimens all close together (a dinner plate would have B I90 The Irish Nahiralist. September, covered most of them as they lay) in an unlikely one, an earthy layer at lowest level of the S.W. slope of the big dune at Strandhill. They were associated with Helix ptdchella, H. hispida, Cochlicopa lubrica, and Clausilia hidentata. The latter is common in Irish shell-pockets, but we have never found Buliminns on or near a sandhill area. It was not in any of the "pockets " sieved for Vertigos, &c., and the nearest suitable habitat, Knocknarea cliff talus, is a full mile away. Mr. Grierson, (/.iV., 1901, p. iii) records it from Ballysadare and Lough Gill. Cochlicopa lubrica, Mull. — Common in each locality worked. The small red sandhill form {fusca, Moq. ?) at Raghly and Strandhill dunes, and luishmurry. Pupa angelica, F^r.— Common but local on mossy banks, or in damp parts of the woods with Acme and H. pura, usually in the moss Hypnum spkndens ; Rosses Point ; Lissadill Glen among Liverworts ; Glencar (Sligo) and Swiss Valley ; var. pallida with type near Tobernault ; var. alba and var. pallida with type near Doonee Rock. Pi cyllndracca, Da Costa.— Common in all suitable habitats in both counties, right up to the cave in GlenifF ; Inishmurry. Some very short forms occurred on dry walls. P. muscorum, Miill. — Local at Raghly Strand under small flat stones on the very short grassy turf; in profusion in the " pocket" material sieved out at Strandhill big dune. Vertigo edentula, Drap. — Rare everywhere, a great contrast to the large quantities we took in sweep nets and otherwise during the Kerry week, 1898^ Even in the most likely places thisgave.no results about Sligo. In moss at Lissadill, Hazelwood at Tobernault, Rockwood, Glencar woods and Swiss Valley. Near Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, it is as common in sweepings almost as in Kerry. V. pygmaea, Drap.— A few in most likely places ; Rosses Point, Raghly, Doonfore, and Knocklane ; common in the Strandhill " pockets " ; Ballysadare old church, Swiss Valley. V. substrlata, Jeff. — Very rare in moss, Swiss Valley ; Glencar (Sligo), one of these had only one tooth on the body ; one or two only in the Strandhill sievings. V. antlvcrtlgo, Drap. — Very rare ; Rosses Point ; Glencar, 1900. '^\ V. angustlor, Jeff.— Plentiful in the "pockets," Strandhill, dead as usual, with one pure white specimen. It is extremely abundant in the west Donegal, north Derry, and north Antrim dune pockets, yet we have never found the actual living-ground anywliere. Miss Warren has done so a little further west. So local and rare was this species in Jeffreys' time that he only gives four localities in England and \Vales(/>;7VC'(7/;t//., vol. i.) The Conch. Soc. Census, 1902, notes ' See I.N.^ vol. vii., p. 223. T904. Welch & Stklfox. — Sliao Coiiference, Molhisca. 191 it from only five counties in England, four of which are inland, one in Scotland, and seven in Ireland, the last all maritime, but the county in which it is most plentiful— Donegal— is not given m the Census. We have never taken it away from coast sandhills, and all records so far prove it to be in Ireland a strictly maritime species. Balea perversa, L.— Local and not abundant ; Lissadill Glen, on an old willow between Hazel wood and Rockwood, Church Island, Glencar woods, and Swiss Valley. Swarming on top of a wall at Dromahaire Abbey. Clausula bldentata, Strom.— Fairly common all over the district especially in old graveyards. Succlnea putrls, L.— Rosses Point, Lissadill, Rockwood, Glencar (Sligo), Glencar at fall, none full-grown. S. elegrans, Risso. — Rosses Point, Raghly, Rockwood, Carrovvmore; lake shores, Glencar. These were mainly a small deep red form with dark or very dark animal. We do not believe any authority could definitely separate this species from the preceding in some Irish localities ; the two grade into each other so often. Carychlum minimum, MulL—Common in most damp places ; some in the shell-pockets also. Limnaea stagrnalls, L. — A few dead on lake shores and alive in pond* Rockwood ; on shore of Church Island. LImnaea pereg'ra, Mtill. — Common in each locality except Strandhill and Knocknarea Glen. A small form in stream crossing road high up in Gleniff. Var. lacusiris and var, acuminata with other forms at Rockwood. Li palustris. Mull.— Rosses Point, Rockwood and Church Island, Glencar Lake, Bonnet River at Dromahaire. L. truncatuia, Mull. — Common on mud of very shallow dried up pools in dunes at Raghly ; a few at Lissadill and Doonfore ; Lough Gill ; pool near Sligo ; Glencar (Sligo). Physa fontlnalis, L.— Common in lakelets at Rosses Point; in drains at old castle, Raghly ; Glencar Lake (both counties). Var. albina occurred with the type on the leaves of the Yellow Water-lily, near Doonee Rock. [Planorbls corneus, L.— See/. N., x., 1901, p. 131. We were unable to visit the pond.] P. vortex, L.— Swarming on water plants in Lough Gill, none full grown, but many adult dead on shore ; Glencar Lake (Sligo). This species, unlike the next, seems to prefer permanent waters of lakes and slow rivers. It has its main habitats in the lakes along the N.W, margin of the limestone plain. P. spirorbis, ly.— One dead specimen only in flood debris, lake shore nearTobernault ; Miss Warren reports \\.{loc. cit.) very common in old bog drains further west in the county. B 2 192 The Irish Naturalist. September, PlanorbiS contortus, L. — Tvakelets on Rosses Point; I^ough Gill ; Gleucar (Sligo); River at Union Wood, Collooney; Glencar Lake dredgings. P, albus, Mull. — In lakelet, Rosses Point ; very common dead on shores, Lough Gill ; alive on Yellow Water-lily leaves in pools near Doonee Rock ; pond, Carrowmore ; river at Collooney ; Glencar Lake (Sligo). P. crista, L. — Lough Gill, rare. One very large distorted specimen is twice the size of any Irish specimen we have ever seen ; it measures 3x2 mm., the final whorls crossing the first at an angle of about 45% and detached in places. Owing to its size, this shell puzzled us very much. Not common in lakelet, Rosses Point ; Cliffony, 1900 ; in myriads in a small pond near Kilmacowen old church, with vars. naiitileus and laevigata, 1900. These specimens are beautiful objects under the microscope, as they are covered with masses of diatoms, several species being represented. (See p. 214.) P. fontanus, Lightf — Moderately common on underside of leaves of Water-lily {N. luteum) in pools on shore at Doonee Rock ; Glencar (Sligo ?) T900. We took it also in the Bundrowse river, which separates Leitrim and Donegal, in 1899. A very local species in Ire- land, and rarely plentiful. Ancylus fluviatllis, Mull — Large and variable as to shape on margins of Lough Gill ; many also dead in shell debris on shores of Glencar Lake (Sligo). A. lacustrls, L. — Partly grown specimens under Water-lily leaves in little pools on shore near Doonee Rock. Acme Ilneata, Drap. — Var. alba in moss and liverworts on side of path in the glen, Lissadill, very large and fine ; both type and var. in wood below Doonee Rock ; type and var. common in moss, Glencar (Sligo) ; nice specimen of both in the moss Hypniim splendens on the talus slopes in the Swiss Valley. A few sieved out of the shell-pockets, Strandhill. Though this species is not rare locally in S.W. Kerry, it is more abundant in the north. We know nine stations for it in Antrim alone, one well within the city boundary, Belfast. Bythlnla ten tacu lata, L. — Common ; Rosses Point, Lough Gill, river at Collooney, Glencar Lake. Hydrobia ulvae, Penn. — A few in the shell-pockets. Valvata pisci nails, Mull. — Lissadill, common in Lough Gill and river near Collooney, dredged in myriads in Chara with Bythinia and a few of the next in Glencar Lake. V. cristata. Mull.— Common in river at Union Wood, Collooney ; Rosses Point ; a few only in the Glencar Lake dredgings. Ncritlna fluvlatllls, L.— Common in Lough Gill; in Glencar Lake (both counties). This is the most northerly habitat yet known for this species in Ireland, where its distribution is mainly westerly. Sphaeriunn corneum, L — Lough Gill, common but not large ; river near Collooney ; pond at Belladrihid ; Glencar Lake dredgings; very large obese form in lakelet at Rosses Point, where it was common in submerged moss on margin, in an inch or two of water only. 1904. WEI.CH & Stelfox. — Sligo Co7ifermce, Mollusca. 193 Plsldfum fontlnale, C. Pfr.— Rosses Point, in a drain at Doonfore, Lissadill, Rockwood, DrumclifF bridge, Gleuiff, CoUoouey, Glencar (Sligo), Dromahaire. P. nfilllum, Held. — Rosses Point, in drains Raglily and Doonfore, river at DrumclifF Bridge, Dromahaire. P. obtusale, C. Pfr. — Rosses Point ; Drumcliflf Bridge ; river at Union Wood, Collooney. P. pusillum, Gniel. — Rosses Point, Raghly, Doonfore, DrumclifF, bog at head of GlenifiF; Collooney and Bundrowse river, 1900. Anodonta cygnea, L. — Many dead specimens of a small thin form on shore at Rockwood. In 1900 we found it living in abundance in two or three feet of sandy mud in the little bay in Church Island. They are very different to the large Anodons of Glaslough (Monaghan), or Moira Canal (Down). We have to' thank Messrs. Chaster, Jackson, and Nelson for assistance on various little points that arose in identifying non-typical specimens. Also Mr. Charles Oldham, who, as usual, named the Pisidia. By a comparison with the last issue of the Conchological Society's Census, 1902, it will be seen that this list includes 23 new Sligo and 37 new Leitrim records. Belfast. Marine Moli^usca. by g. w. chaster, m.k.cs- The following species are represented in a small collection of marine shells made by Mr. Welch and others at Raghly : — Anoniia ephippium. Ivittorina rudis. Mytilus edulis. Rissoa parva Montacuta bidentata. and var. interrupta. Tellomya ferruginosa. Manzonia costata. Kellia suborbicularis. Onoba striata. Lasaea rubra. Skenea planorbis. Tellina fabula. Capulus hungaricus. Donax vittatus. Lamellaria perspicua. Saxicava rugosa. Bittium reticulatum. Thracia fragilis. Cioniscus albidus. Patina pellucida. Ondina divisa. Gibbula tumida. Buccinum undatum. Delphinoidea nitens. Purpura lapillus. Phasianella pullus. Toruatina truncatula. L/acuna divaricata. Diaphana hyalina. Iv. pallidula. Bullinella cylindracea. lyittorina obtusata. Philine punctata. Southport. 194 The Irish Naturalist. September, INSECTA. COLEOPTERA, BY J. N. HALBERT. [Collected for the R.I. A. Flora and Fauna Committee.] With the exception of the Butterflies and Moths, less is known of the zoology of Sligo than of most of our western counties. Very little col- lecting has been carried on there, and that chiefly of a desultory character. As regards the Coleoptera, the most important paper is one published by the Rev. W. F. Johnson, in the Irish Naturalist for 1902, giving the results of a holiday spent in the vicinity of Knniscrone, on the shores of Killala Bay. Many records of uncommon insects are given in this paper, such as Blediits erraticiis, Bembiditwi fninimum, &:'c. Other entomologists who have visited the district are W. E. Sharp and Dr. G. W. Chaster. On the occasion of the visit of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club in 1902, a few insects were collected, notably the mountain ground-beetle Carabus glabratus on Ben Bulben. All of these records were made use of in the general list of Irish beetles published two years ago. The present contribution to the beetle fauna of the Sligo district, numbering about one hundred and forty species, necessarily includes many new county records, as well as a few for the province of Connaught. The Coleoptera were decidedly scarce during our visit in July, in part due to the time of the year, which is a little late for many species usually to be met with during the early summer. We succeeded, however, in finding a few notable insects, especially the arctic ground-beetle Pdophila borealis on the shores of Lough Gill. Indeed I cannot remember having seen this interesting species so common in any other locality. The local Bryaxis Hclferi occurred on the shores of Ballysadare Bay, the third recorded locality for this southern insect. Donacia crassipes at Lough Gill is also an addition to the fauna of Connaught; and the Holly-boring Weevil, Rhopaloviesites Tardyi, was not uncommon near Rockwood, living under decaying fir bark, a rather unusual habitat for the species. In the following list localities have been omitted for the very common insects, as they occurred in most of the places visited. The nomenclature is that of Sharp and Fowler's list (1893). Carabid^. — Cychrtis rostratus^ Glencar. Carabus granulatus. Notiophilus bigtittatiis. N. aqjiaticus, Raghly. Leistus mfescens, not usually found on mountains, was taken on the summit of Annacoona by Prof. Carpenter. Nebria brevicollis. Pelophila borealis^ quite common under stones on the south shore of Lough Gill near Rockwood, and on the banks of a partially drained lake near Ballysadare. Elaphrjis riparius. E. acprcus. Lough Gill, Raghly. Loricera pilicornis. Clivina fossor. Dyschirius globosus. Broscus cephalotcsy sand-hills at Raghly. Badister bipustulatus. Chlceniiis vestitus and C. nigricornis, both species occurred on the shores of Lough r9o4- HaIvBERT. ~S//^o Conference, Coleoptera. 195 Gill. Harpaliis riificornis. Dichirotrichiis piibescens, Strandhill. Anisodactylus binotatus, var. spunaticoniis, Deg., under stones on the marshy edge of a lake at Ballysadare. Pierostichus versicolor. P. niadidus. P. niger. P. vulgaris. P. strenuus. P. vernalis, Ballysadare. Amara fulva, sands at Rosses Point, a form with a strong greenish reflection on the elytra. A. apricaria, Raghly. A. spinipes, Strandhill. A. conummis. Calathus cisteloides, coast. C. tnollis. C. tnelanocephalus. Anchomemis albipes. A. marginatus, ly. Gill. A. picetis, Ballysadare. Olistopus rotttndaltis, hills. Betnbidiuyn littorale. Trechtis obtusiis. Droviins linearis, L. Gill. Hal,ipi,id^. — Haliplus flaviiollis, Ballysadare River. H ftclvus, Glencar. //. fliiviatilis. DyTISCID/E. — Citlambiis inc^qualis. Deroncctes depressus, Ballysadare. Hydroporiis pahistris, Agabus guttattis, stream flowing into Glencar Lake. Ilybitis fuliginosiis . Gyrinib JSi. — Gyrinus na^alor. Oredochilus villostcs, Glencar. HydrophiIvID-^. — Chcetarthria seminulia/i, lake shores. Helop/iorus aquaticus, Strandhill. H. brtvipalpis. Megasternum bohtophagum. StaphyIvINID^. — Aleochara morion, Ballysadare. Oxypoda sp. Calodera cethiops, a few specimens occurred by sweeping in marshy places near Ballysadare, a new record for Connaught. Homalota gregaria, lake shores. H. analis. H. fungi. Autalia impressa, Ballysadare. Oligota punctulata, Ballysadare, a new record for Connaught. Tachyporus sp. Tachinus rufipes. T. marginellus, Rosses Point. Alegacrontis analis, Raghly. Quedius molochinus, coast. Quedius semiceneus. Ocypus ater. O. cupreus. Pkilonthus varius. P. fimetarius. Xantholinus glabratus,'R.2igh\y. Lathrtbium quadrattim , L/Ough Gill. Stenus guttula, Glencar. S.Juno. S. buphthalmus. S.fuscipes, Ballysadare. .S". impressus. S, picipes, Oxytelus rugosus, O. laqueatus. Trogophloeus corticinus. PSEi,APHiDi^. — Bryaxis Helferi, under stones on the shore at Strand- hill, a new record for the province of Connaught, Sii^PHiD^. — Anisotoma dubia, Raghly. A. calcarata^ Rosses Point- Silpha subrotundata. HiSTERiD.,5;. — Onthophilus striatus, Ballysadare. CocciNEi/iviD^. — Coccinella x-punctata. C. xi-punciata, abundant on the sandhills at Raghl}^ Strandhill, and Rosses Point ; in all localities the variety brevifasciata, Weise, usually outnumbered the type. NiTiDUie.— .A^a/^a flavomarginatus, undeveloped form abundant. I904- HalberT. — Sligo Co7ifere?icey Colcoptera. 197 SaIvDID^. — Salda scotica, common on lake shores, Lough Gill, Glencar, Raghly. S. littoralis, Lough Gill. CiMiciD^. — Anthocoris ftemoralis and A. sylvestris, common. CAPSlDi^S. — Pithanus Maerkeli, common. Afiris calcaratus, Glencar. Teratpcoris Saufiderst, not uncommon in marshy places near Ballj^sadare. Leptopterna Jerrugata, very common. Mo7ialocoris filicis, Knocknarea. Bryocoris pteridis, on ferns, Glencar. Calocoris vi.-gnttatiis ^{omw^ commonly in most localities. C. bipunctatus, common. C. roseomacitlafus, Rosses Point and Knocknarea. Plesiocoris rugicolh's, Lough Gill, on willows. Lygus pratensis, common. L. contaminatus, L. Gill and Lissadill. L. pabn- linus, Lissadill. L. pastinacce, Glencar. Rhopalotamus ater^ common. Globiceps dispar, Ballysadare and Strandhill. Mecomma atnbulans, common. Orthotyhis marginalis, Lough Gill. Phylus tfielanocephalus, Lough Gill, on Oaks. P. coryli, Glencar, black and brown forms common in Hazel. Psallus ambiguus, P. variabilis, P. varians, the last three species are common in the woods about Lough Gill. Plagiognnthns virididus. P. arbHstornm, common. NOTONECTiD^. — Notonecta glauca, Lough Gill. C0RIXID-<5S- — Cofixa atof?iaria,\Q.