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v,'r''-v*o<'*'''p"''^'*'i' 1

THE IRISH NATURALIST

^ iJlantlTUj gianrnal

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY

ORGAN OF THE

Royal Zoological Society of Ireland ; Dublin Microscopical Club ;

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club ; Dublin Naturalists' Field Club ;

Cork Naturalists' Field Club ; Limerick Field Club ;

Ulster Fisheries and Biology Association ;

Tyrone Naturalists' Field Club.

EDITED BY

GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.ScEond., M.R,I.A.,
R. EIvOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

ROBERT PATTERSON, F.E-S., F.Z.S., M.R.I.A.

VOL. XVII.

DUBEIN : EASON & SON, Eimiteid,
85 MIDDI.E ABBEY STREET, and 40 LOWER SACKVILLE STREET,

BELFAvST : 17 DONEGAL^ STREET.
T^ONDON : SIMPKTN, MARSHALL HAMILTON, KENT & Co., Ltd.

1908.

PlilNTED BY ALEX. THCM & CO. (LIMITED), 87 88, & 89, ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN.

CONTRIBUTORS NQj/ "^ j,:v.>'

TO THE P R K S K N T V O T. U .M IC.

-:o:-

Adams, John, m.a., Royal College of Science for Ireland.
Bagnall, Richard S., f.e.s., Wiiilatou-oii-Tyne.
BARRETT-HAMir/roN, MAJOR G. E. H., F.Z.S., M.R.I. A., Kilniauock,

Co. Wexford.
BarringTON, R. M., hL B., F.iv.s., M.R.I. A., Fassaroc, Bray.
BowELL, Rp:v, E. W., Peushurst, Kent.
Bridgemax, Hon. PIenrv G. O., Royal Hospital, Dublin.
CampbelIv, David C, Londonderry.
Carmody, Rev. W. P., m.a., Knockbreda, Belfast.
Carpenter, Prof. G. H., b.sc, m.r.i.a., Royal College ol Science

for Ireland.
Cole, Prof. G. A. J., f.g.s., m.r.i.a., Royal College of Science for

Ireland.
Coi^Gan, Nathaniel, m.r.i.a., Breffni-terrace, Sandycove, Co.

Dublin.
P'lyETCHER, E. H., Castlerock, Co. Derry.
Poster, Nevin H., m.b.o.u., Hillsborough.
Gibson, Rev. Canon T. B., m.a., Ferns.
Halbert, J. N., rvr.R. I. a., National Museum.
Hart, H. C, b.a., m.r.i.a., Carrablagh, Portsalon,
Hart, W. E., Kilderry, Co. Donegal.
Harvie-Brown, J. A., Dunipace, Stirlingshire.
HiNCH, J. de W,, National Library of Ireland.
HoRwooD, A. R., Museum, Leicester.

JOLV, Prof. John, m.a , d.sc, f.r.s.. Trinity College, Dublin.
KiLROE, J. R., Geological Survey of Ireland.
Knowles, Miss M. C, National Museum.
Lett, Rev. Canon H. W., m.a., m.r.i.a., Loughbrickland.
Lilly, C. J., D.I., r i.c , Larne.
Lucas, B. R., Northwich, Cheshire.
M'Ardle, D., Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin.
Nichols, A. R., m.a, m r i.a.. National Mu.seum.
Pack-Beresford, Denis R., b.a., m.r.i.a., Fenagh House, Bag-

eualstown.
Parkinson, D. C, Ennis.

Patten, Prof. C. J., m.a., m.d., The University, Sheffield.
Patterson, Robert, f.ls-, m.r.i.a., Holywood, Co. Down.
Pentland, G. H., Black Hall, Drogheda.
Pethybridge, G. H., Ph.D., b.sc. Royal College of Science for

Ireland.

A 2

IV

List of Contributors

Phillips, R. A., Ashburton, Cork.