\iQ: at Rosses Point. C Linncei, C. semi- striata, C. Fallenii, last three common in the Ballysadare River. C. striata, common. C. distincta, Rosses Point. C /^Ji-j-^rww, Ballysadare and lakes at Rosses Point. C. Germari, in pools on the shore of Lough Gill. C. Bonsdorffi,, common in the lakes at Rosses Point. Sigara minutissima, Lough Gill, Dublin. AFTER A. BY PROF. GEO. H. CARPENTER, B.SC, M.R.I.A. Our investigation of the Springtails and Bristletails of the Sligo district was rewarded by the discovery of ten species of the former group, and one of the latter. So little is yet known of the distribution of these tin)' insects in Ireland that records of even the commonest species ar valuable. But it is gratifying to find that one of the Springtails taken on the shores of Lough Gill has not hitherto been noticed in the British Islands. This species, Xenylla brevicaiida, Tullberg, has a distinctly northern continental range, and falls naturally, therefore, into a faunistic group most characteristic of the neighbourhood of Sligo. The following are the species obtained : — IVIachilis polypoda, Linn.— Strandhill, Carrowmore, Lough Gill. Sminthurus vlridls, Linn. — Ballysadare. S, luteus, Lubb.— Strandhill. Orchesella cincta, Linn. — Lough Gill shore. Tomocerus tridentlferus, Tullb. — Lough Gill shore. Lepidocyrtus lanuglnosusj Gmel.— Lough Gill shore. 198 The Irish Naturalist. September, Entomobrya multifasclata; Tullb. — Gleiicar, E. muscoruiTij Nic. — Strandhill. Isotoma palustrlS} Miill.— Glencar. I. arborea, Linn. (/. denticulata, Schaff. ) -This species occurred rather commonly under stones on the shore of Lough Gill, near Doonee Rock. This habitat is noteworthy, as the insect is usually found under the bark of trees and shrubs. Xcnylla brevlcauda, Tullb.' — Under stones on Lough Gill shore, a single specimen. This species — an addition to the fauna of the British Isles— is readily distinguished from X. maritima, Tullb., and X. hiimicola, O. Fab,, by the excessive reduction of the spring (Plate 10, A, figs. I, 4) whence the specific name is derived. As in other members of the genus, there are five ocelli (fig. 2) on either side of the head, but no post-antennal organ ; while each foot has only one claw and two tenent hairs (fig. 3 . The position of the spring (fig. 4) enables me to figure one of the mucrones in profile, and the other as seen from beneath, the form agreeing nearl}-, though not exactly, with figures of the same species given by Agren' and Borner. Doubtless, however, there is considerable variation in these details. X. brevicatida has been found in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Northern Germany. EXPI^ANATlON OF Pl,ATE lO, A. (p. 20l). Fig. I. Xenylla brevlcauda, Tullb., ventral view, magnified 63 times. 2. Left antenna and ocelli, magnified 216 times. 3. Foot and claw, magnified 290 times. 4. Spring, magnified 290 times. ARACHNIDA. ARANEIDA AND PHALANGWA. BY PROF. GEO. H. CARPENTER, B.SC, M.R.I.A. The spiders collected or noted were few in number, and of no great rarity. A list of the species, with localities, may, however, be worthy of record : — Tcxtrix denticulata, Oliv. — Slishwood, Lough Gill. Pedanostethus livldus, BL— Lough Gill shore ; adult female. Erigone dentipalpis, Wid.— Glencar ; Strandhill ; both sexes adult. ' T. TuUberg, Sveriges Podurider. Kongl. Svcnsk. Vetens. Akad. Handl. vol. x., No. 10, 1872 (p. 53, pi. xi., figs. 9-14). = 11. Agren, Zur Kenntniss der Apterygoten-Fauna Siid-Schwedens, Stett. Efilom. Zeitiingy 1903, p. 126, pi. ii., fig. 9. ^'C. Borner, Neue Collembolcnformen, ZooL /Ins. xxiv., 1901, p. 697, fig. 2. 1904- Carpenter. — Sligo Confere7ice, Araneida, ^fc. 199 Stylothorax retusuSp Westr.— Lough Gill ; Glencar ; both sexes adult. Llnyphia peltata, Wid.— Lough Gill shore, adult female. L. trlang-ularis, CI.— Common everywhere. Pachy^natha Degreerli, CI.— Glencar. lYIeta segrmentata, CI.— Common everywhere. IVI, merianse, Scop. — Lough Gill shore, snares numerous under drains, &c. Lycosa rurlcola, De Geer.— Lough Gill shore ; adult female. Pardosa amentata, CI.— Glencar; female with egg-covers. Pirata plraticus, CI.— Lough Gill and Glencar Lake; females with egg-bags. The Harvestmen are relatively of greater interest, one of the species being decidedly a rarity : - Phalangrlum opllio, Linn — Lough Gill shore. P. saxatllJB, Koch. — Strandhill near the shore. This species has hitherto been found in Ireland only at Rush, Co. Dublin. Mitopus moriOf Fab.— Common everywhere. Acantholophus trldens, Koch.— Lough Gill shore. Nemastoma lugrubre, Fab. -Lough Gill shore. Dublin. ACARINWA. Hydrachnid^. by j. n. halbert. [Collected for the R.I. A. Flora and Fauna Committee.] Collections of Water-mites were made in the lakes near Rosses Point , Lough Gill, Glencar Lake, and in streams near Ballysadare, resulting in the capture of about twenty species. Some of the localities tried, especially the lakes, were not favourable for these creatures, as certain water plants amongst which they are usually to be found were scarce or altogether absent. A few of the species have not 3'et been satisfactorily identified, especially in the genera Eylais, Lebertia and Sperchon. The most interesting water-mite found is undobutedly Arrhcniirus Mcebii, now recorded for the first time from the British Isles. It was originally discovered a few years ago by Dr. Piersig in a lake in the Black Forest, and since that time it does not seem to have been re- corded from any other locality. Hydrachna distincta is also an addition to the British records, and a new form of Eylais was discovered in Lough Gill. Considering the smallness of the collections the results are satisfactory, and no doubt careful dredging in the lakes would bring to light many additional species. 200 71ie Irish Nahiralisi. September, Eylals bicornuta, n. sp. In the sculpture of its eye-plate (Plate lo, B, fig. i.), this form is allied to E. gigas, Piersig ' compared with which species the eye-plate is narrower, measuring -47 mm. across; the length of a single capsule is about -27 mm. The two processes on the front margin are much longer and bluntly pointed, separated by a wide deep indentation. These processes arise from the actual front rim of the eye-plate and are not inclosed by an anterior chitinous part as they are in E. gigas. The bridge connecting the eye-plates is very long and highly chitinised ; a muscle attachment, roughly circular in shape, projects in a rounded prominence at the middle of the posterior margin ; the hinder emargination is about \ the length of the eye-plate. The palps closely resemble those of E. infundibiilifera^ Koen,, in shape measuring about 1-42 mm. in length. Inner corner of the third segment moderately developed, with numerous rather long stout spines, some of which are feathered. On the lower inner surface of the fourth segment there is a row of eight or nine long spines, and another of about seven in a corresponding position on the outer side. The capitulum (fig. 2) is about I mm. in its entire length from the spine-like process on the mandible to the apex of the pharynx, length of the mandible about 46 ni.m. The pharynx reaches well beyond the lateral processes of the maxillary plate. Front processes (" Vorderer maxillarfortsatz " of Piersig) distinctlj' angled near the middle of the lower margin. I^ocality, Lough Gill. Eyials extendens (Miill.)— lyough Gill; fairly typical specimen. Eylals sp.— Ivough Gill; a form with small eye-plates shaped rather like those of E. Soari, Piersig, possibly an undeveloped form of that species. Hydrachna conjecta, Koen.— Examples of this species, with typical ribbon-shaped prolongation of the eye-plates, were secured in Lough Gill. Hydrachna distincta, Koen.— Specimens of an Hydrachna taken in the lakelets near Rosses Point seem to be identical with H. distincta Koen., though the record must be given with reserve, as there are one or two points of structure which need verification. The paired dorsal eye- plates (fig. 4) are very similar to those of Kocnike's species, except that they appear to be larger (length, -82 mm.) in our specie?, and less curved. The papillae studding the skin on the anterior parts of the animal are long and conical, on the back and posterior parts they are slightly longer and shaped like the teeth of a saw. The only other species with which it might be confused is H. conjecta Koen. but the structure of the eye- plates and papillae seem to mark it off from that species. "• Piersig, Anmiaire du Musk Zool. Acad. Itnperiale des Sciences de St. I'etersbourg, ix., 1904. Irish Naturai^ist, Vol.. XITI] LPI.ATK lo. A. B. @ A. Xenyi^la brevicauda. See p. 798 B. DETAII.S OF Hydrachnid.*. lo face page 20].] I904- H ALBERT. — Sligo Conference, Acarinida. 201 Dlplodontus desplclens (Miill).— Lakes at Rosses Point, Hydryphantcs ruDer (De Geer). — Lakes at Ballysadare. Arrhenurus sccurlformis, Piersig. — In pools on the shores of Lough Gill. A rare species usually occuring singly.. Arrhenurus lYIoebiiy Piersig. — We were fortunate in securing this species, an addition to the list of British Water-mites, in pools on the shore of Lough Gill near Rockwood. A. Moebii (fig 3), belongs to the long-tailed division (sub-genus Megahirus) of the Arrhenuri, of which we have about twelve species recorded from Britain. It differs strikingly, however, from all of these. Characteristic of the species are the two small hyaline processes which project beyond the apex of the body appendage in the male ; immediately over these is seen a small sharply-pointed petiolus. Anterior to this again is a small prominence surmounted by a semicircle ridge, and a small rather obscure mark, shaped like an inverted crown. All of the characters agree excellently with Dr. Piersig's description, except for the absence of a pair of long hairs on the end margin of the body -where there should be a pair on each side. These hairs, however, are easily broken off. The body appendage also is rather wider at the base than in Piersig's figures.'' A. Moebii was discovered about five years ago by Dr. R Piersig in a lake (Kaltenbach See), in the Black Forest, and so far as I am aware the present is the second recorded occurrence of the species. It may well prove to be a lake-frequenting mite, of which we have at least one other species— -(4. Kami —vfhich. inhabits certain lakes in Ulster, and would seem to be a fairly deep-water form. IVIIdeopsIs orbicularis (Mlill).— Glencar Lake. Lebertia sp. — Specimens of at least two species oi Lebertia, yet to be identified, were taken in streams near Ballysadare, and in Lough Gill. Sperchon sp.— A Sperchon, closely resembling S. glandulosus, Koen., or perhaps some allied species, occurred amongst aquatic plants in a rapid stream near Ballysadare. Litnnesia histrionica (Herm.) ) Common in Lough Gill, and in Limncsia maculata (Miill.) j lakes at Rosses Point. Hygrobates retlculatus (P. Kram.) — Ballysadare, and in Glencar Lake. H. longlpalpis (Kerm.)— Lough Gill. Atax crassipcs (Miill.)— Lough Gill. Fiona conglobata (C. L. Koch.)— Lough Gill. Fiona nodata (Miill.)— Glencar Lake. Fiona rotunda (P. Krara.) — A varietal form of this species is abundant in Glencar Lake. The genital field is larger than in the type form, and carries a greater number of discs (35 to 40). In this respect it is inter- mediate between P. rohinda and P. disparilis, Koen. The palps are of robust build, bearing three well marked pegs at the end of the fourth segment. The type form is, however, very variable. 1 " Deutschlands Hydrachniden," pi li., figs, ii^a—d. 202 The Irish Naturalist. Septemher, Plona rufa (C. L. Koch.)— Common iu Glencar Lake, and in Lough GiU. EXPI^ANATION OF Pl^ATE lO, B. Fig. I, Eylais bicornttta, sp. nov. Eye-plate, magnified about 86 times. Fig. 2, side view of mouth parts (capitulum), magnified about 35 times, Fig. 3, Arrhenurus JMoebii^ Piersig. Male, dorsal view without legs or palps, magnified. Fig. 4, Hydrachna distincta., Koen. Left eye-plate, one of the paired eyes, and central unpaired eye, magnified about 62 times. Dublin. CRUSTACEA. DECAPODA. BY W. RANKIN. Only the ordinary common shore species of this order were observed. It is noteworthy, however, that, on the shore of Ballysadare Bay by Glen Lodge, / are doubtless common through- Haemopis cangruisugra, Linn. ) out Ireland. Dublin. ACTINOZOA BY W. H. GALLWAY. There was not much opportunity for Anemone-collecting, as there were very few rock-pools, the shore touched upon bemg mostly sandy. I can therefore only record the capture of five specimens of Bunoiies getnmacea (Gosse) in the rock-pools at the foot of Knocklane — one full-grown specimen, two half-grown, and two about one-third, all with the columns coloured rose-pink. On introducing the animals to my tank, I had the pleasure of witness- ing the birth of a young Anemone, which soon attached itself to the rock and expanded its tentacles. In addition to the foregoing, I only noticed Actinia 7nesemhryanthemiim, which was common, and also a few specimens of Bufiodes crassicornis. Belfast, 204 The Irish Nainralist. vSeptember, I I I. -B O T A N Y. PHANKROCxAMIA AND PTERIDOPHYTA. BY R. I,I,OYD PRAEG:ER, BK- To botanists, the dominating interest in the flora of the vSligo district lies in the alpine plants of the T^en Bulben range, on which one of our Irish alpines — Arejiaria ciliata — has its only British station, and two o\.\\Q:rs,—Saxifraga nivalis and Epilobiuin alsinefoliu/n-th.Q\T only Irish habitat. These mountains have already been thoroughly explored, and but little new was to be expected there. Most of the rest of the district visited during the excursion was not unknown to botanists, yet b)- no means thoroughly examined, and a fair number of plants new to, or rare in the county, or otherwise interestii:g, were found. Many of the best finds are due to Mrs. Leebod}', whose stay of a week at Rosses Point after the close of the meeting enabled her to pursue the exploration of that neighbourhood. The list of species added to the Sligo flora is as follows: — Papaver dubium. *Cichorium Intybus. P. hybridum. Chlora perfoliata. Lotus uliginosus. :J:Linaria vulgaris. •Sedum album. Chenopodium rubrum. Crithmum maritimum. Potamogeton heterophyllus. ^thusa Cynapium. These raise the flora of Sligo from 636 species to 647, or^ including the interesting plant referred to by Mr. Harrington at the end of these notes, to 648. Rosses Point, which was explored on the first afternoon, is distinctly interesting. The occurrence, close to sea-level, of Draba incana, Saxi/raga aizoides, and Jiiniperiis nana, gives the flora a curiously alpine tinge ; and the finding of the Maidenhair is a feature of any day's botanizing. The profusion of Orchids at the time of our visit was parti- cularly noticeable, the species represented being Listera ovata, Ophrys apifera, Orchis pyramidalis, incarnata, maculata, and masciila (in fruit), and Habenaria conopsea, viridis, chloroleuca, and bifolia. At Raghly, the extremely dwarf vegetation of the extensive downs was noted. Kadiola is a most abundant ingredient here, with such plants as Anagallis tcnella, Hypericum htanificsuvi^ Festuca rottbcellioides, Selaginella selaginoideSy and an extremely minute form of Ophioglosstim vulgatiim. The best plant which this neighbourhood yielded was Chenopodium rubrum^ new to District IX. of" Cybele Hibernica." Lissadill, visited the same after- noon, provided a wonderful contrast of vegetation, the luxuriance here being extreme. But the woods in this demesne are comparatively new, and not many rare plants were seen, H H < •J •J o > H (A < K £3 H < CO z K o a: < :<: o o z o 1904- Praeger. — Sligo Conference, Pha7ieroga:}iia, &c. 205 On the day speut on Lough Gill, storm interfered with the search for water-plants, but along the sheltered shores about Doonee some good species were obtained. The woods about Doonee and Rockwood are old native woods ; the former spot stands on the limestone, the latter on the gneiss, and a good contrast of vegetation results thereby. CirccEa alpina, St'sleria c c 03 c en O -t-> CO .ipiprt.-.„;-:r:''' One of the Stone Circles enclosing a Chomleac at Carrowmore. To face p. ?2i.] I904- FKNNKiwiy. — Sligo Confejence, Antiquities. 221 these "three stony sentinels," as Col. Wood-Martin calls them, bear evidence of careful attention in their old age. This round tower is classified by Miss M. Stokes as belonging to the first or earliest style. Connected with it is the unchristian-like legend that when the wisest man is passing it will fall and kill him. All the men of our party are still alive — their combined wisdom had no effect on its silent dignity. The high cross is worthy of close inspection. Its decoration is not of the highest order of Celtic work, but it has much to commend it. Some of the subjects yet require interpretation, and a decision regarding the mortice holes on the sides still awaits confirmation. "The Annals "l under the date of 871, state that Dunadhack, l/ord of Carbury died, and he " lies under hazel crosses in Drumcliff."^ S1.1GO Abbev. This abbey, which is situate close to the Imperial Hotel, has been almost hidden from view by the march of the encroaching city. Most of our party visited these picturesque old ruins and listened with com- mendable patience to its history as read out from the old stones them- selves— and for which we must refer our readers to the " History of Sligo " by Col. Wood-Martin, who has kindly lent us the blocks of the plan and seal which are here reproduced. (See pp. 222, 224). We may, however, be permitted to say that the cloisters are in an extremely fine state of preservation, and well worthy of study, as they are characteristic of the general Irish design of arcading. The vivsitor would do well to spend more than a passing glance at the imposing array of lancet windows in the south wall of the chancel ; they are a noble work of a thirteenth century architect — a " no common man," as Ruskin said of one of his contemporaries. They possess the attribute of growing on one, and creating never-fading impressions. The design on the seal carries with it great interest, as it shows the west end as it formerly stood with flanking towers for protection, while the usual distribution of monastic buildings, and the respective ages of the various parts, are well defined on the plan. These buildings are conserved by the Board of Works as a national monument, and since, as a great protector of ancient buildings, this Board is always most eager to take a hint, we venture to suggest that some few of the trees should be removed in order to prevent possible damage. "" "The Annals of the Four Masters" might never have seen the light had not those zealous antiquarians found a patron in a Sligo gentleman O'Gara of Coolavin, at whose instigation the compilation was under- taken."— Wood-Martin. 8 Sec "History of Sligo," by Col. Wood-Martin, p. 174, also for other obits. D 222 The Irish Naturalist September, o n z H c ■< O z i H 1g^.....!§! : N A - i PROBABLE SITE I i 3] OF AISLE PU> i?1 " ^ Ik I ( I I m :::! Plan of S LiGo Abbey _ I BY C.D.Jones County Surveyor ■i Probable 13- Century Work \^7J77\ PROBABLE 15- D2 [^ DouQTFUL Work ::: Probable Restoration :::::: Doubtful D? U Recent Restoration Ardtermon House Our rendezvous on July 13 was at the ruin of Ardtermon House, once the Irish residence of the Gore-Booth family. With the solitary exception of a plain lancet-headed door, every vestige of architectural, and most of the internal constructive detail has disappeared ; hut the sturdy old walls reveal the interesting fact that it was one of the fortified mansions of the district, and no doubt had many a time to fight for dear life with a people labouring rom a sense of oppression, either imagined or real. Fortified mansions were by no means uncommon in Ireland in its stormy history that followed Elizabeth's time, and we know of one, at least, still inhabited, but with more peaceful occupiers. o\ H H << •y. J o H in ::) H < x c 5 I904- Fknnkli.. — Sligo Conferaice, Antiquities. 223 This long thin hou.se has a rather curious form, flanked in front by circular bastions which commanded the front and sides, and with rooms large enough to still form comfortable chambers in times of comparative peace. At the rere of the house extended a large court -yard, com- manded by the staircase projection or bastion. The outer walls of the yard were also defended by a circular bastion, so that no portion of the outer walls offered a perfect shelter for an attacking force. The house consisted of two storeys, and an attic storey, the floors being carried on timber beams, which rested on stone corbels on the lateral walls. Lead was expensive in those days, and iron eaves-gutters were unknown, so that an ingenious construction was adopted to catch the roof-water and to discharge it clear of the building. We illustrate the method as it existed here. (See Plate 19). Belfast. VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY. ZOOI,OGY. R. F. SCHARFF: " History of the European Fauna " (1899). G. H. Carpenter; "Animals of Ireland " (in "Ireland: Industrial and Agricultural ") (1902). R. J. USSHER and R. Warren : " Birds of Ireland " (1900). W. F. Johnson and J. N. Hai laid therein ; that is two nests built and fifteen eggs laid in a period of twenty-eight days. ((^.) A nest containing nine eggs of Water Rail was taken on 9th May : by 6th June a brood was hatched in a second nest in same meadow ; i.e.^ nest built, eggs laid, and young hatched in twenty-eight days. {c.) In a small meadow a Snipe had reared its brood about the middle of May, and by the 23rd of that month had constructed a second nest and laid four eggs, which were removed. A third nest was built and two eggs laid on 3rd June, but, being disturbed, this nest was forsaken ; and a fourth nest- built, which, on 15th June, contained four eggs ; that is nest biiilt and four eggs laid in twelve days. {d.) A finished nest of Reed Bunting was found on 20th May, but was not occupied, and the birds constructed a fresh nest. This nest, on 4th June, contained three eggs of the builder and a Cuckoo's ^^%. On examination these were found to be about three days incubated, from which we may infer that the Reed Bunting will build a nest and lay its clutch in about eleven days. John Cottney. Hillsborough, Co. Down. 250 The Irish Naturalist. October, Curious Nesting Site of Starlings. We have a number of Starlings {Siurnus vulgaris) nesting with us every year. As far as I have noted, up to this season they always chose the holes at the corners of the eaves to make their nests, which, according to Mr. Dresser in his " Pal tea re tic Birds" is a usual place, along with hollow trees, holes in walls, chimneys, clefts of rocks, or holes in the ground. But this year we omitted to cut the ivy on the house in the spring, and in consequence it grew very thickly; last summer I noticed a Starling bringing food into a clump above one of the windows but could not reach this nest. A week or two later another nest was discovered in a more accessible part of the wall, containing four fully fledged young birds. It was built on the ivy branches close to the wall, being composed of hay and a few leaves; it was not deep like that of a Thrush or Blackbird, and I should say measured about 10 inches across— it was in fact more of the style of a platform than a nest proper. We may here have the beginning of a nest-building instinct showing itself in a species which has of late years become so numerous with us, that its breeding members must find great difficulty in getting nesting accommodation in holes in walls and hollow trees. That birds adapt themselves to circumstances has been very clearly shown in Mr. Littler's interesting article on the reasoning power of birds {Zoologist, i903» P- 329) where he points out that the Lesser White-backed Magpie {Gyjunorhina hyperlmcd) of Tasmania used to build its nest of sticks, but as there are few trees in the country these soon got scarce ; it then took to the wire used by the reaping machine to tie the sheaves, but this machine has been superseded by one which uses cord, and the birds have to make the best shift they can. I am sure many instances of a like nature could be brought to light. W. H. Workman. Belfast. Barrett-Hamilton's "British Mammals." Messrs. Gurney and Jackson have in preparation a new book on British Mammals by Captain Barrett-Hamilton, who has devoted man}' years to the practical study of the subject, and to an examination of its voluminous literature. It will to some extent be based on the work of the late Pro- fessor Thomas Bell, inasmuch as the popular and readable portions of that classic volume will be retained, but it will also be thoroughly scientific and up-to-date. The work will be illustrated by a series of coloured plates and other illustrations. Convolvulus Hawk-moth in Co. Antrim. On September i a Sphinx convolviili was caught at Knocknacarry' Co. Antrim. S. Arthur Brenan. Cushendun, Co. Antrim. I904- Notes, 25 T Large Emerald Moth and Convolvulus Hawk-moth at Londonderry. In July last my uepliew, Mr. S. B. B. Campbell, took a specimeu of Geometra papilionaria in the woods at Kilderry, Co. Donegal, about 5 miles from Derry. This is the first time the species has been taken in this district, as far as I am aware. Sphinx convolvuli has turned up again this year. A friend brought me a specimen on ist September. It is only within the last two or three years that I have known this Hawk-moth to occur in our Derry district. D. C. Campbei.Iv. lyondonderry. Limerick Beetles. The Journal of the Limerick Field Chcb, vol. ii., No. 8 (June, 1904), contains a good paper 'by Stanley W. Kemp, B.A., on the Beetles of the Limerick district. The list, which numbers 270 species, is mainly founded on material collected by the writer and J. N. Halbert on the joint Field Club excursion in Jyne, 1903. BOTANY. Additions to the flora of Co. Limerick. During the past season I collected the following plants, which do not appear to have been previously recorded for Co. Limerick : — XLychnis Githago, Scop. — In a field by the Dock-road ; also in the Carey 's- road quarry, Limerick. Galium bo7-cale^ L. — Sparingly on rocks in the Shannon, about one mile below Castleconnell. * Matricaria occidentalism Greene. — This plant which, as pointed out by Mr. Colgan {_LN., xiii., 57), appears to be quite a distinct species, occurs in some plenty with M. discoidea and other aliens in the Carey's- road quarry. leucrium Scordium, L. — One patch, which is quite submerged after heavy rain, by the Shannon, opposite Doonass. It gave me much pleasure to find this, as, though recorded from near Limerick by K'Eogh in 1735, it had apparently not since been seen in the county. Ekocharis acicularis, R. Br.— Abundant along the canal at Limerick. Carex xanthocarpa, Degl. (— C. flava X fulva). — By the vShannon near Castleconnell. Festtica loliacea, Huds. (= F. elatior X Loliiim perentie). — Bank of the Shannon about one mile east of Limerick ; also near Plassy. R. A. PHII.1.IPS. Cork. British Desmids. The first volume of W. and G. S. West's "Monograph of the British Desmidiaceae " has just been issued by the Ray Society, and will prove invaluable to students of the fresh-water flora. The full results are in- cluded of the authors' researches in Ireland, which were mainly carried 252 The Irish Natiiralist. October, 1904. out under the auspices of the Royal Irish Academy. The bulk of the Irish localities are derived from this source, the balance having been fur- nished by that brilliant Irish microscopist, William Archer, F.R.S., whose contributions to phycology the authors acknowledge in the fol- lowing words : — " From 1858 to 1885 a large series of notes and short papers by W. Archer appeared in the * Proceedings of the Dublin Micros- copical Society,' and the 'Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science,* and in 1861 the same writer contributed the article on the Desmidiaceae for Pritchard's ' Infusoria.' These are unquestionably among the most valuable contributions to the literature of British Desmids, aud clearly prove that Archer was second to none in his detailed acquaintance and clear in sight into the structure and habits of these plants." GEOLOGY. Crocodilian remains from Colin Glen, Belfast. When geologizing in Colin Glen in June last, I was fortunate enough to secure a fossil from the Upper Greensand which has been identified by Dr. A. Smith Woodward of the British Museum as " a slightly abraded crocodilean scute, probably of Goniopholis or a related genus," I believe this is the first record of crocodile remains from the Iri.'^h Cretaceous rocks. The scute is oblong in shape, and measures 3 inches by 2 inches, and is about J-inch thick in the centre, thinning slightly towards the edges. Its upper surface is fitted with rounded depressions about ^-inch in diameter, placed so close together that their edges form hexagonal figures. The genus Goniopholis and its near allies are characteristic of the Purbeck and Wealden strata, occurring also in the Greensand. Wm. Christy. Belfast. Coast erosion in North Antrim. During a walk along the coast from Whitepark Bay to Ballycastle this month (September) A. W. Stelfox and I visited Kenbane, that little headland of indurated Chalk that projects so boldly into the sea from under the more mural precipices of basalt. This northern escarpment of the Antrim basaltic plateau fringes the coast for miles west of Bally- castle, disconnected from the higher cliffs of the Giant's Causeway area by the broad sweep of Whitepark Bay. East of Kenbane the basaltic cliffs are very bold, rising for miles mainly sheer out of the sea, and at a point about a quarter of a mile from the head we noticed that there had been a very heavy rock fall — a section right the whole way from the water's edge to summit of cliff having collapsed into the sea, leaving a new talus right along the base. This fall has tnken place at or very close to the little cave in which the Causewa}' guides quarried so many of the needle-spar and other specimens they sell to tourists. It might therefore be worth the attention of geologists, K. We;i,ch, Belfast. November, 1904. 253 ON THE VITALITY OF SEEDS BURIED IN THE SOU.. BY J. ADAMS, M.A. There seems to be a great dearth of authentic observations on the time during which seeds can retain their vitality, and the following instances which came under my notice this year are, therefore, deserving of being placed on record. As the result of drainage operations in a pasture field at Antrim a considerable amount of loose soil was thrown up, ard on this the following weeds made their appearance : — Knotgrass, Black Bindweed, Goosefoot, Charlock, Fool's Parsle\^ Scarlet Pimpernel, Sow-thistle, Groundsel. This field has been under my observation for the last ten years, and has been all that time grazed as pasture. I am informed by a man who used to work on this farm that it is about twenty years since it was last cultivated, and this, I believe to be a correct estimate. It will be observed that all in the above list are annual weeds of cultivated ground, and as they have never been observed by me in the pasture during the last ten years, the obvious in- ference is that the seeds must have lain dormant in the ground from the time when it was last broken up— that is, for about twenty years. Another field a short distance off was this 3^ear cropped with oats. 'Ihe following weeds appeared in the crop : — Knotgrass, Persicaria, Black Bindweed, Orache, Sun Spurge, Charlock, Winter Cress, Gerajiiuni dissechwt, Viola tricolor, Alcheniilla a7'vcnsis, Fool's Parsley, Hemp-nettle, Purple Dead-nettle, Stachys pahisfris {pn^ year old), Figvvort (one 5^ear old), Scarlet Pimpernel, Field Scorpion-grass, Nipplewort, Groundsel, Sow-thistle. In addition to this list of annual growths, there were also present in the field Ragwort, Cat's-ear, Ox-eye Daisy, Self-heal, Docks, Knapweed, and many others of the usual weeds of pastures. This field has been pastured for the last nine years, as I have observed it for that time, but I have been unable to de- termine how long it is since it was last ploughed up. Of the list of annual growths the only one likely to have been sown with the oats is Black Bindweed, as this is sometimes found as an impurity, but it occurred as a weed in the first field re- A 254 '^^^ frisk Naftiralist, November, ferred to, where no oat crop was raised. So in this case also there appears no doubt whatever but the weed seeds lay in the soil since the field was last cultivated. Some observations bearing on the effect of severe frost on seeds buried in the ground are worth recording. In the winter of 1 90 1 -2 a number of weed and other seeds were put into a shallow box containing about seven inches of soil. The soil was saturated with water and put into an open place, where it was left from 23rd November, 1901, to 7th August, 1902. During the winter severe frosts occurred on fifteen nights al- together. The following seeds germinated: — Horse Chestnut, Radish, Wallflower, DiajitJuis barbaUts^ Curled Dock, Knot- grass, Fumitory, Common Nettle, Orach e, White Campion, Chickweed, Gefanmni disscchim, Goutweed, Angelica sylvestris^ T?ifoli2Wi vmuis, Goosegrass, Purple Dead-nettle, Teasel, Ve7 07iica arvc7isis, Greater Plantain, Groundsel, Annual Meadow Grass, his Pseudaconis. On the 23rd December, 1901, after four nights' continuous hard frost, so that there was ice sufficiently strong for skating on, I examined the bare soil of the garden (at Antrim) in an exposed place, and found that the frost had penetrated to a depth of 4J inches. In a grass field in an exposed part, where the herbage had been cropped close, the frost had penetrated to a depth of 2| inches. In neither case was there any snow on the surface of the ground. As seeds when buried in the ground are doubtless saturated with water, it would seem fair to assume that most of those in the top three inches of soil are frozen without being injured. And yet the case is not by any means proved. It is well known that salt water requires a lower temperature to freeze it than fresh water, owing to the amount of salts contained in solution. The protoplasm in the cells of the seed contains a large number of organic and inorganic sub- stances, and whether the temperatures reached in this country are low enough to freeze it remains an open question. It remains somewhat of a puzzle why the seeds buried in the soil lie so long dormant without attempting to germinate. Three conditions are necessary for the germination of seeds — (i) water, (2) a certain degree of temperature, (3) a supply of air, or, speaking more strictl}', of oxj'gen. There is no doubt but the first condition is fulfilled. The second condi- tion is also complied with — at least in summer So that it r9^4- Adams — Vitality of Seeds. 