PRAE(VKR, R Lloyd, b.a., b.h, m.r.i.a.. National Library of

Ireland.
SCHARFF. R. v., PH.D., H.Sc, M.R.I.A., National JNIuseuui.
SCULLV. R. W.. K. LS., Dnndrnni, Co. Dublin.
Southern, Rowland, b.sc, National Mu.seum.
Stklfox, Arthur W., Belfast.
Strach.vn, J.\mEvS, Ball} clare, Co. Antrim.
ToMLiNSON, W. J. C, Midland Railway, Belfast.
TouREND, Rev. C, College of Campolide, Lisbon.
Ussher. R. J., J.i'., Cappagli House, Co. Waterford.
Waddell, Rev. C. H., b.d., Saintfield, Co. Down.
Warren, Robert, Moyview, Ballina.
Welch, R.. m.r.i.a., 49, Lonsdale-street, Belfast.
Westell W. P,, e.l.s., vSt. Albans.
Williams, Alexander, r-h.a.. Hatch-street, Dublin.
Williams, W. J.. Dame-street, Dublin.

PI^xVTKS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Distribution of Bythinia Leachii and
Planorbis corneus in the British
Isles, .....

Bythinia Leachii and B. tentaculata,

Radular teeth of Li'iintea,

Genital organs of Limmea pr^etenuis
and Limniea glabra,

Vertigo moulinsiana, \. Lilljeborgi,
and V. an ti vertigo.

Vertigo moulinsiana, V. Lilljeborgi,
and V. antivertigo,

Vitrina p3'renaica,

Paromola Cuvieri,

Armadillidium pictum,

Biological sub-provinces of Ireland,

Old Clontarf Island,

Petalostoma minutum,

Isotoma tenella,

Agrenia bidenticulata, .

Henry Chichester Hart (Portrait), .

Ivluma ])urpnrascens. .

(Plate

I)-

To face p.

I

•

.

p.

2

(Plate

2).

To face p.

45

•

•

p.

47

(Plate

3)-

To face p.

89

,

,

p.

92

(Plate

4)-

To face p.

94

(Plate

5).

To face p.

129

(Plate

6).

To face p.

'35

(Plate

7)-

To face p.

145

(Plate

8).

To lace p.

165

(Plate

9)-

To face p.

170

•

p.

175

. (Plate 10).

p. 177
To face p. 249
To face p. 255

l^RRATUM.

Page 233, last line of R. Welch's paper, /<;/ '• prussic '' read " liumic'

I N 13 E X

Achill Island rambles, 189.

Adams, John : New flora of burnt
groimd on tlie Hill of Ilowth,
A study of Plant dispersal. T33 ;
Division of Ireland into bio-
logical Sub-provinces, 145; Burnt
ground on Howth Head, 267.

Agrenia bidenticulata var. elon-
gata, 176.

Agriculture (Brit. Assoc, in Dub-
lin), 228.

Algte, 76.

Anthropolog}- (Brit. Assoc, in
Dublin), 229.

Armadillidium pictum, 124, 135.

Aturus scaber, 6.

Autolytus pictus, 262.

Baden-Powell's Science Year Book,
with astronomical, physical and
chemical tables, vSummary of
progress in Science, director}-
biographies and diary for 1908
(reviewed), 49.

Bagnall, Richard S. : Records of
some Irish Woodlice, with note
on Elunia purpurascens, 259.

Baker, Ernest A. and Herbert E.
Batch : Netherworld of INIendip.
Explorations in the Great
Caverns of vSomerset, Yorkshire,
Derbyshire and elsewhere (re-
viewed), 49,

Barley Growing and Selection,
Ireland. 246.

Barrett-Hamilton. G. E. H. : Wood-
Betony in Co. Wexford, 205 ;
vStock-dove in Co Wexford. 206 ;
Whiskered bat in Co. Wexford,
207.

Barrington, R. M. : Little Bittern
in Co. Donegal, 59 ; Migrants at
Rockabill, 139 ; Obituary Notice
of Henry Chichester Hart, 249.

Bat, Whiskered, Co. Wexford, 207.

Batters, Edward A. L. : Obituary
Notice, 43

Batch, Herbert E. and Ernest A.
Baker : Netherworld of Mendip,
Explorations in the Great
Caverns, vSomerset, Yorkshire,
Derbyshire and elsewhere (re-
viewed), 49.

Bauxite and Laterite, 235.

Belfast Natural History and Philo-
sophical vSocietv, 6, 41, 125.

Belfast Naturali.sts' Field Club,
5, 4T, 64, 76, 104. 125, 138, T64.
262.

Bellamy, F. A. : Permanent records
of natural history or other ob-
servations b}' means of the Card
Catalogue System, 221.

Betony, Wood, in Co. Wexford.
205.'