255 would seem that it must be want of air that keeps the seeds from germinating. On the other hand, the roots of the herbage descend to as great a depth as that at which the seeds are buried, and yet they require oxj^gen for their proper respiration. But as very little is known on the respiration of roots, it would be useless to base a comparison on that. Another possible reason why the seeds lie dormant is that, owing to the pressure of the superincumbent earth, the embryo is unable to force its way through the seed coat. When the ground is broken up some of the seeds are brought up nearer the surface, where the pressure is less and there is a better supply of air, and, if they have not been buried too long, they germinate. In the case of some seeds, at least, it seems that a supply of moisture tends to prolong their vitality. I have repeatedly saved the seed of Yellow Rattle, kept it dr>^ the following winter, and tried to germinate it in spring, but without result, as it had lost its vitality. On the other hand, the seeds which have fallen into the ground produce a plentiful supply of plants in the following spring. Possibly there may be some readers of the Irish Natiualist acquainted with old pastures of which the age is known for certain. If so, it would be interesting to have a few sods removed here and there in order to see what kind of annuals will turn up. Royal College of Science, Dublin. ICHNKUMONID^ AND BRx\CONID^ FROM THE NORTH OF IREIvAND. BY REV. W. F. JOHNSON, M.A. I HAVE picked up from time to time a few of the parasitic Hymenoptera. The publication of Mr. Morley's work on the British Ichneumons caused me to look up my notes, and some unnamed specimens that I had in one of my store- boxes. I find I have a list, which, though small, may be of some interest to readers of the Irish Naturalist. I am indebted to Mr. J. B. Bridgman and Mr. Claude Morley for kind assistance in determining the species. A 2 7^6 TJic Jn's/i Naturalist. November, ICHNEUMONIDJE. ICHNEUIVIONIN^. Cratlchncumon fabricator, F.— Acton Glebe ; a male. Ichneumon extensorlus, L.— Scotstown, Co. Monaghan, in inoss ; and Armagh ; females. I. grradarlus, Wesni.— Scotstown, Co. Monaghan, in moss. Mr. Morley informs me that this is the second British-captured speci- men of this species, vide "British Ichneumons." p. 135. I. confusorlus, Gra v. —Armagh. I. tempcstlvus, Holmgr. — Armagh. Amblyteles palliatorlus, Grav.— Acton Glebe. A. quadri-punctorlus, Mull. — Acton Glebe: variety with black abdomen. A. armatorius, Forst. — Armngh. Platylabrus rufus, Wesm. — Acton Glebe. Phaeogcnes planifrons, Wesm. — Scotstown in moss. Colpognathus cclcrator, Grav. — Armagh. Alomyla delbcllator, F. — Acton Glebe. CRYPTINiC, Phygadcuon profllgator, F.— Armagh. Hemiteles fulvlpcs, Gr.— Armagh. H. castancus, Tasch.— Armagh. Hcmlmachus rufocinctus, Grav.— Armagh. H. fasciatus, F.— Armagh. OPHIONINi^E. Ophlon olbscurum, F.— Armagh. O. lutcum, L— Armagh; Acton Glebe; it very often flies into the house at night, attracted by light. Anomalon ?ccrinops, Grav.— Armagh. Banchus pictus, F.— Churchill, Co. Armagh. TRYPHONINTE. Catoglyptus fortlpcs, Grav. -^Armagh. Mesoleius proscatorius, Grav.— Armagh. PirVlPLINiC, PImpIa turionellae, L.-Armagh; a male. BRACONIDiE. Canychorus ruflcornis, Nees.— Armagh. Phoenocarpa conspurcator, Hal.— Armagh. RhSzarcha areolaris, Nees— Armagh. Acton Glebe Pt»yutzpa^s. 1904. :^57 FORAMINIFERA IN GI.ACIAL SANDS. BY GEO. C. GOUGH, A.R.CSC (lOND.), F.G.S. Adjoining the Malone golf-links, Belfast, is a considerable section of reddish-brown sands capped by boulder-clay. The sands are at present being rapidly carted away both for use in mould-making for castings, and for filling-in and levelling a new road which is being made close by. They are known as the " Malone Sands," and are found exposed in various parts of Belfast, being of glacial age, and containing fragments of basalt, chalk, and coal. Mr. lyamplugh^ believes that " they were laid down in an ice-dammed lake during one of the later stages of the Glacial Period." At the spot under discussion the sands are about 14 or 15 feet in thickness, but vary greatly, sinking in one place to about 6 feet, where a miniature valley has been scooped out and filled with boulder-clay, this being 12 feet thick at this spot, instead of about 6 feet as it is a short distance away. In the sands are thin irregular streaks both of clay and of a lighter-coloured sand, and it is in this latter that the Foramini- fera are found. Although I have examined samples of the sand from other parts of Belfast, and even samples taken from quite close to the places where the Foraminifera were found, yet I have not been able to detect them elsewhere ; and the only record of organic remains in these sands appears to be that of Mr. Praeger in his " Estnarine Clays of Alexandra Dock, Belfast,'- wherein he states that Mr. J. Wright found Polystomellastriato-p2inctaia, Rotalia bcccarii and two Ostracods in a sample of the red glacial sands of that Dock. About 12 pounds of the lighter-coloured sands were taken, floated, and the floatings examined, with the result that nine- teen species of Foraminilera were found, a list of which is ap- pended. They are all forms typical of a glacial deposit, and no species have been found but what have been discovered by 1 Geol. Surv. Mem. : — Geology of Belfast, 1904. = Proc. Belfast Nat. Field Club, A])peudix II., vol. ii , 1SS6. 25-S The Irish Naturalist. November, Mr. Wright in boulder-cla3\ One valve of an Ostracod, Cythcridea sorbya7ia, Jones, was also found. It is rather difficult to account for the irregular distribution of Foraminifera in these sands, but it appears to me that from time to time masses of boulder-clay, containing Foraminifera, slipped or were pushed bj^the ice sheet into Lake Belfast, and were there covered with sand. The fact that the majority of the specimens are worn tends to bear this out. Some of the clay was probably covered unchanged, forming the thin bands of clay ; while some of it became mixed with sands, giving rise to the slightly lighter bands of sand in which I have found the Foraminifera. List of Foraminifera. Bullinina eleg^antissima, d'Orb.— One specimen. Bolivina pllcata, d'Orb. — Common. Cassidulina crassa, d'Orb —Very common. Lagrena lineata (Will.) — Frequent. Lagrena Williamson I (Alcock). — Frequent. Lag^ena squamosa (Montag.) — One specimen Lagena. marginata, W. & B. — Common. Lagrena orbignyana (Seg.)— One specimen. Polymorphina lactea (W. & J.)— Rare. Uvigcrina angulosa. Will.— One specimen. Clobigerlna bulloides, d'Orb.— Common. Discorbina obtusa (d'Orb.)— Rare. Discorbina rosacea (d'Orb.)— Rare. Truncatulina lobatula (W. & J.)— Common. These are not typical specimens, but apparently young forms. Rotalla Beccarii (Linne.)— Rare, poor specimens. Nonionina dcprcssula (W. & J.)— Very common. Polystomella macclla (F. & MJ-One specimen. Polystomclla st r I ato- punctata (F. & M.)-Very common. Polystomella arctica, P. & J.-Common. These specimens are not typical P. arctica, but approach it very closely. Queen's College, Belfast. r904. 259 NOTES. BOTANY. Further extension of the range of Glyceria festucaeformis. Among some critical plants recently re-examine(1,\vhich were collected by Mr. S A. Stewart and myself in 18S9-90 during our examination of the Mourne Mountain district in Co. Down, I find two fine specimens of this grass, gathered by me on the shore between Kilkeel and Annalong in July, 1890, and labelled " G. maritima}" .The coast here is stony for many miles, the result of the cutting back of a high bank of glacial detritus. As at the other Irish Sea station for the grass, near Cloghey, it is unfrequented, and its flora unusuall}'' free from chances of contami- nation. The existence of this station extends the range of G* festucaeformis over thirty miles south-westward along the coast. Besides providing a further proof that the plant is native in Ireland, it furnishes another hint as to a possible much wider extension of range. R. L1.0YD PraEGER. Typha angustifolia in Clare. Last July Mr. W. F de V. Kane sent me several interesting plants from the neighbourhood of Ennis, notably Typha angustifolia. and in reply to enquiries, has forwarded particulars as to their distribution and habitat, with a map. Of T. angustifolia he writes: — "There are three lakes in which it is found ( Ballybeg Lake, Killoue or Newhall Lake, and Edenvale Lake]. The chief locality for the 7y//^a is the shore and marshes at the side and end of B llybeg L., where it is in vast quantities." This is an interesting extension of range, as the plant was not known south of Dublin (where it has been long extinct) till it was found in Kilkenny a few 3'ears ago. The seven other counties in which it grows are all in the northern half of Ireland. Mr. Kane's other finds include Saxifraga hypnoideSy Cornus sanguinca (both on limestone rocks), and Verbe}ui officinalis, all formerly recorded in Clare only from the north, R. Lloyd Praeger. Hypopithys multiflora in Ulster. Mr. N. Carrothers, of Belfast, has added this rare and interesting plant to the flora of the northern Province. On July 15 last he discovered a colony of it in Ely Lodge demesne, on Lower Lough Erne, and kindly forwarded me a specimen. It is previously on record from only seven botanical divisions, namely- Kerry N., Limerick, Galway S.E., Kildare, Dublin, Roscommon, and Sligo. The Kildare and Dublin records are very old, and in need of confirmation. R. L1.0YD Praeger. Dublin. 26o The Irish Naturalist. November, Lactuca muralis in King's County. Rev. R. M. Miller has sent me specimens of this rare plant from King's Connt}'. He writes, under date July 25, " I found it on a wall, growing locally but plentifully, near Leap Castle, as I was driving home from a country church yesterda}-." The Wall Lettuce, which is probably not native in Ireland, is previously recorded from seven counties, all in the south-eastern half of Ireland. R. L1.OYD PRAEGER. Dublin. An Immigrant Moss. In the journal of Botany for September Canon Lett describes a new species of Hypopterygium {H. i7nviigrans) noticed for some years past b}' .Mr. Greenwood Pirn on pots in his greenhouse at Monkstown, Co. Dublin. The origin of the plant is unknown ; the genus to which it belongs has a tropical distribution. ZOOLOGY. Rare Woodlice from Co. Dublin and Co. Down. While collecting moss and dead leaves in Bushy Park, Dublin, near the house, for me, Mr. Praeger obtained many specimens of Tfichoniscus roseus, the beautiful rosj'-coloured woodlouse. In April last, shortly afterwards, while hunting for land-shells in the fernery and green-liouse=i we found it in profusion, fine brilliantly-coloured specimens rather larger than usual. Next day Mr. Praeger and I, while searching a mossy bank about a mile from the house for minute mollusca, found it again fairly plentiful, but not so large nor so bright in colour as in the green- houses. Since this Mr. Arthur Stelfox and I have obtained it in the garden at Oakleigh, Belfast. It is abundant under leaves of Rhubarb, A search in the greenhouses was without result so far as Trichovisciis was concerned, but we found plent}' oi Porcellio dilatatus''^ ^ hitherto only found in two Irish stations, one of them on the north side of Belfast. A" few days later I was at Dickson's nurser}', Newlownards, and here Irichoniscus roseus is almost everywhere under pots, boxes, and rubbish heaps, near but not in the greenhouses. These, like the Oakleigh speci- mens and those from the following localit}', were both smaller and duller in colour than the fine Bushy Park specimens. With them were a few of the common T. pusillus, and the rare Porccllio dilatatus again, but not so common as at Oakleigh. Among the latter was one woodlouse I had never seen before. Prof. G. H Carpenter kindly identified it for me as Me/opono> thus pruivosus, 'BrSiwCit'^. To-day I find T/ic/iom'scus rosei/s a^j^ain, sparingly under pots resting on fine gravel in the vinery at Craigowen, Craigavad, Co. Down, with T. pusillus and two other common species. ^ /. Nat., 1894, PI. 2, fig. 8. 2 Id. PI. 2, fig 12. 1904- Notes. 261 It certainly seems to be prett}' well distributed both in Belfast and Dublin, whatever may be the case elsewhere in Ireland. Dr. Scharft's Plate referred to is ver}' handy for identifying specimens collected. He has kindly verified some of above for me. R. Wei^Ch. Belfast. Notes on Coleoptera. Last year I found a number of Cholcva among potatoes which were stored in an outhouse. Mr. G. C. Champion very kindly examined these specimens for me, and found that the bulk were C. fnsca, Panz., with a few C nigrita, Kr., and one of which he was doubtful, as it was not a good specimen. I took most of these on the walls of the house, but some crawling about among the potatoes and the earth that had been brought in with the tubers. I could not discover whether they were feeding on the potatoes, for I did not see a beetle on a potato, either sound or decayed. This year I have so far only met with one C. fiisca, Mr. W. H. Patterson, M.R.I. A., has sent me some more specimens of Hydroporus dorsaiis, F., from Gilnahirk, along with Rhantiis notatus, Agabus rebiilosus, Ilybms ater. He took also some very dark Hydroporus lineatus. In the canal near Scarva I took Hyphydrus ovatus and Agabus tmgui- cjilaris, and in my own fields Benibidiiim bruxellense. During a brief visit to Bray, Mrs. Johnson took Rhagotiycha pallida^ Alalthunis fasciatus, Lochmcea suitcralis, and Ceuthorrhyvchus erica on Bray Head : while a few moments' sweeping while driving through the Dargle yielded 6'/ra«^a/zVr aj-mata and Chrysomela Bavksii. The season has been very disappointing, and insects very scarce. I took a day at Lough Neagh, but got nothing worth having, almost the only beetle in evidence being Bembidiutn bipunclatum, which was very plentiful. W. F. Johnson. Poyntzpass. Occurrence of Spotted Crake in Co. Antrim. I should like lo draw your readers' attention to a specimen of this rare visitor, the Spotted Crake (^Porzana marueitd), shot on the 8th October, 1904, at vSilversprings, near Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, by some gentle- men while out Snipe shooting. It is a very pretty little bird, and it has been beautifully mounted by Mr. Sheals, of Corporation-street, Belfast, where I had the pleasure of examining it. Mr. Ussher, in his " Birds of Ireland," says the Spotted Crake is a rare visitor, occurring chiefly in autumn. It has bred in Roscommon and probably in Kerry. From the same source I gather that two other specimens were brought to Mr. Sheals for preservation, one from Cullybackey on the 8th October, 1898, and the other from Seaford, Co. Down, shot 7th November of the same year. W. H. Workman. Belfast. A 3 262 The Irish Nahiralist. November, Great Increase of Arctic Teins in Killala Bay. A ver}' remarkable iucrease in the numbers of Arctic Terns visiting the bay and estuary has taken place this season, while their change of breeding haunt from the Inch and Rosy sands across the channel to the island of Bartragh is no less so. When I visited the breeding haunt four years ago, some ten or twelve pairs of Common, with a few of the Lesser and Arctic Terns bred on the Inch, a low, gravelly island at the entrance of the little channel leading up to the quay of Killala, while the main flock of the Lesser and Arctic as widely scattered over the Ross sands, extending from the Inch nearly up to the Coastguard Station. At the time of my visit I estimated the numbers of the Lesser Terns at fifty to sixty pairs, and the Arctic at a hundred, or a hundred and fifty. A few pairs of both species had crossed over to the end of Bartragh, laying their eggs on the bare sand, while up to that date (except in March, 1895, when two pairs had eggs), no Tern had ever been known to breed on the island. The increase in the numbers of the Arctic within the four years since my visit in June, 1899, is astonishing, for, on visiting the breeding haunt on the i6th of last July, I found that nearly all the Lesser and Arctic had deserted the old haunt on the Ross sands, crossing the channel over to Bartragh, where at least 800 to 1,000 pairs of Arctic Terns had eggs or young, the breeding-ground extending from the end of the island, fully a quarter of a mile along the outer side, where they laid their eggs in shallow depressions in the bare sand just above high-water mark, but in no instance did I see any trace of a nest-lining. This great flock of birds rising from their eggs and young in vast clouds, looking like a shower of snow, was a most interesting sight, while their shrill cries were almost deafening as I walked along the sand among the eggs and j^oung birds; the latter, although only in the down, running about the sand like chickens, while the stronger ones tried to hide in the bent grass of the sandhills. All the young of both species were in the down, and many nests had eggs and newly-hatched young, while in one nest I saw three eggs of Arctic and one of the Lesser Tern, the owner of the latter being probably driven off by the stronger birds. I was surprised (though so late in the season) at seeing neither fledged, nor half-fledged birds, and the probable cause of no fledged birds being met is, that the first clutches of eggs were destroyed by a storm, the eggs being buried by the loose sands, and by a gale of wind, blown out of the shallow depressions in which they were laid. Scores of eggs are lying scattered about over the sands, and many that I broke showed no signs of being incubated, all appearing fresh. Although I was about the breeding haunt for hours, I never heard the call of a Common Tern, only the shrill cries of the Arctic and Lesser. Now as the Terns have migrated to Bartragh, there is every probability of their numbers increasing, for they are perfectly safe from disturbance of either dogs or boys, which they were always liable to on the Ross sands, and on that end of the island there are [no vermin to destroy either eggs or young, and the proprietor, Captain Kirkwood, strictly preserves them. Robert Warren. Moy View, Ballina. 