Biological vSubdivision of Ireland,
186.

Biological Sub-provinces of Ireland,

145-

Birds: Bird life. Achill, 1S9; Bird
life, Dublin Bay, T65 ; British
Birds, feeding habits, 237 ; Mayo
Birds, 82; Shore birds, migra-
tory movements, Dublin Coast,
236 ; Wild bird protection in
Co. Dublin, IT9.

Bittern, Little, in Donegal, 59.

Black-cap in November. 44.

Black Scab in Potatoes, 102.

Black Redstart at Kilternan, 78.

Bolton, H. : On a .section of the
Lower Coal-measures at Emerald
pit, Dungannon, 234.

Bonhote, J. Lewis : Birds of Britain,
with TOO illustrations in colour
selected by H. E. Dresser from
his " Bird.s of I'urope '" (re-
viewed), 38.

Boulder at Nariii, 24.

Bouskell, Frank : vStray notes from
South Kerrv in 1903 (reviewed),

19-
Botany : Botanical notes from Co.

A.ntrim, 162 ; British Association
in Dublin, Botany Section, 230 ;
Irish Topographical Botany ad-
ditions in T906-1907, 28.
Bo well, Rev. E. W. : Vitrina
pyrenaica in Ireland. 44 ; Lim-
uaea praetenuis, n. sp.. and L.
glabra, I\Iiill, 45 ; On the
Anatomv of Yitrina pvrenaica,

94-
B'-ambles, Irish 54.

Branchionima vesiculosv.m 261.

Brenan, Rev. S. A. : Obituary

notice, 43.

J.I3^Z

VI

I? id ex.

Bridgeman, Hon. Henry G. O. :
Pink-footed Goose in Co. Ros-
common, 82 ; Snpposed occnr-
rence of tlie Spoonbill, loi.

British Association in Dublin :
Agriculture section, 228 ;

Anthropology section, 229, 246 :
Botany section, 230 ; British
Association Handbook (review-
ed), 179; Education section, 230 ;
Excursions and entertainments
247 ; Geography section, 228 ;
Special report, 209 ; Zoology
section, 224.

Brodrick, Harold : Note on occur-
reiice of (so-called) cave pearls,
235 ; Marble Arch Caves in Co.
Fermanagh, 240.

Burnt ground on Howtli Head,
267.

Butterfield, E. P. : Fecundity of
the Chaffinch, 140.

Bythinia Leachii, i.

Cainozoic and Cretaceous outliers,
Kerry Coast, 232.

Campbell, D. C : Ornithological
notes from Londonderry. 57.

Campbell, Professor J, R. : Educa-
tional work of the Irish Depart-
ment of Agriculture, 241.

Capnia atra, 124.

Carmody, \V. P. : Plantago media
in Co Down, 205.

Carpenter, George H. : Tutfs
Natural History of the British
Allucitides ( reviewed 1, 15 ;
NichoUs 'Three voyages of a
Naturalist " (reviewed), 86 ;
Pycraft's ' Book of Birds '
(reviewed) 87 , Gillander's
" Forest Entomology " (re-
viewed), 141 : Tutt's •' Natural
History of the British Butter-
flies " (reviewed), T42 ; Gamble's
" Animal Life " (reviewed), 157 ;
Janet's " Anatomic du Corselet
et histolyse des muscles vibra-
teurs. apres le vol nuptial chezla
reine de la fourmi Lasius niger "
(reviewed), 158; Two Collembola
new to the Britannic fauna, 174;
Tutfs Practical hints for the field
lepidopterist (reviewed). 208 ;
Survey of restricted areas with
regard to their flora and fauna.
220 ; Some Irish experiments on
Warble F'lies, 245.

Cat, Wild, west of Cork, 141.

Catalogues: Card Catalogue
svstem, 221.

Cave Pearls, 235.

Caves : Castlepook, 231 ; Marble

Arch Cave, Fermanagh, 240 ;

Mitchelstown, 239.
Census Catalogue of British

mosses (reviewed), 18,
Central Committee for the Survey

and vStudy of British Vegetation,

21.
Cephalopoda, New Irish, 24.
Chaffinch, fecundit}', 140, 206.
Chroolepus aureus, 74.
Chry.soplyctis endobiotica, 102.
Coal measures, Emerald Pit, Dun-

gannon, 234.
Coastal features in Co. Waterford,

82.
Coasts and Rivers of Ireland, 239.
Cole, Grenville A. J. : Boulder at

Nariu, 24 ; Probable Cretaceous

and Cainozoic outliers of the

coast of Kerry, 232 ; Laterite and

Bauxite zone of N. East Ireland,

235-

Colgan, Nathaniel : Ship-worm
and Wood-bonng Crustaceans
in Kingstown Harbour. 9 ; Some
County Dublin Holothurians,
69 ; Dublin .Marine Biological
Committee, general account of
dredging operations, 1907, with
special Notes on the INIollusca,
105.

Collembola, South \'ictoria Land,
124.

Collembola, new to the Britannic
fauna. 174.

Cooper, C. S., & W. Percival
Westell : The Young Botanist
(reviewed;, 207.

Cork Naturalists' Field Club, 127.

Crayfish in vShannon, 205.

Cretaceous and Cainozoic outliers,
Kerry coa.st, 232.

Crustaceans, Wood-])oring, Kings-
town harbour, 9.

Cryptogamic Plants, Extinction,
20, 151-

Darwin, Francis : ^lovements of

Plants and Theories of Heredity,

211.
Dasychone bombyx, Dublin Bay,

40.
Davey, H. : Advisability of re-

.stocking haunts from which rare

.species liave disappeared, 220.
Department of Agriculture

(Ireland), P'ducational work, 241.
Dichomera Saubinetti on Uhnus

montana var. vegeta, 261.

hid ex.

VI 1

Dicranum Scottii, i6i, 187.

Dicranum strictum, 74.

Ditrichum tortile in Ireland, 204.

Dopplerite, vSloggan Bog, Antrim
Co., 232.

Dove, Stock, Co. Wextorcl, 206.

Drosera spathulata, 6.

Dublin Marine Biological Com-
mittee dredging operation.^, 1907,
105.

Dublin Marine Biological Com-
mittee, New Irish Gephyrean,
171.

Dublin Microscopical Club. 6, 40,
63, 74, 102. 124, 261.

Dublin Naturalists" Field Club,
7. 67, 75. 103, 137, 164, TS5. 264.

Education : British Association in
Dublin, Education Section, 230;
Educational opportunities of
local Scientific Societies, 215.

Edwardes, Tickner : The Lore of
the Honey Bee (reviewed), 266

Ehuna purpurascens, 255. 259.

Encalypta streptocarpa, 74.

Erophila proecox — a correction, 77.

Erysiphe tortilis, 40.

PvUrhynchium striatulum in Co.
Limerick. 204.

Exotic land moUnsca at Belfast. 23.

Fletcher, E. H. : Short-eared Owls,

Flight of Gulls : Morning flight
arross central vScotland, 80;
morning flight of Blackheaded
Gulls, 81. '

Flora: Burnt ground. Hill of
Howth, 133, 160, 186; Flora and
fauna survey of restricted areas,
220 ; of Kerry, 1907, 50.

Foster, Nevin H. : Armadillidium
pictum, Brandt, an addition to
the Britannic fauna, 135 ; Tri-
choniscus pygnueus, Sars ; a
Woodlouse new to Ireland, 56.

Fulmars, 81.

Fungi, Dublin and Wicklow, addi-
tions, 25.

Galium Cruciata in Countv Down,

138
Gamble, I'. W. : Animal Life (re-
viewed), 157.

Gardiner, C. J., and Prof. S. H.
Reynolds : Igneous rocks and
associated Sedimentaries of the
Tourmakeady District, Co. Mayo,
236.

Geography : Brit. Assoc, in Dublin,
Geographical vSection, 228.

Geology : Brit. Assoc, in Dublin,
Geology vSection, 221 ; Soil Geo-
logy of Ireland, 83.

Gephyrean, New Iri.sh, 171.

Gibson, Thomas B. : Black-cap in
November, 44.

Gillanders, A. T. : Forest Entomo-
logy (reviewed), 141.

Gladstone, Hugh S. : Red-necked
Phalarope in Ireland, 44,

Goose, Pink-footed, in Co. Roscom-
mon, 82.

Green, Rev. W. Spotswood : Ire-
land, her coasts and rivers, 239.

Gulls : Morning flight across cen-
tral Scotland, 80 ; morning flight
of Blackheaded Gulls, 81.