1904. 263 IRISH SOCIETIES. ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include a very fine Irish Goat and some Hedgehogs from Mr. W. W. Despard, a .Alonkey from Mr. F. J. P. Kerr, a Guillemot from Mr. II. St. G. Galway, and a pair of Spanish Newts from Dr. O'Conuell. The Secretary, while recently in England, was able to secure for the Society three Rhesus Monkeys, two young yellow Baboons, one brown Capuchin, one young Drill Monkey, a young African Porcupine, two Indian Fruit Bats, one Pacca from South America, and a large Indian Python Snake, all of which arrived at the Gardens in excellent condition and are now on view. The new ' Rodent enclosure " with its picturesque network and shrubber}' lias now been finished and is tenanted by an interesting collection of animals of the Rodent order — such as Coypus, Pacas, and Rabbits. The Hedgehogs, though members of the Insectivora, also find here a home well suited to their habits- DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. September 24.— Excursion to IvOughshinny.— Twenty-four members and friends joined this excursion. The 12.30 train was taken to Rush Station. Thence the party proceeded on cars to the pier at Rush Harbour. The scientific conductor, C. A. MaTi^ey, D.Sc, F,G.S. then assumed charge of the excursion, which had for its object an examination of the geology of the coast between Rush and Skerries ; fine exposures of rocks of Carboniferous age occurring between these two points. The thick series of dark slates south of Rush Harbour were first visited, Dr. Matley pointing out the well-developed cleavage The overlying conglomerates at Rush were then studied, and were good examples of this type of rock usually composed of a limestone matrix, charged with pebbles and blocks of Silurian rocks, of all sizes- -from gfrains of sand to blocks more than 2 feet in diameter. The beds of the conglomerates are mainly calcareous, but of varying character. They are mostly limestones, occurring in thin, thick, or occasionally massive beds. Above them lies an upper series of black shales. The con- glomerates near Skerries are remarkable for their coarseness. Perhaps the most interesting features which the rocks around Lougli- shinny exhibit to the visitor are the numerous folds and contortions into which the strata have been thrown by earth-movements. Beautiful examples of anticlines, synclines, domes, &c., are to be seen ; and in places the beds are inverted. Faults are not numerous, but several were pointed out, as well as examples of the disappearance of the limestones in places by solution. 264 The hish Naturalist. November, Au inland party under Mr. Praeger collected seeds, the season being specially favourable for this line of research. After taking tea at Lough- shinny cottage the excursion returned to Dublin by the 5.57 train from vSkerries. REVIEW. THE BIRDS OF THE MONTHS. Birds in their Seasons. By J. A. Owen. Preface + pp. 145. Lon- don : Geo. Routledge & vSons, Ltd , 1904. 2s. 6d. net. This little book is arranged in a way we cannot approve of : " Birds in Spring," "Birds in Summer," and "Autumn" and "Winter." This seems to us an unsatisfactory way to deal with British Birds, and one apt to confuse the beginner. P'or instance, the Starling and Swift appear in '* Autumn," the House Sparrow in " Winter," and the Great Grey Shrike in "Spring," while the Fire-crested Wren is mentioned in "Summer," although the text says it has been obtained "invariably in winter." From these examples, picked at random, it will be seen that the authors arrangement is misleading to young people beginning to study British Birds, and we should imagine the book is intended for them. The writing in places is loose ; no one would think from p. 5 that the Golden-crested Wren is resident with us, whilst any one would think that the Green Sandpiper breeds in Britain from the account given on p. 73. The Martin arrives after the Swallow — not before, as stated, and the song dCvScribed as the Blackbird's on p. 27 is clearly that of the Thrush, as the former does not repeat its notes. Other similar instances of hast}- w^riting could be given. The information about Irish birds is meagre in the extreme, though the interesting note is made of eighteen eggs having been found in a wren's nest in Co. Limerick. While the Arctic Tern is not men- tioned at all, nine lines are devoted to the Rock Thrush (in the division "Autumn,") although the onl}^ British example was obtained in May, 1843. The plates (which appeared in Adan^s' "Smaller British Birds," published in 1874) are poor and indeed misleading. For British readers it would be hard to sa}' whether the picture of the Ring Ouzel in a snow- storm at p. 112 is more incongruous than the Redwing and F'ieldfare, in a leafy bower at apparentl}- mid-summer, at p. 88 ! Altogether the book is disappointing, and while there are many pleas- ing anecdotes of bird-life, it is not worthy of the reputation oftheauthoi. The best portions of the book are those which deal with the personal experiences of the writer, which are interesting and well told. R. P. 1904. 265 THE FLORA OF ACHILL ISI.AND. BY R. LLOYD PRAEGER. Although Acliill Island has been visited at one time or another by most of our Irish botanists, and by many English botanists also, no serious survey of its flora has ever been undertaken. The limited and stunted character of its sparse vegetation has a deterring influence, and does not offer to repay a laborious scrutin3\ Thus we find A. G. More writing to S. A. Stewart in 18S3 : — '' I have been in Achill, and I can tell you it has hardly a rare plaiit. I only recollect Eriocaulon and Erica inediterranea. Also H. C Hart has been there and found very little."^ And indeed, were the finding of rare plants the only object of botanical field-work, Achill would have no special claims on the investigator. But on such an remote outpost of the Old World, the occurrence or non- occurrence of a7iy plant has an interest for the student of botanical geography ; and it is to the phytogeographer, rather than to the rarity-hunter, that I offer the following sketch of the vegetation of Achill. Regarding the history of Achill botanj^, little has to be said. The first explorer who left any account of his impressions seems to have been Edward Newman^, who spent three days on the island during a walking tour in 1839. He visited most parts of the island, noted the peculiar flora of Meenawn (see p. 273 below), found Osvmnda and a few common plants, and also what at the time was taken for Ei ica Mackaii. He wonders at the houses, " which a good deal resemble those of the Esquimaux Indians," and especially praises the extraordinary scenery at Bunnafreva lyough West. Prof. Babington"' spent three days on x\chill in 1840, and ex- plored the greater part of the island, but does not seem to have noted in his journal anyplants of interest ; two species, however, Erodram Dioschatum and Callitriche platycai-pa, eventually made their appearance (Ann. Mag. N. //., vol. vi., 328, 1841; and Cyb. Hib., ed. ii.) as found on this trip. ^ Life and Letters of A. G. More, p. 301. 2 Notes on Irish Natural History, especially Ferns. Mag. of Nat. Hist.y N.S., vol. iii., pp. 571-574- 1839. 3 Memorials, &.C., of C C. Babington, p. 93. 1897. 266 The Irish Nahwalist. November, A. G. Mone^ spent some weeks in Acliill in 1872 and 1873, but his attention was apparentl)^ directed chiefly to zoology and sport, as but few plants were noted. He found Pota- inogdon nitens and Eriocauloii septayigulare^ and was shown Erica incditcrranea. In 1882 H. C. Hart' explored Achill, in connection with his Report to the Ro3^al Irish Academy on the flora of the moun- tains of Maj^o and Galway. One day was considered enough for these desolate hills, and the writer sums up his impres- sions of Achill in the \vords: — "The formation is quartzite chiefl}', and the flora appeared uninteresting. I searched several likely places for the more remarkable west of Ireland plants ; but, with the exception of London Pride and Maiden Hair fern, none were met with." He noted on Slieve More and Croaghaun Saxifraga stella?is, Scdiwi Rhodiola, Salix hcrbacca, and Carex rigida^ and on the latter Arctostaphylos Uva-7irsi 2iViA Jimiperus nana ; also on Slieve More one plant I did not meet with, namely, Hicraciuni anglicum. He listed 34 species altogether. At Easter, 1898, I spent a week on the island^, but growth had scarcely begun yet, and the flora was still almost in its winter condition About 120 species were noted, including a few early spring things, such as Draba verna and Saxifraga bidactylites, not to be seen late in the season ; of the few plants which I recorded, there was an error as regards one, Ra7iunaihis Le7ior7nandi proving to be onh^ R. hederaceiis. Rev. E- S. Marshall"^, W'liile botanizing in June, 1899 with Mallaranny as head-quarters, penetrated into Achill as far as Sraheens lyOUgh, added Ramuiculus scoiiciis to the Irish flora, and noted a couple of Brambles, a Euphrasia segregate, E^'io- ca7ilo7i, Carex limosa, At?ip/ex patula,2i\\(\ Melampyruni pratense var. hians. N. Colgan and Rev. C. F. d'Arcy" spent a day on Croaghaun in 1899, but rain and mist rendered botanizing abortive — as ' Life and IvCtlers, pp. 239 el. seq, 1898; and /ourn. Bot. vol. xxvii.iiS. 18S9. "^ Proc. R. I. Acad. (2), vol. iii. (Science), pp. 710-712. 1883. 8 Irish Nat., vol. vii., 141-2. 1898. ^ /ourn. BoL,\o\. xxxviii., 184- 8. 1900. ^ Irish Nal., vol. ix., 117-8. 1900. 19^4- Praeger. — Z)^^;^5z*« Fotdaeiisis ; as well as b}^ the occurrence near the base of the mountain of Cochlcaria ^o^rcEulajidica. The total flora of Achill Island (Phanerogams and Higher Cryptogams), as enumerated below, numbers 416 species and sub-specieS; the standard list used in this estimate being that of ' Irish Topographical Botany.' Plants reckoned as varieties in that book are dealt with separately. Following the plan adopted in my Clare Island paper, I first list the total flora, with a brief indication of the frequency of each plant (i, 2, 3, once, twice, thrice found ; r = rare, / = local, f = frequent, c = common, v = very), and subsequently refer more fully to the rarer plants. The list is not encumbered and artificially enlarged by introduced plants unless these are now naturalized, i.e., have by reproduction established themselves as pe?'ma?ie?it members of the flora. Those plants which have been recorded from Achill which I did not meet with (4 in number) are distinguished b}' being printed in italic type. Ranunculus aquatilis, r. Nasturtium officinale, Capsella Bursa-pas- hedcraceus, /". /. toris,/. Flammula, c tBarbarea vulgaris, i. JSenebiera didyma, i. scoticus,/. Cardamine pratensis,/. Cakile niaritima, i. acris, /. hirsuta, r. Raphanus Raphanis- repens, c. flexuosa, i. trum,/. bulbosus. I. Erophila vulgaiis, 2. Viola palustris, r. Ficana, I. Cochlearia officinalis, ^. Riviuiana, f, Caltha palustris,/ danica(graenlandica), arvensis, i. Nuphar luteum, /. i. Polygala vulgaris, 2. Nymphsea alba,/ Brassica campestris, r. serpyllacea, / Fumaria capreolata, i. Siuapis, c. Silene maritima,/ confusa, I. alba,/ Lychnis Flos-cuculi, r. 1904. PraegeR' — The Flora of A chill Island. 279 Cerastium tetrandrum, c. glomeratum, ;•. triviale,/. Stellaria medi^, c. grainiuea, r. uliginosa, /. Arenaria serpylli- folia, f. peploides, r Sagina maritima, /. procumbens, c. nodosa,/. Spergula arvensis, c. Spergularia media, r. salina, r. rupestris, l.f. Montia fontana, v.c. Hypericum Audrosae- miim, I. tetrapterum, r. pulchrum,/. elodes, f. *Ivavatera arborea, i. JMalva sylvestris, i. Radiola linoides, c. Ivinum catharticum, c. *Geranium pratense, i. molle,/. fdissectum, r. Robertianum, 2. Erodium cicutarium, c. 7?ioschaiiim, i. Oxalis Acetosella, r. Ilex Aquifolium, 2. Ulex europseus, / tGallii, I. JCytisus scoparius, i. Trifolium pratense,/. repeus, c. dubium, c. Anthyllis Vulneraria, c. Lotus corniculatus, f. uliginosus, /. Vicia Cracca,/ sepium, 2. Lathyrus pratensis, r. macrorrhizus, 2. Spiraea Ulmaria, r. Rubus Idaeus, i. plicatus,/. cariensis, 2. rliamnifolius, i. pulcherrimus, / rusticanus, 2. iricus, 2. mucronatus, 2. duneusis, i. Drejeri (Ley anus), i. rosaceus (hystrix), i. Geum rivale, i. Fragaria vesca, i. Potentilla Fragaria- strum, I. Tormentilla, c. procumbens, i. reptans, r. Anserina, /. palustris,/ Alchemilla arvensis, r. Rosa canina, i. Pyrus Aucuparia, r. Crataegus Oxyacantha, T. Saxifraga stellaris, 3. umbrosa, c. tridactylites, 2. Chrysospleuium oppo- sitifolium, i. Parnassia palustris,/. Cotyledon Umbilicus, I. Sedum Rhodiola, I.e. anglicum, c. acre, r. Drosera rotundifolia, c . anglica, v./. intermedia,/. Hippuris vulgaris, r. Myriophyllum spi- catum, c. alterniflorum, r. Callitriche stagnalis, c. Ly thrum Salicaria, v.c. Bpilobium angusti- folium, I . parviflorum, c. tmontauum, i. Epilobium obscuruni, c. palustre, /. Circsea lutetiana, i. Hydrocotyle vulgaris, v.c, Eryngium maritimum, 2. Sanicula europsea, 2. :J:Smyrnium Olusa- trum, I. Apiuni nodiflorum, c, inundatum, i. If^gopodium Poda- graria, i . Couopodium denu- datum, I. fAnthriscus sylvestris, I. Crithmum maritimum, 2, CEnanthe crocata, i. Angelica sylvestris, c. Heracleum Sphou- dylium, /. Daucus Carota, c. Hedera Helix, r. JSambucus nigra, r. Lonicera Periclyme- nuni, r. Galium verum. /. saxatile, c. palustre, c. Aparine, /. Sherardia arvensis, i. Valeriana sambuci- folia, r. Scabiosa Succisa^ /, Solidago Virgaurea, /. Bellis perennis, c. Aster Tripolium, r. Anteunaria dioica, r. Gnaphalium uligino- sum, f. sylvaticum, i. Bidens cernua, r. tripartita, /. Achillsea Millefolium,/. Ptarmica, c. .