Halbert. J. N. : Bouskell's Stray
Notes from South Kerry in 1903
(reviewed), 19 ; Westell's " Insect
Book'' (reviewed), 122; Occur-
rence of Paromola Cuvieri in
Irish waters, 129 ; Notes on the
distribution of Irish freshwater
Mites (Hydrachnidse), 238.

Hallisey, T. : Irish Soil Maps, 242.

Hepaticce and Musci from W. Gal-
way — a correction, 161.

Hewitt, C. Gordon: Inquiry into
the feeding habits of British
Birds, 237. '

Handbook to the City of Dublin
and the surrounding District, pre-
pared for the Meeting of the Brit-
ish Association (reviewed), 179.

Hart, Henr}' Chichester: Ranun-
culus Lingua — an erroneous re-
cord, 100 ; Obituary Notice of,
249.

Hart, W. E. : vScarcity of Wa.sps,
22.

Harvie-Brown, J. A. : Morning
Flight of Gulls across central

Scotland, 80.
Hill, C. A. : Mitchelstowm Cave,

239-
Hindi, J. deW. : The Occurrence

of high level shellv drift in the

Killakee Valley, Co. Dublin, 99.

VI 11

Index

Ilobsoii, Mrs. Mary: Sauctuaries
for our native Flora and Fauna,
219.

Holothurians. County Dublin. 69.

Horse, Irisii— early history, 246.

Horwood, A. R. : Kxtinction of
cryptot^amic plants and the
need for a Lichen Kxchan^^e
Club, 20 ; Extinction of crypto-
ganiic plants in Ireland, 151.

Hubbard, Hon. Rose : Ornamental
Waterfowl : A practical Manual
of the acclimatization of Swim-
ming birds (reviewed), 123.

Hunter, Herbert : Barley Growing
and Selection in Ireland, 246.

Hydra viridis, Kilmashogue INIoun-
tain, 40.

Hypnum hamulosum, 22.

Igneous rocks of Outer Blasket
Island, 233.

Igneous rocks, Tourmakeady, 236.

Inbreeding and ^Nlendelism, 243.

Irish Field Club Union, 68.

Irish Society for the Protection of
birds, 68.

" Irish Topographical Botany'" ad-
ditions in 1906-1907, :>8.

Isopods, land, respiration, 236.

Isotoma tenella Renter, 174.

Janet, Charles : Anatomie du
Corselet et histolyse des Muscles
vibrateurs, apres le vol nuptial
che/. la reine de la fournii j.asins
niger (reviewed). 158.

Japanese wood paper, ^|o.

Joly, Professor J. : Obituary Notice
of Lord Kelvin, 41; Uranium and
Geology, 221 ; Igneous rocks of
the Outer Blasket island, 233.

Kelvin Lord : Obituarv Notice ol,

41.
Kilroe, J. R. : Shell-bearing drifts

of Co. Dublin. 1 15.
Knowles, ;M. C. : Oxyria digyna in

Co. Clare a correction, 78.

Lachnus viminalis, 262.
Lateriteand Bauxite N.R. Ireland,

235-
Lett. 11. W. : Mosses of Co Dublin,

77 ; Note on Dicranuni vScottii.

161 ; Ditrichum tortile (vSchrad 1

in Ireland. 2^4.

Lichen F^xchange Club founded,
38 : need for, 20.

Lilly, C. J. ; Botanical Notes
from Co. Antrim, 162.

Limntea glabra 45.

Limnaea prsetenuis, 45.

Linton, Rev. William Richardson :
Obituary notice of, 87.

Littorina, development. 238.

Live vStock history. Inbreeding and
^Mendelism, &c.. 243.

Lucas, p.. R. : New localities for
\'itrea hibernica, 22 ; Testacella
haliotidea and other Mollu.sca in
Co. Kerry, 22,

Lumiere autochrome (colour pho-
tography process). 6.

:\PArdle, D. : Mosses of Co. Dublin,

77; Musci and hepaticae from

WestGalway — a correction, 161 ;

Dicranuni vScottii, 187.
M'Clintock. Admiral Sir I-. L. :

Obituarv Notice oi, 42
M-Into.sh,'W.C. : Monograph of the

British Annelids (reviewed), 83
INIacrorhynchus croceus. I'abr.,

102.
]\Iassey, ]\Iiss A. L. : New Irish

Cephalopods, 24.
INIendelism and Inbreeding, 243.
^Nliers, Professor H. : F>lucational

Opportunities of Local Scientific

Societies. 215.
Migrants at Rockabill, 139.
]\Iites (^H3-drachnid?e\ distribution,

2^8.

Moffat. C. B. : Westell's Slory of
the Sea and Seashore reviewed,
267

Mollusca: Bush} Park, Dublin,
23 ; Fxotic land ^Mollusca at
Belfast, 23 ; of Kerry, 22 ; INIarine.
Dublin County, 105.

>Mosses of Co. Dublin, 77.

:\Iusci and Ilepaticte from \V.
(rahvav— a correction, 161.

Newton, P:.T. : Cave of Castlepook,

near Doneraile, Co. Cork. 231.
Nicholl, M.J.: Three Voyages of

a Naturalist (reviewed), 86.
Nichols. A. R. : Obituary Notice of

Admiral Sir F. L- M'Clintock. 42.
Nikht Heron in Co. ISIeath in No-

vember, 78.

hidex

IX

Obituar}-: — Batters, Edward A. L-,
43 ; Breuan, Rev. vS. A., 43 ; Hart,
Henry Chichester, 249; Kelvin,
Lord, 4T ; Linton, Rev. William
Richardson, Sy ; .M'Cliutock,
Admiral vSir V. L., 42; Pride.
Robert, SS.

Ornithological Notes from London-

derr.v, 57-
Osprevs in Co. vSligo in November,

78. ^

Owls, vShort-eared, 58.

Oxyria digyna in Co. Clare — a cor-
rection, 78.

Pack-Beresford, Denis R. ; vSome
new Irish Woodlice, 20G ; P^luma
purpurascens, a Woodlonse new
to the British Isles, 255.

Pallenopsis, new species. 262.

Parkinson, D. C. : vScarcity of
Sparrows in Co. Clare, 44.

Paromola Cuvieri in Iri,sh Waters,
129.

Patten, Professor C J. : Rambles on
Achill Island, 189 ; Migratory
movements of certain siiore l)irds
as observed on the Dublin Coast,
236.

Patterson, Robert : A Disaster on
Migration, 139; Bouhotes " Birds
of Britain" (reviewed), 38.

Pearls, Cave, 235.

Pectinaria auricoma, Miill, 63.

Peutland, G. H. : Sounds of Seis-
mic disturbance, r88.

Pethybridge, George H. : New flora
of Uie burnt ground on the Hill
of Howth, 160.

Peziza Adse in Co, Antrim, 123.

Pholarope, Red-necked, 44.

Phillips, R. A. : vSome Irish
Brambles. 54; Vertigo Moulin-
siana, Dupuy, an addition to
the Irish Fauna, 89 ; Crayfish in
the Shannon, 205.

Philoscia Couchii at Howth, 206.

Phylopthera infestans on Solannm
Commersonii (violet), 6.

Pipit, Richard's, in Dublin, 59.

I'lanorhis corneus, i.

Plantago media in Co. Down, 205.

Plant.s, :Movements, 211.

Polycerna Lessonii, 63.

Praeger, R Lloyd : Census Catalo-
gue of British Mosses (reviewed),
18 : Additions to " Irish Topo-

graphical Botany" in 1906- 1907,
28 ; Obituary notice of Edward
A. L. Batters, 43 ; Obituary notice
of Rev. vS. A. Brenan, 43; Baker
and Batch's " Nether World of
Mendip'" (reviewed), 49; ^lorning
flight of vSea Birds over Dublin,
57 ; Erophila prcecox and Vicia
Orabus — corrections, 77; Ranun-
culus Lingua— an erroneous
record, 100; Biological Subdivi-
sion of Ireland, 186 ; I'lora of
burnt ground at Howth. 186 ;
Westell and Cooper s " Young
Botanist" (reviewed), 207.

Pride, Robert ; Obituary notice, 88.

Psectra diptera on banks of vSlaney,
102.

Psvlla mali, 261.

Pscraft. W. P. : A Book of Birds
(reviewed), 87.

Ranunculus J/ingua -an erroneous

record, 100.
Rare species. Preservation and

restocking. 220.
Red-throated Diver, breeding, 24.
Redwdng killed by telephone wire,

139
Restrepia xanthothalma from

Guatemala, 102.