^ Anthemis nobilis, i, 28o The Irish Naturalist. December, Chrysanthemum sege- tum, /. Leucanthemum,^^ Matricaria inodora, c. *discoidea, i. *Tauacetum vulgare, 2. Artemisia vulgaris, /. Tussilago Farfara,/. Seuecio vulgaris, f. sylvaticus, f. Jacobaea,/. aquaticus, v.c. Arctium minus, i. intermedium, i. Cnicus lanceolatus,/. palustris, r. pratensis, r. arvensis, r. Ceutaurea nigra, c. Lapsana communis, r. Crepis virens, c. Hieracium Pilosella, 2. anglicnm, I. umbellatum, i. Hypochaeris radicata, c. Leontodon autumnalis, c. Taraxacum officinale,/. Sonchus oleraceus,/. asper, / arvensis, i. Lobelia Dortmanna, /. Jasione montana, c. Campanula rotundi- folia, 2. Vaccinium Vitis-Tdaea, I. Myrtillus, c. Arctostaphylos Uva- ursi, v.l. Calluna vulgaris, v c. Erica Tetralix, c. cinerea, c. mediterranea, r. Armeria maritima, c. Prinjula vulgaris,/. Lysimachia nemorum, S. Glaux maritima,/ Anagallis arvensis, r. teuella, v.c. Samolus Valerandi, f. Erythraea Centaur- eum,/ Menyanthes trifoliata, c. *Symphytum offici- nale, /. Myosotis caespitosa, c. palustris, r, repens, /. arvensis, /. versicolor, r. Calystegia sepium, 2. Scrophularia nodosa, i. *Mimulus guttatus, i. Digitalis purpurea, r, f Veronica agrestis, i. arvensis, / serpyllifolia, r. Anagallis,/ Beccabunga, c. Euphrasia officinalis, v.c. Bartsia Odontites, / Pedicularis palustris,/ sylvatica, /. Rhinanthus Crista- galli, / Melampyrum pratense, Utricularia minor, r. intermedia, 2. Pinguicula vulgaris,/ lusitanica, r. *Mentha piperita, i. hirsuta, r. arv^ensis, / Thymus Serpyllum,/ Prunella vulgaris,/ Stachys palustris, c. Galeopsis Tetrahit, c. Lamium intermedium, /• purpureum, r. hybridum, r. Teucrium Scorodonia, 2. Ajuga reptans. i. Plantago major,/. lanceolata,/ maritima, c. Coronopus, c. Ivittorella lacustris, c. Chenopodium album, c. Beta maritima, 2. Atriplex patula,/ hastata,/ Babiugtonii, r, Salicornia herbacea, i. Suaeda maritima, 2. Salsola Kali, 2. Polygonum Convolvu- lus,/ aviculare, r. Raii, I, Hydropiper, c. Persicaria, c. lapathifolium, / amphibium, / Oxyria digyna, i. Rumex obtusifolius, c. crispus,/ Acetosa, c. Acetosella, c. Urtica dioica,/ urens, r. Myrica Gale, c, Betula pubescens, 2. Alnus glutinosa, i. Corylus Avellaua, i. Quercus Robur, i. *Salix pentandra, i. cinerea, f. aurita,/ repens, c. herbacea, 3. Empetrum nigrum, v.f. Juniperus nana, r. Listera cordata, 2. Orchis incarnata, r maculata, /. Habenaria viridis, i, chloroleuca, i, 1904. Prakg^r. — The Flora of AcJiill Island, 281 Iris Pseud-acorus, c. Scilla nutans, i. Narthecium ossifra- gum, c. Junciis bufonius, c. squarrosus, c. Gerard i, I.e. effusus, c. conglomeratus, r, maritimus, l.c, supinus, v.c. lamprocarpus, / acutiflorus, /. Luzula maxima, c campestris,/ erecta.y; Typha latifolia, /. Sparganium raniosum, r. simplex, i. afSne, c. Lemna minor, r. Triglochin palustre, /. maritimum, r. Potamcgetou natans,/. polygonifolius, c. nitens, 2. perfoliatus, /. pusillus, r. pectinatus 3. filiformis, 2. Ruppia rostellata, 2. Zostera marina, r. Eriocaulon septangu- lare, /./. Eleocharis palustris, /. multicaulis, v.c. Scirpus pauciflorus i. csespitosus, c. fluitans,/. Savii, /. setaceus, / lacustris, r. Kriophorum vagiua- tum, / angustifolium, c. Rbynchospora alba, v.f. Schsenus nigricans, f. Carex pulicaris, f. arenaria, f. paniculata, i. ecbinata, c. ovalis, r. rigida, r. vulgaris, c. glauca, c. limosa, 2. pilulifera,/. prsecox, ;-. panicea, f. binervis, f. distaus, /./. cxtensa, /./. flava, c. filiformis, i. ampullacea,/. Phalaris arundinacea, I, Anthoxanthum odor-| atum, /. Alopecurus geuicula- tus, r. Agrostis alba,/. vulgaris, c. Psamma arenaria, l.f. Aira caryophyllea, /. J prsecox, c. Descliampsia csespi- tosa, 2. flexuosa, /. Holcus mollis, r. lanatus,/. Arrhenatherum, avena- ceum, c. Triodia decumbens, /. Phragmites, commu- nis, f. Cyuosurus cristatus, /. Koeleria cristata, ;>. Molinia caerulea, c. Catabrosa aquatica, r. Dactylus glomerata,/. Briza mediae i, Poa annua, /. pratensis, r, trivialis,/ Glyceria fluitans,/. Jaquatica, i. maritima, l.f. Festuca rottboellioides, r, sciuroides, r, ovina, c. rubra, r. Bromus mollis,/. Ivolium perenne, r. Agropyron repens,/. junceum, /./. Nardus stricta, c. Hymenophyllum ^un- bridgense, r. unilaterale, f. Adiantwii Capillus- Ve- neris, I. Pteris aquilina,/ Blechnum Spicant, v.c. Asplenium Adiantum- nigrum, r. marinum, c. Trichomanes, r. Athyrium Filix-fae- mina, v.c. Scolopendrium vul- gare, 2. Cystopteris fragilis, i. Lastrea Filix-mas, /. dilatata, c. aemula, c. Polypodium vulgare, ;'. Osmunda regalis, c. Opliioglossum vulga- tum, 3. Equisetum arvense,/. palustre. r. limosum, r. Lycopodium vSelago, ;•. Selaginella selagin- oides, r. Isoetes lacustris, 2. Chara fragilis, i. aspera, 3. vulgaris, i. Nitella opaca, 2. 282 The Irish NahiraUst, December, Two plants recorded from Achill are omitted from tliis list, nam eh', Saxifraga pedatifida^ reported by A. W. Bennett^ to have been sent from Achill \yy William Andrews, and Erica Mackaii, to which I have already referred. These records are not correct. Stations for Rarer Pi^ants, Varieties, &c. The following notes give particulars as to segregates and varieties noted, and the distiibution of the rarer plants. Ranunculus aquatilis, L. — The Batrachiau Ranunculi diX^ represented by one, or possibly by two species — ?A\ heteiophyllus in Keel Lough and Sruhillbeg Lough, and ?A\ tiichophyllns in pools on Keel Strand. My visit was too late for the gathering of satisfactory specimens, so for the present I have put them under the Linnean aggregate. R. scotlcus, Marshall. — Frequent by all the western lakes; specimens from L. Nakeeroge West and Annagh Lake were sent for confirmation to the describer. Rev. B. vS. Marshall. vSeen also in the east, at the original Irish station (Sraheens Lough), and apparently at Lough Gall ("probabl}', root-leaves withered." — B. S. M.) Fumaria capreolata, L.— With F. confusa on a sandy bank at Old Dugort. Cocfilearia grroenlandica, L. — A tiny Scurvj'-grass.in full flower and fruit, which grew with luxuriant C. officinalis among boulders on the cliffs close to Achill Head, I took it to be this, and Rev. B. S. Marshall confirms the name. Previously known in Ireland only from que' North Donegal. Polygala vulg:arls, L. — On the Croaghaun cliffs only ; the same large- flowered form as noted from Clare Island. Sag^fna maritima, Don., var. densa (Jord.). — Forming dense round tufts near Dooagh. SperiTuIarla rupeslris, Lebel. — Along the southern shore, from Achill Head (where it is extremely dwarf) to Camport. RadloIai:noides, Roth.— Remarkably abundant on Achill, and ranges from the extreme point of Achill Head to Inishbiggle. A very dense leafy form at Dooega Head. Hypericum pulchrum, L., var. procumbens, Rostrup.— A remark- able dwarf variet}', with filiform prostrate stems a few inches long, often terminating in only a vsingle flower, was abundant on Croaghaun, from 1,500 feet up. Mr. A. Bennett writes of it :— " Quite towards var. procnvibens, Rostrup (/.?., Beeby's Shetland plant). Beyond Beeby's specimens, I have seen nothing like yours." Mr. W, H. Beeby writes :— " I think that the Hypericum pulchrum should be referred to vsiY. procu7nl>ens, Rostrup, though it is more robust than the Shetland plant." ^ /ourn. Bot., xxi., 152. 1883. i904- Prakger.— 77/d? Mora of A chill Islmid. 283 Hypericum eiodes, L.— At uorth eud of Keel Lough a submerged form grew up from the bottom of pools three feet deep, reaching the surface, but not flowering. *CeraniuiYi pratense, L.— Abundantly naturalized in fields and on banks near Dugort. Erodium moschatutn, LHerit.— Dooagh, 1840 (Babington in herb.) —Cyb. Hib., ed. IT. tUicx Callii, Planch.— One bush by roadside, ^mile north of Mweelin, in an old gorse hedge. The occurrence of a single plant of .so gre- garious a species suggests introduction, but the place has been derelict for many years. Though abundant in West Galway, the species is unrecorded for Mayo. JCytisus scoparlus, L.— Only seen as a kind of hedge on Inishbiggle. Rubus plicatus, Wh. & N.— Twice gathered near Dugort. Of these plants Mr. Rogers writes : — " Going off from type towards var. hc))iistei)io>i, but distinct from that, I think." Also seen north of Keel, and near Cashel. Recorded by E. S. Marshall from " Achill Island" : i.e., near the Sound {loc. cit.). R. cariensiSy Genev. — Common about Dugort (four gatherings made). P'ound also near the vSound. A rare bramble, recorded from Wex- ford only in I.T.B., but lately found in N. Kerry {sttpra, p. 129). R. rhamnifolius, Wh. & N. — Roadside near the Mojiastery. R. pulcherrlmus, Neum. — The commonest bramble on the island. Specimens from Dugort, Slievemore, Monastery, and River were named by Mr, Rogers. E- S. Marshall got it near Achill Sound (Joe. cit. ) R. rustlcanus, Merc. — Extremely rare. A few small bushes about Cashel, and one on the margin of Annagh Lake. R, iricus, Rogers.— Gathered at Dugort and at Keel. Mr. Rogers adds a note: — "This was sent me from Dugort last year by Rev. H. H. Slater." R. mucronatus, Blox. — Roadside at Cashel, and margin of Mweelin Lough. R. dunensis, Rogers. — Dugort. " I believe my A', dtinensis, /. j5., 190T, 382 ; though, as you will see on comparison with my description in /. B.^ further examination of living bushes is desirable for absolute certainty." — W^ M. R. A plant from Annagh Lake is doubtfully re- ferred to the same form. This bramble is hitherto known only from Down and Armagh. R. Drcjeri, G. Jensen, sub-sp. Lcyanus, Rogers.— Near Achill Sound '* Must go, I think, to my K. Leyanus, from some shadegrown and slightly armed forms of which (from different English counties), it seems not to differ in any essential point."— W. M. R. R. rosaceus, Wh. & N., var. hystrix (Wh. & N.).— Ktel. Potentilla procuinbens, Sibth.— Only seen near Keel Lough. One specimen is referred by Rev. E. S. Marshall (but with some doubt) to P. procnmbeus X reptaus {= P. mixta, Nolte.) Saxifra^a stellarls, L.— Slievemore cliffs, abundant from about 1,700 feet up. More sparingly near Croaghaun summit, and on rocks over Bunnafreva Lough West at about 1,100 feet. 2S4 The h'isk Naturalist, Decemtei', Saxlfra^a umbrosa, Iv. — Abundant everywhere, from sea-recks to mouutain-tops. S. trldactylltes, Tv. — Sands at Dugort and Trawmore, with Erophila vulgaris, apparently the only habitat of either. Sedum Rhodlola, DC. — Abundant on rocks on the higher parts of Slievemore, and on Croaghaun from sea to summit; also on the sea- clifFs from Keem round to Dugort, descending to within 20 feet of sea-level. S. acre* L. — While S, angUcum is abundant everywhere, S. acre is confined to sea-sands. I fancy this is the result of its calcicole ten- dencies. Droscra Intermedia, Hayne, — Very frequent. In deep bog-holes near Sraheens L/Ough it forms floating patches, some of which drift about. Epiloblum anirustlfoiium,L. — On the Slievemore rocks at i^Soofeet. Anthemis nobills, Iv — Plentiful on stream-banks and roadsides about Cashel. Senecio Jacobsea, L., var. f losculosus (Jord.) — About Old Dugort and Valley, with the type. Arctium majus, Bernh.? — In doubtfully naming a Burdock collected near the Sound, A. 7iiajus, Mr. Bennett writes :— " It is impossible to name some specimens unless seen in situ — unless very full material is collected." A, minus, Bernh.— Dooagh, and I believe elsewhere. A. Intermedium, L,auge. — Ivough Nambrack : possibly frequent. My visit was rather early for Burdocks. Hleraclum anglicum, Fr.— Slievemore, 1882: Hart, Ajr. cit. H. umbellatum, L- — In several spots round the margin of Annagh Lough. Leontodon autumnalis, ly., var. simplex, Duby. — This very small single-headed variety was frequent on sea-rocks, and on cliffs high up on Croaghaun. Lobelia Dortmanna, L.— Frequent, chiefly at very low levels. Lough Gall, Sraheens L., Mweelin L., Black L., north end of Keel L., Bunnafreva L. Fast, and in a lakelet north of it ; Annagh L. Vacclnium Vltis-Idsea, L. — Near summit of Slievemore. Arctostaphylos Uva-ursI, Spreng. — In great abundance on the Meenawn range, from Soo feet up. E^lsewhere seen only on heaths below Lough Acorrymore. k':rica medlterranea, L.— Rare, and chiefly in the east. By the stream behind Valley Strand^ to which place I was directed by Mr. John Sheridan in 1898. Sparingly from Lough Doo to Bull's Mouth, which, Mr. Sheridan since informs me, is the other station attri- buted to him by A. G. More,' and given as "Ridge Point" in Cybele, ed. II. By the streamlet which rises near Black Lough, from its source to its mouth near Salia. In the west, seen only half-way along the northern margin of Annagh Lough. ^ fount. Bot., xxvii., 118. 1889. I904. Praegkr.— r/^^ Flora of A chill Island. 285 ^Mlmulus guttatus, DC— Stream near north end of Keel I^ough, a form with brown-spotted corolla. Euphrasia borealis, Towns.— By south side of Keel I,ou^h. E, brevipila, Burn, et Grem.— Very abundant. Specimens from Achill Head, Dugort, Valley Strand, Lough Nambrack, and Sraheens village, were confirmed by Mr. Townsend.. E). S. Marshall also gathered it at the east end of the island {loc, cit.). E. curta, Fr., var. glabrcscens, Wettst.— By Keel Lough and Sruhillbeg Lough. Also (doubtfully) from Achill Head. E. Foulaensis, Towns. ?— A small, unbranched Eyebright, gathered on the summit of Croaghaun (2,192 feet)," is doubtfully referred by Mr. Townsend to this northern form, characteristic of Shetland and the Fteroes, and unrecorded from Ireland. I hope to collect the plant again next year, and decide the question of its identity. E. g:racllls, Fr.— By Keel Lough. E. scotica, Wettst. — In two places near Lough Nakeeroge West, at Lough Acorrymore, and in tw^o spots on Slievemore. Doubtfully also from Dugort. Melampyrum pratense, L.— Rather rare. The var. montanum Johnst., on Slievemore and Croaghaun ; var. hians is recorded from Sraheens Lough by Marshall (Joe. cit.). Utrlcularia Intermeclla, Hayne.— Sraheens Lough, and north end of Keel Lough. Lamlum hybrldum, Vill.— Dooagh and Bull's Mouth, with Z. in- tennedmm, which is frequent in the eastern half of the island. Beta marltima, L. — Sparingly about Keel, on shingle and on sand. Oxyria dig'yna, Hill. — Plentiful on the highest part of the Slievemore rock-scarp. Polygonum Rail, Bab. — Frequent at the west end of Trawmore. Salix herbacea, L — Along the Croaghaun ridge down to about 1,200 feet. Sparingly on the summit of Meenawn (1,530 feet). Junlperus nana, Willd. — Chiefly about Croaghaun, as above and below L. Acorrymore, and abundant at Bunnafreva Lough West, Summit of Meenawn, and near Black Lough. Sea-stack near Dooega, twenty feet above sea-level, growing amid maritime plants. Usually absolutely prostrate, forming patches even lower than the shorn heath among which it grows, Llstera cordata, R. Br. — Slievemore and Croaghaun. Iris Pscud-acorus, L. — Covering low sand-dunes near Keel— an un- usual habitat. Juncus cffusus, L., var. — Near Sraheens village occurred a form with widely-spreading stems, many of them spirally curved, with several convolutions. I have gathered the same form on Inish- murray, Co. Sligo. Mr. Beeby informs me that in Orkney these spiral forms are frequent. Potamogcton nitcns, Weber. —Recorded from the stream flowing out of L. Keel by A. G. More {loc. cii.). Seen plentifully here, and also in several parts of Keel Lough itself, and in Sruhillbeg Lough, everywhere accompanied by P.filiformis, A3 286 The Irish Nattiralist. December, Potamogreton pectinatus, L.— In great abundance in Lough Doo and Lough Nanibrack, and thrown up on the shores in masses like Zostcra, Sparingly in one of the Dooniver Loughs. P. filiform is, Nolte.— Very abundant on the south and east sides of Keel Lough, and down the outflow river to the sea, where it occurs in pools on Trawmore. Also in Sruhillbeg Lough. Ruppla rostellata, Koch.— Dooniver, in two brackish lakelets, and in one which is above tidal influence. Eriocaulon septang-ulare, With — East only, frequent. Sraheens Lough, whence it has been recorded by Marshall (Joe. cit.\ and very fine in bog pools to the north of it. Abundant in Lough Gall, and in three lakelets by the road i^ miles south of it. Mweelin Lough. More's record '-'in a small lake at north end of Achill " {loc. cit.) possibly refers to Lough Gall. Carex rlg'lda. Good. — Slievemore, 1,800-2,200 feet. Abundant on the Croaghaun range down to 1,200 feet. C. Ilmosa, L. — Lakelets S.K. of Lough Gall, and abundant at north end of Keel Lough. The plant at the latter station resembles C. irrigua^ but Mr. Bennett writes "rather lifnosa^ I believe." C. fliiformls, L.— Only in a swamp east of the north end of Keel Lough. Psamma arcnaria, R. & S. — At Dooega Head grows in boggy soil on the verge of the cliffs, 70 to 150 feet above the sea. No sand any- where near. Agrostls vulgraris, L., var. pumlla, L. Frequent. tGlycerla aquatica, Sm. — One patch in a swamp on west margin of Lough Nambrack. While the range of this grass in Ireland is such as to render its occurrence here as a native highl}' improbable, no hint of introduction was gained by a study of the plant's surround- ings. Hymcnophyllum tunbrldgrense, Sm — About Slievemore and Croaghaun, not rare. FI. unilaterale is very frequent. Adlantum CaplIIus-Veneris, L.— 'Cliff on north-west side of Achill Island! Mrs. Boycott.'— A. G. More, "Recent additions,' 1872. Base of Croaghaun, 1882— Hart, loc, cit. These notes refer, I believe, to the same station. Cystopterls frag-llls, Bernh.— Only on Slievemore, where it is abun- dant on the rocks at about 1,800-2,100 feet. Lastrea aetnula, Brack. — Common at all elevations, with L. dilatata. Isoetes lacustrls, L— Growing on bosses of peat in Keel Lough, and among boulders in Annagh Lough. Chara fragills, Desv.— In the brackish lakelets at Dooniver. C. aspera, Willd., var. sublncrinis, Kuetz.— Abundant in Keel Lough, Lough Doo, and Lough Nambrack. C. vulgaris, L- — Pools on Keel Strand. N ltd la opaca, Agardh.— Growing on bosses of peat in Keel Lough, and on sand in Dooniver Loughs. 1 904. Prakgkr. — The Flo7 a of A cli ill Island. 2 87 Anai^ytical and Statistic a I, Notes. From the above list it will be seen, I may remark in passing, that Achill scarcely deserves its former reputation for possessing " hardly a rare plant." The dozen rarest Irish species which grow on the island, and the number of botanical divisions from which they are on record, including their Achill stations, appears as follows : — Ranunculus scoticus, 2. Adiantum Capillus- Veneris, 7. Cochlearia grsenlandica 2. Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi, 8. Erica n;editerranea, 2. Oxyria digyna. 8. Rubus carieusis, 3. Epilobium angustifolium, to. R. duueusis, 3. Potamogeton filiformis, 10. Eriocaulon septangulare, 7. Saxifraga umbrosa, 11. This list will bear comparison with many equal areas on the west coast. The additions (according to the I.T.B. standard) to the now well-worked flora of West Mayo resulting from my survey are as follows : — Eumaria capreolata. Rubus rosaceus (hystrix:). fUlex Gallii. 8 Epilobium angustifolium. 8 Rubus cariensis. Eryngiura maritimum. rhamnifoUus. *Tanacetum vulgare. 8 mucronatus. Potamogeton pectinatus. 8 dunensis. 8 jGlyceria aquatica. Of these, the five species marked " 8 " are new to District VIII. of ' Cybele Hibernica.' Types of DhtrihUio^u — The most pronounced feature of the Achill flora is not so much the predominance in it of any "type of distribution," British or Irish, as its strongly calci- fuge character Taking the ''Cybele Hibernica" lists, we find that out of 53 species marked as calcicole, the "calcicole A" group is unrepresented. Of " calcicole B" plants, four — Anthyllis Viibieraria, Tussilago Farfara, Ca7rx glauca, and Adiaiitum Capillus- Veneris — are pre-:ent; of ''calcicole C" only one, namely, Antennaria dioica ; in all, 5 out of 53. Whereas, of 46 Irish species marked "calcifuge A," Achill has no less than 39, or 85 per cent. 288 The Irish Naturalist December, As regards the Irish t5'pes of distribution^ the following table speaks for itself: — Central, o out of 38 or 0 pel r cent Marginal, . 15 M 46 or 33 >> Ultouian, 3 >> 45 or 2 »> Mumonian, . 0 >> 66 or 0 >» Lageuian, . Ji »> 49 or 2 >> Connacian, . 8 J> 63 or 13 >> It will be seen that the group best represented is the "Marginal type, a calcifuge and monticole assemblage. The large Central group is entirely absent. In its comparative poverty in Connacian plants, in which it might be expected to excel, Achill accords with Clare Island and other w^estern insular areas. Three Ultonian -^Xo-uis—Epilobitwi angusti- foliu7n^ Vaccini2i7)i Vitis-Idcsa, Potarnogetoii filifornm — extend down to Achill ; all reach here, or hereabouts, their southern limit on the west coast. Mumonian plants, on the other hand, are completely absent. The only I^agenian species is the probably introduced Glyce^ia aquatica. As regards Watson's types, Germanic plants are altogether absent, and English type very poorly represented. Of the Atlantic group, which is in Great Britain w^estern, in Ireland marginal with a southern tendency, Achill is comparatively rich, possessing 12 out of 33 in Ireland. Of Scottish type plants, which in Ireland are northern-marginal, with a western tendency, Achill has 13 out of 50 in Ireland ; in these figures RammcnliLS scotiais and Cochlearia grcenlajidica are not included, not being classed by Watson. In the Highland type Achill is comparatively rich, having 10 species out of 42 in Ireland. Compa7'ison with Clare Island. — It is natural that some comparison should be made between the Achill flora and that of Clare Island, which I surveyed in a similar manner last year ; but a very few notes on this point must suffice. The main features of such a comparison may be displayed as follows : — Clare I. Achill I. Area, .... 6^ sq. m. 57 sq. m. Min. distance from land, . 3 miles. \ mile. Greatest elevation, . . 1,520 feet. 2,204 feet. Total flora, . . . 368 416 Plants peculiar to each, . 40 ^ 1904- PRAKGKR. — The Flo7a of Achill Island. 289 In this comparison, the most noteworthy points are the number of plants peculiar to Clare Island — 40^ or 11 per cent, of its total flora ; and the fact that on Achill an increase of over 900 per cent, in area, as compared with Clare Island, results in an increase of flora of only 13 per cent. — a fact which bears eloquent testimony to the monotony of the conditions over a great part of Achill. An examination of the Achill and Clare Island lists shows also that a large number of common plants are absent from both. For details, the lists must be compared ; and A. G. More's list of the plants of Inishbofin furnishes the means of usefully extending the comparison. I have gratefully to acknowledge kind assistance, in the matter of critical plants, given by Messrs. Arthur Bennett, W. H. Beeby, H. and J. Groves, B- F. Linton, E- S. Marshal, H. W. Pugsley, W. Moyle Rogers, and Frederick Townsend. IRISH SOCIETIES, ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Recent gifts include pairs of Rabbits from Mrs. Morrison and Miss K. Hall, an Oyster-catcher from Prof. C. J. Patten, a pair of Pigeons from Lord Kenyon, and a Wagtail from Messrs. Williams and Son. A pair of Beavers and thirteen Hedgehogs have been acquired for the new Rodent enclosure. The Council have decided to present a pair of Dublin Lions to the Zoological Gardens of New York. The Silver Medal for photo- graphs of Animals in the Gardens has been awarded to D. H. Leonard and the Bronze Medal to C. M. Finny. DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. October ii.— The Club met at Leinster House. Dr. SCHARFF showed a slide containing nearl}' 100 species of Irish Ostracod Crustaceans, mounted by the late Dr. Malcomson of Belfast, whose collection was acquired by the Dublin Museum after his death. The principal features of the skilful method of mounting, and the general characters of the species dealt with, were pointed out to the members of the Club, and commented upon. 290 The Irish Naturalist. December, W. F. GuNN exhibited shoots of Black Currants, shownig the effects of the currant bud mite {Phytoptus ribis). Sections of the present season's buds, under a i-inch objective, revealed large numbers of the mites harbouring and feeding between the folds of the embr^'o leaves. The mites, which are extremeh- small, are most destructive ; and, where large quantities of Black Currants are grown together, it is no uncommon occurrence for the entire crop to fail. Shoots were also shown bearing the remains of last season's buds, wdiich had been, in consequence of the attack of the mites, arrested in growth and completely killed. A short account of the insect and some points in its life history are given in Leaflet No. i of the Royal Agricultural Society — copies of which can be obtained from the offices of the Department of Agriculture, 4 Upper Merrion-street, Dublin. A detailed account has been given by Warburton and Embleton in the Linnean Society's /ournal {Zoology), vol. xxviii. F. W. MooRi? showed orchid flow^ers of the genus Cataseliwi, and demonstrated their beautiful adaptation for cross-pollination. J. N. Hai^berT showed Arrhemiriis Moebii, Piersig, a water-mite from Lough Gill, Sligo, new to the fauna of the British Islands. This species is described and figured in the current volume of the Irish Naturalist (p. 201, pi. 10, B., fig. 3). Prof. Carpenter showed Xenylla brevicauda^ Tullb., a springtail new to the British Islands, from Lough Gill shore. The insect is described and figured in the current volume of the Irish Naturalist (p. 198, pi. 10, A., fig. 1-4). LIMERICK FIELD CLUB. November 3.— Annuai, Meeting.— W. A. Beauchamp in the chair. The annual report w^as submitted. It stated that the membership stood at 117, as against 124 the previous year. The attendance at the winter meetings of the year was up to the average, and the Club was represented at the Field Club Union Conference at Sligo by six members and five visitors. An attempt to promote Club intercourse by opening the Club rooms every Tuesda}- evening met with only very slight support. The annual part of the Club Journal was published in June at a cost of ;^22 '^s lid. The finances of the Club are in a satisfactory condition. The response to the suggestion to raise a fund to provide a memorial to Eugene O'Curry has been disappointing. The report was adopted. The following were elected officers for the ensuing year : — President, H. Vereker Morony ; Vice-Presidents, P. J. Lynch, C.K., and W. A. Fogerty, M.D. ; Committee, Mrs. Gibson, Miss Alice Doyle, E. H. Bennis, Mrs. Dodd, B.A. ; B. Barrington, Rev. J. H. Thomas, B.A. ; J. P. Dalton, M.A. ; Treasurer, Joseph Stewart; Secretaries, George Fogerty and J. F'G. Windle. A variety of exhiVnts were on view during the evening, and a series of lantern slides was shown. I904- 291 THE PRE-GLACIAL RAISED BEACH OF THE SOUTH COAST OF IREEAND.' BY W. B. WRIGHT, B.A., AND H. B. MUFF, B.A., F.G.S- Ai,ONG the greater portion of the northern shore of Courtmac- sherrj' Bay there stretches a remarkabl}^ smooth platform of rock about 5 feet above high-water mark. At a varying distance from its seaward edge it disappears beneath a mass of drift. The drift deposits lie on the waterworn platform, and are banked against a cliff or slope of rock which rises from behind them to a height of 150 feet above ordnance datum. They are packed into the angle between the platform and the cliff, and form a terrace of varying width. The succession and relation of the deposits to one another are shown in the following diagram^ : — Fig. I. — Diagram of Section in Courtmacsherry Ba3^ 5. Upper head. 2. Blown sand. 4. Boulder-clay. i. Raised-beach gravel and 3. Ivower head. blocks. The rock-platform is cut across the edges of the highly inclined black slates and sandstones of the Carboniferous Slate series. It is raised about 5 feet above high-water mark of ordinary spring tides. "" A more complete account of this beach has recently been published by the writers. Scz. Froc. R. Dnhl. Soc, vol. x., 1904., pp. 250-324, pis. xxiii-xxxi. '^Reproduced b}'^ permission of the Royal Dublin Society. 292 The Irish Naturalist. December, The raised beach gravel is cemented by oxides of iron. The blocks which lie on the platform and embedded in the gravel sometimes attain a length of lo feet. They are of similar natnre to the rocks in the pre-glacial cliff above, having fallen from it dnring the formation of the beach. The blown sand overlies the beach gravel and blocks, and is banked against the old rock-cliff behind the head, which has obviously slipped down little by little over it. The head is composed of angular material derived from the waste of the old rock-cliff against which it is banked. The parallelism of its fragments gives it an appearance of stratifi- cation when viewed from a distance. The boulder-clay is a stiff clay containing scratched stones, some of which have been transported for long distances. It was laid down by ice moving out to sea over the top of the cliff. It is to their position in the lee of the cliff, as well as to the feebleness of the glaciation, that the pre-glacial deposits owe their preservation. The upper head is similar to the lower, but contains a small number of sub-angular and rounded stones derived from the boulder-clay. The outstanding stack, figured in the diagram, shows that the drift deposits originally covered a much greater portion of the platform. The above may be taken as typical of a number of sections to be seen all along the south coast of Ireland from Carnsore Point to Baltimore. The complete series of deposits is, how- ever, not always represented. Sometimes one member is absent, sometimes another, but the succession is invari- able. The superposition of the boulder-clay proves the pre-glacial age of the lower head and raised beach. The lower head in its turn marks a period before the oncoming of the ice, when debris from the old sea-cliff accumulated on the beach, after it had been raised above the reach of the waves. The occurrence of blown sand close down to the rock-platform indicates that elevation commenced before the head began to accumulate. As regards the amount of this elevation, observations made all along the coast show that the difference in level between the pre-glacial and modern shore-platforms is about 12 feet. The head is, however, being at present removed by the sea, so that 1904. Wright & VLv^-^.—Pre-glacial Beach, S. /re/and. 293 a somewhat gi'eater uplift must have taken place in order to allow of its accumulation. We have no means at present of determining the amount of this elevation, but it must have been at least 10 or 20 feet above present level. It may have been immensely greater. With regard to the climatic conditions during the formation of the head or rubble-drift there is little to be said. Its general similarity to modern screes suggests the action of frost or of rapid alterations of temperature in shattering the rocks from which it was derived. There are two points, however, in which it differs materially from ordinary screes, and which seem to indicate the action of periodic heavy rains : namely, the amount of loam and sand it contains, and the distance the finer material is carried from the cliff. The occurrence above the boulder-clay of a rubble-drift similar to the lower head, indicates a return of similar condi- tions after the ice had melted away. Before leaving this question of climate it is worth calling attention to the fact that a few erratics derived from districts a considerable distance to the east were found in the under- lying raised beach gravels. For the transport of these it is almost necessary to suppose the existence of floating ice, and it may well be, that the lowering of temperature thus indi- cated may have been intensified during the formation of the head, and may finally have culminated in the invasion of the district by land ice. The finding of the raised beach along the shores of the sub- merged river-valleys of the South of Ireland is a point of con- siderable interest ; showing, as it does, that their submergence took place in pre-glacial times. It may thus be said in summing up that we have evidence of the following sequence : — 1. I^and higher than at present — erosion of valleys now submerged. 2. I^and depressed to about twelve feet below present level — formation of raised beach. 3. lyahd again elevated to an unknown extent above its present level — accumulation of blown sand and lower head. 4. Advance of the land ice over the whole south coast of Ireland, and deposition of the boulder-clay. 5. Accumulation of the upper head. 294 ^^'<^ Irish Naturalist. December, The occurrence of a beach obviously of the same age as that of the South of Ireland has been recorded over a very wide area. It is found in Yorkshire, South Wales, and on the south coast of England. The pre-glacial rock platform has been detected in the Isle of Man, and on the south side of Bray Head in Wicklow. It has also been recently reported as observed in Clare on the west coast of Ireland^ and in North Wales. It has been traced along the French coast of the English Channel round into the Bay of Biscay. From the occurrence of this beach over so wide an area in the British Isles, it seems exceedingly probable that Ireland was alread)' insulated before the Glacial Period. This, taken with the undoubted fact that the island was entirely covered by ice during the Glacial Period, may help to throw light on the manner and date of introduction of our present fauna and flora. Jeruiyn Street, London. NOTES. ZOOLOGY. Vertigo angustior in Co. Carlow. With reference to Messrs. Welch and Stelfox's note in Irish Nattiralisl^ September, 1904, page 191, saying that " all records so far prove it to be a strictly maritime species," I would mention that there is a colony of Ve'tigj angustior in Co. Carlow close to Borris bridge over the River Barrow on the south side. They are to be found in wet spongy moss near the river. I took a number of live specimens. See /.TVa/., 1903, p, 309. P. H. Grie;rson. Clondalkin. Lepidoptera at Portlaw, Co. Waterford. A very fine specimen of the Death's-head INIoth {Acherontia atropos) was captured near the rectory, on 2otli vSeptember, 1904, and given to me. It squeaked a good deal, and frightened one of its captors so much that he declared he was bitten by it ! When I got it, it was quite dead. It had been for several days on a plate under a dish cover, but not a scale seems to have been rubbed off. Sphinx convolvuli occurs here, l)ut I have not seen it for several years. I have two local specimens of Geoineira papiliouaria in my collection. WirjJAM W. Fl^PCMYNG. Coolfin, Co. Waterford. t9o4- Notes. 295 Swimming Powers of the Oyster-catcher. I was much struck with the swimming powers of an Oyster-catcher {Hce/fialopus ostralegns), which I witnessed at the North Bull, Dublin Bay, when in company with Messrs. A. and B. Williams, on October 23, 1904 The bird, when we first saw it, was wading along the water's edge, and as we mounted the sand-hills and appeared in full view it commenced to race along the beach for a short distance and then took to the water. It was slightly wounded, and unable to fly. Swiftly and strongly it headed out to sea, retreating from us as we ran down to the water's edge to intercept a gunner who was approaching us along the shore and who, we were afraid, would seal the poor bird's fate before it' could swim out of gunshot range. Happily, however, fully 80 yards of water were traversed ere the shooter arrived opposite it, and by diverting his attention we managed to get him to pass by the bird without observing, it Next w^e directed our gaze seawards and descried ,the Oyster-catcher as a small dark object bobbing up and down on the waves some 200 yards from the shore. We expected it would reach a sand-bank about to be laid bare by the ebbing tide ; instead of this, however, it retraced its course and headed for the beach, swimming strongly against the tide. Seeking ambush amid the rushes of the sand-dunes, we watched the bird swim in. Directly it landed I rushed after it barefooted (lest the bird might take to the water a second time), and after an exciting chase along the shore succeeded in capturing it. On examination the bird proved to be a beautiful adult in fine plumage and only slightly injured in the right w4ng. Curiously enough, the rich crimson pigment was absent over a small area of the iris, giving to the pupil an irregular and rather jagged outline This condition was symmetrical in both eyes. In the afternoon I took the bird to the Dublin Zoological Gardens, where it is to be hoped it will have a happy time and end its days in peace. I noticed that the wing had healed considerably, so that the bird had probably been living a week or more in a disabled condition on the beach before I captured it. Thew'ouder is how it escaped, as wounded birds have to run the gauntlet of being attacked by many enemies — Man Dogs, Hawks, Skuas, and the larger Seagulls. For instance, during the .short time that we saw it on the water, a flock of screaming Herring- Gulls passed over it. Their cries attracted a Great Black-backed Gull, which made a few nasty swoops at the poor Oyster-catcher. Indeed I doubt if the latter would have reached the shore alive had not a few Herring-gulls mobbed the assailant, driving him off with angry threats. It is interesting to note that it was directly after the Gulls cleared awaj the Oyster-catcher began to swim for the shore. Question— Could the bird have apprehended further danger on the water or was it simply exhaustion that drove it ashore ? Or both ? I may add that I have repeatedly seen several species of lyimicoline birds swim, generally but not always to escape danger, and usually for shorter distances than the above instance which I have recorded. University College, Sheffield. C. J. Patten. 