Reynolds, Prof. S. H. and C. J.
Gardiner : Igneous rocks and
associated sedimentaries of the
Tourmakeady District, Co.
]Mayo, 236.

Review ; Baden-Powell's Science
Year Book for 1908, 49 ; Baker
and Batch's " Nether World of
Mendip," 49; Bonhote"s "Birds
of Britain,'' 38 ; Bouskell's Stray
Notes from South Kerry in 1903,
19 ; Census Catalogue of British
mosses, 18 ; Gamble's "Animal
Life," 157 ; Gillanders '' Forest
Entomology," 141 ; Handbook
to the City of Dublin and the
surrounding district, prepared
for the meeting of the British
Association, 179 ; Hubbard's
Ornamental Water fowi, T23 ;
Janet's " Anatomic da Corselet et
histolyse des muscles vibrateurs,
apres le vol nuptial chez la reine
de la fourmi Lasius niger," 158 ;
IVPIntosh's " Monograph of the
British Annelids," 83 ; Nicholl's

Index

" Three vovages of a Naturalist,"

86 ; Pycraffs " Book of Birds,"

87 ; Tickiier's '• Lore of the
Houey Bee, '" 266 ; Tutt's Natural
History of the British Allucitides
15 ; Tutt's '• Natural History of
the British butterflies," 142 ;
Tutt's "Practical hints for the
field lepidopterist," 208 ; Westell
and Cooper's " Young Botanist,"
207 ; Westell's " Insect Book, "
122; Westell's "Story of the
Sea and Seashore,' 267.

Richard's Pipit in Dublin, 59.
Rivers and Coasts of Ireland, 239.
Royal Zoological Society, 5, 40, 60,
73, 101, 124, 137, 163, ib's, 260, 265.

Sanctuaries for our native flora
and fauna, 219.

vScaphosepalum anchoriferum, 63.

Scharfi', R. F. : Determination of
sex iu Woodcock, 72 ; Hubbard's
Ornamental WaterfoAvl (,re-
viewed), 123 ; Testacella halio-
tidea in the North of Irelaud,
163 ; Cave of Castlepook,
Doneraile, Co. Cork, 231 ; vSome
remarks on the Irish Horse and
its earl}- history, 246.

vScully, Reginald W. : Notes on the
Kerry Flora. 1907. 50.

vSea Birds, morning flight over
Dublin, 57.

Seagulls in the City of Dublin,
78.

Seismic Disturbance, Sounds, 188.

Seymour, H. J. : Cave of Castle-
pook, near Doneraile, Co. Cork,
231.

Shearwater, Great, 81.

Shell-bearing drifts of Co. Dublin,

Shelly Drift, high level, m Killa-
kee Valley, Co. Dublin, 79.

Sherrard, G. O. : Tickner's "Lore of
the Honey Bee" (reviewed), 266.

Ship worm', Kingstown Harbour,

9-

vSoil Geology ol Ireland, 83.

Soil Maps, Irish, 242.

Southern, Rowland: MIntosh's
"IVIonograph of the British
Annelids "(reviewed; 83 ; Dublin
Marine Biology Committee, a
new Irish Gephyrean, 171 ;
Vascular svstem of vStvlodrilus,

Sparrow, scarcity in Co. Clare, 44.

Sphserelia Taxi, 40.

Spoonbill, supposed occurrence of,

lOJ.

Stelfox, A. W. and R. Welch :
Mollusca of Bushy Park, Dublin,

2o-

attacking

Stilbum tomentosum growing on
Trichia chrysosperma, 63.

vStone-fly, 124

Strachan, James : Peziza Adte in
Co. Antrim, 123.

Stylodrilus, vascular system, 238.

Tattersall, W. jNI. • Development

of Littoiina, 238.
Testacella haliotidea, 22.
Testacella haliotidea, North of

Ireland, 163.
Testacella Maugei at Cork, 163.
Thamiarcsa hospita, Maerk, 63.
Tillandsia, 75.
Tilletia striiformis

Holcus mollis, 74.
Tomlinson, W. J. C. : Galium

Cruciata, vScop. in County

Down, 138.
Torrend, Rev. C. : Additions to

the Fungi of the Counties of

Dublin and Wicklow, 25.
Trichoniscus pygnueus, Sars,

56, 74- . ^

Tritonia Hombergi, 63.