2()6 The Irish Nahiralist. December, REVIEWS. THE FLORA OF DUBLIN, nora of the County Dublin : Flowering Plants, Higher Crypto- gams, and Characeae. By Nathaniel Colgan. M.R.I A. Pp. Ixx + 324. Map. Dublin: Hodges, Figgis <5l Co-, I^td. 1904. Price, I2J-. ^d, net. The County of Dublin, though one of the smallest coraital divisions of Ireland, has long been known to have a large and varied flora, and from the earliest period of Irish botany its plants have figured in learned books. The area surrounding the metropolis has naturally been the playground of hiberniau phytologists ; and their recreations are reflected in the botanical literature of their day. From Threlkeld to Colgan, the authors of books on Irish botany have mostly been resident in Dublin ; and as a consequence, the published records of Dublin plants bulk far heavier than those of any other part of the country. Yet, curiously enough, although the promontory of Howth and the island of Lambay have been monographed, no flora (in the modern acceptation of that term) of the whole county has ever been attempted, for we can hardly admit as such the ** List of the Flowering Plants of Dublin and Wicklow " hurriedh' prepared for the British Association meeting in 1878. During the last nine years, Mr. Colgan has supplemented the already existing material by means of a laborious and searching exploration of every part of the county, and he now presents us with a detailed account of the flora in 394 octavo pages. While all who are acquainted with Mr. Colgan's thorough methods anticipated a valuable and comprehensive work, few, we imagine, were prepared for a book written on so elaborate a plan, or published in so sumptuous a style. No work has hitherto appeared ou Irish botany so detailed in its information, so critical in its treatment, or so handsome in its appearance. The task to which Mr. Colgan set himself nine j^ears ago was by no means a light one. MOvSt of the previous botanical work in the county- had been of a desultory character, and although the Dublin list already atl;ained to large proportions, and to some appearance of completeness, the range of most of the plants in the county was still unknown, and certain less accessible areas were as yet, for all practical purposes, un- exploited. The thorough exploration of the county was thus in itself an affair of no small labour, and to this our author attached other con- ditions sufficiently onerous :— " (i) That I should see with my own eyes growing, in at least one County Dublin station, and, if possible, within the present century, every species admitted to the flora ; (2) that I should ascertain, by personal observation in the field, their vertical ranges, their flowering seasons, their durations, and their soil affinities; and, finally (3), that I should collect from the lips of the country folk the current popular names of such of the plants as were likely to find a 1904- Reviews. 297 place in tbeir thoughts and in their every-day speech." While, in viewing the degree of success attained in the performance of these self- imposed tasks, the unaccomplished may loom large in the e3^e of the author, to the reader the work accomplished appears prodigious, the results invaluable, and the success complete. The 70-page introduction which prefaces the Flora proper, furnishes interesting reading throughout. Its scope is seen from the following list of the sections into which it is divided :— i. History of the Flora; 2, Physical Features ; 3, Climate ; 4, Characteristics of the Flora ; 5, Rela- tions of Plants and Soils ; 6, Vertical Range of Plants ; 7, Duration of Plants ; 8, Popular Plant Names ; 9, Botanical Sub-division of the County ; 10, Explanatory Notes on the Text. The twelve pages devoted to the historical sketch constitute quite one of the most interesting portions of the book ; in the archaeological aspect of the flora Mr. Colgan is especially at home, and his biographical notes have a value quite outside the domain of botany. The sections on floral charac- teristics and soil relations are replete with valuable statistics and com- parisons ; while the remarks on duration constitute a little essay on that curious question — What is an annual? As regards the botanical sub-division of the county, a purely artificial scheme is adopted, the political division into eight baronies being used ; considering the nature of the natural petrological or orographical boundaries, and the way the former are complicated or altered by the nature of the superficial deposits, no better scheme is available. Coming now to the body of the work, several features stand out con- spicuously as one studies it. The conservative nomenclature of Cybele Hibernica is followed throughout ; the systematic names are supple- mented by a sprinkling of synonyms, names in Irish where these were obtainable, current local names, many of them quaint and interesting, and the common English names. The fulness of the locality-lists which follow the names of the rarer plants is very striking, and the im- portance of the author's own contributions to the same particularly so. The county has been ransacked from end to end, and it would be hard to find a spot on which Mr. Colgan's searching glance has not rested. Such a spot is possibly to a small extent to be found in Lambay Island. Here Agrimonia odorata. in the Flora recorded from a single station, is abundant, growing amid groves of Riibtis plicattis (unrecorded for the county), and oi R. leucostachys and R. pukherrimus, neither of which is re- corded from this botanical district; Lamiiim intermedium and J uncus obtnsiflorus, both local in the county, also grow on the island. The only other stations of rarer plants which we can add to Mr. Colgan's exhaus- tive lists are GlencuUen for Vicia sylvatica, and Skerries for Letnua gibba ; the only record published in the book which we venture to doubt is an old one, " wet slopes of the Dublin mountains " for the lowland and cal- cicole Stellaria palustris. Next, the extreme severity of the treatment as regards the standing of species as natives or otherwise excites attention. County Dublin is well known as being the centre of the introduced element in the Irish flora, 298 The Irish Naturalist. December, but in this book the process of challenging is carried beyond the bounds that many botanists would be content to fix. The dividing lines between the precise shades of probability of early human introduction are so fine, and the questions which arise so speculative and so dependent on per- sonal cast of thought, that we confess we look with envy on our author's definite classification. It signifies a vast amount of critical study of habi- tats and ranges. The book is full of denizens, colonists, aliens, and the Ap- pendix of casuals. Of the 750 plants admitted to the flora, nearly one-fourth have their nativity called in question. These include such plants as Barbarea vulgaris^ Sisymbtiiini officinale, S. Alii aria, Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Reseda Ltiteola, Valerianella olitoria, Anagallis ai-vensis, iVenlha arvensis, Salvia Verbenaca, Echiiim vidgare is a denizen, Raphamis maritime a colonist. Milium ejfusuin a casual. On the standing of some presumably indigenous species, such as Stellaria uli^inosa, Riibus saxaiilis, Menyanthes trifoliata, Atriplex liitoralis, Festtica rubra, our author is silent. On the other side of the account, it is pleasant to see the local claims of a few interesting plants, which have been sometimes questioned, fully admitted— for in- stance, C}-ambe inaritima, Lavatera arborea^ Crepis taraxacifolia, all now set down as natives without doubt. The flora is further enriched by the admission, to the naturatized section, of plants which in 1898 were excluded from the Irish list in Cybele Hibernica ; such, for instance, are Silene conica, Acer Pseiido-plataniis, Anthemis arvensis, Lyciurn barbarzim, Linaria purpurea, and Fagiis sylvatica. Considering that the aim of the book, to use the author's words, is "to exhibit in full detail the Ancient and Present state of the Dublin Flora," it seems a pity that such rare and interesting natives as Mertensia maritima and Typha angiistijolia, which were certainly gathered in the county within the last century, should not figure in their proper place, instead of being relegated to the Appendix, amid a crowd of casuals and errors. A prominent feature of the book is the valuable critical notes which abound throughout, as instances of which we may refer to the remarks under Draba venia, Capsella Biirsa-pastorts, Jlledicago sylvesttis, or Primula vulgaris. But while a large number of critical varieties or forms are mentioned, Mr. Colgau is by no means an enthusiastic " splitter." Thus, the three British forms o^ Alchemilla vulgaris and the two segregates of Valeriana officinalis are practically discarded as unworthy of even varietal rank. As regards some other critical groups, Riibus is conspicuous as being the only genus of which local knowledge is still quite in- adequate. Only twenty- five fruticose Rubi are recorded, many of them from a single station ; and hardly a note appears that was not embodied in Cybele Hibernica six years ago. The Roses are also as j^et incompletely known. In the genus Jhumaria, a single locality is given for F. muralis. In view of the disruption of the British records for this species by Mr. Pugsley, it would be interesting to know if this record bears that authority's irnprimatur. If so, it is the only Irish station for F. ?nuralis that can at present be relied upon. Under Lamium, by the quotation of L, piopurcum X amplexicaule as a synonym for L. intermedium, and L. amplexicaule X pufpureum for L. hybridum, a hybrid origin for these twQ r904» Reviezvs. 299 plants is suggested. On that hypothesis, it is difficult to account for portions of the Irish distribution of these forms. In Achill Island, for instance, where L. infermediufu is frequent, L. amplcxicatde- -on^ of the hypothetical parents— is absent; and in Down and Antrim the former is very much more abundant than the latter, and affects a different kind of habitat. In conection with the Characice^ a curious feature of the Dublin flora becomes conspicuous. This is the way in which the two canals which enter Dublin from the west have served as routes by which plants native in the Central Plain have migrated eastward, and formed colonies here. These are ver}- properly classed as aliens in Dublin, though they may be widely distributed natives of Ireland. The extent to which the county flora has been artificially or fallaciously enriched by casual introductions or erroneous determinations is shown by the bulk of the Appendix, in which over 250 plants are condemned and executed. Here, as elsewhere, accuracy of detail and excellent dis- crimination are the prevailing note. The map which terminates the volume does not maintain the high standard of excellence which pervades the letterpress. It is a reprint, with slight additions in the way of rail and tram lines, of the Dublin map in Philip's ''Atlas and Geography of Ireland " of some twenty years ago, and is not adequate or up-to-date. Thus, the North Bull, an island over 3 miles in length — which i^ constantly mentioned in the text — does not appear at all ; and the suburbs of Dublin are much changed since the map was constructed. Throughout the county, a large proportion of the places mentioned in the book are not named on the map. But as a key to the botanical divisions, and an illustration of the general topography of the county, it sers^es its purpose. In a supplement of fifteen pages, the local names which figure in the book are re-arranged alphabetically, with notes. This interesting branch of his subject Mr. Colgan has pursued with success, and his list, with its philological and therapeutic notes, and quaint scraps of folk-lore, furnishes evidence of close inquiry and of wide reading, and is a valuable contribution to a subject as yet almost neglected in Ireland. As a natural result partly of its thoroughness and largely of the small- ness of the clientele to which it appeals, the book is an expensive one. We do not grumble at paying 125^. ^d. for it, for access to the store of information which it contains would be cheap at double the price. But without doubt its cost will place the Flora beyond the reach of many who would have acquired a cheaper volume, and thus one of the ends for which such labour is undertaken will be partially defeated. So long as an intelligent interest in the plant-life of their own country is the inheritance of so small a circle, we do not see how this can be avoided. R. Ivi,. P. 300 The Irish Naturalist December, 1904. NATURE STUDY. Eton Nature-Study and Observational Lessons. Part II. By M. D. Hir.L, M.A., F.Z.S. and W. M. Webb, F.Iv vS. London : Duck- worth & Co. Price, 3.f. 6'/: net. Illustrated. This is a book commended, as we learn from the " Foreword " to Part I. (which is, however, not the part immediately under review), both to " the Teacher and the Ivcaruer," and doubtless both will find it helpful. At the same time we believe that on the whole it is undesirable for young nature-students to be hampered with books, so that it is to the teacher rather than to the learner that we would recommend this. Part II. consists of some twenty-two chapters along with seventeen observational lessons, and an appendix containing a list of the materials required for the work suggested. The chapters form decidedly the best part of the book. From them the teacher cannot fail to obtain valuable suggestions for lines of work in very many directions, both as regards plants and animals. The obser- vational lessons strike us as being less valuable. They consist of detailed directions to the pupil, the very formality of which would seem calculated to partially defeat the object of the authors. We have found by experience that such instructions to the pupil are more of a hindrance than a help, and that questions and suggestions from the teacher at the time are far more valuable than printed direc- tions to the pupil to " discover other structures . . . ," &c. The individual lessons suffer also in many cases by dealing with too many subjects in the allotted hour. Thus we find l/csson xxiii. starting with a potato tuber, taking a jump suddenly to a wood-louse, coming next to an opening flower, and finally ending up with silk-worm eggs. The pre- parations for work mentioned at the head of each lesson, such as " Dis- tribute the dwarf beau seedlings which have been grown in soil," seem frequently superfluous, and those involving actual preparation, such as the germination of seeds, &c., should, of course, be carried out by the pupils themselves It is to be regretted, too, that more of these lessons are not devoted to the simpler experiments which can be easily performed leading to observations on the physiology of plants. Making drawings merely from morphological studies is apt to become tedious especially to those pupils— and they are, as a rule, not a few — to whom drawing does not strongly appeal. The spaces which are so often directed to be left in the note-book " for a finished drawing " are probably to be filled up during that gloriously long leisure time which is the inheritance of the average school boy, which each master unconsciously assumes the sole right to encroach upon, but which the boy himself probably utilises, and rightly so, for strictly " out of school " purposes ! O, H. P MBL WHOI LIBRARY H lABH E