Tutt J. W. • Natural History of
the British Allucitides, a text
book for Students and Collec-
tors (reviewed), 15; Natural His-
tory of the British Butterflies
(reviewed), 142 ; Practical hints
for the field Lepidopterist (re-
viewed), 207.

Tylencholaimus minimus, 124,

238.

Fnwin, K. L. : Respiration of
Land isopods, 236.

Uranium and Geology, 221.

Uromvces dianthi, 261.

Ussher, R. J. : (xreat Shearwaters
and Fulmars, 81 ; Morning flight
of Black-headed Gulls, 81 ; Sup-
posed occurrence of a Wild Cat
in the west of Cork, 140; Castle-
pook Cave, near Doneraile, Co.
Cork, 231.

Ustilago longissima, 261.

Index.

XI

Vertigo Moulinsiana, 89.

Vicia Orobns — a correctiou, 77.

Vitrea hibernica, 22.

Vitrina pyrenaica, anatomy, 44, 94.

Waddell, C. H. : Hypniun liainu-
losum, 22 ; Rurhyiichium stri-
atulum in Co. Limerick, 204.

Wagtail, White, in Mayo, 82.

Warren, Robert: Breeding of the
Red-throated Diver, 24; Mayo
Birds, 82.

Warble Flies, Irish experiments,

245-

Wasps, scarcity, 22.

Welch, R. : Bythinia Leachii, an
addition to the Irish fauna, with
some notes on its distribution,
and also on that of Planorbis
corneus, i ; Exotic Land Mol-
lusca at Belfast, 23 ; Testacella
Maugei, Fer, at Cork, 163 ;
British Association Handbook
(reviewed), 179 ; Dopplerite from
Sloggan Bog, Co. Antrim, 232.

Welch, R. and A. W. vStelfox :
Mollusca of Bushy Park, Dublin,

23.

Westell, W. Percival : The Insect
Book (reviewed), 122 ; Fecundity
of the Chaffinch, 206 ; The Story
of the vSea and Seashore (re-
viewed), 267,

Westell, W. Percival, and C. S.
Cooper : The Young Botanist
(reviewed), 207.

Wild Bird Protection in Co. Dublin,
119.

Williams, Alexander : Wild Bird
Protection in Co. Dublin, 119;
Bird Life in Dublin Bay— the
passing of Clontarf Island, 165.

Williams, W. J.: Seagulls in the
City of Dublin, 78.

Wilson, J. ; Inbreeding, Mendelism
and the elucidation of Live Stock
History, 243.

Woodcock, Determination of Sex
in, 72.

Woodlice: Irish, 259; Philoscia
Couchii, Howth, 206; Trichonis-
cus pygmaeus, Sars, 56 ; Woodlice
of Ireland — Proposed Systematic
Survey, 162.

Wood Pigeon Diphtheria, 59.

Zoology at British Association, 224.

//

Irish Naturalist, Vol XVII.

Plate I

Distribution of Bythinia leachii and Planorbis corneds

IN THE British Islands.
To face p. i.

VOLUME XVII.

BYTHINIA LKACHII,

AN ADDITION TO THE IRISH FAUNA,
WITH SOME NOTES ON ITS DISTRIBUTION AND ALSO ON

THAT OF PLANORBIS CORNEUS.

BY R. WELCH, M.R.I.A.
(PI.ATE I.)

In searching a canal or river for freshwater shells one may
sometimes come across a 3'oung specimen of that widely dis-
tributed species Bythinia te7itaciilata with a deeper suture and
more slender form than usual. This is especially the case in
dead eroded specimens, and when R. LI- Praeger and T found
what I thought at first was Dythiiiia Lcachii in the Mountmel-
lick branch of the Grand Canal near Monasterevan, in 1899,
I came to the conclusion finall}^ that thej- were only a slender
local form of the commoner species with a deeper suture than
usual (like D., fig. i). With A. W. Stelfox as an addition to
our part}', we visited the same locality again in September,
1906, and for the same reason, to collect Plariorbis cor^ieiis in
the shallow drains of the district, the centre of its distribution —
and that a very restricted one — in Ireland. Before starting on
our walk across countr}^ however, we visited both the River
Barrow and the canal, and in the latter, in the old locality
north of the railwa}^ we obtained a lot more Bythinia. These
A. W. Stelfox took home with him, and on comparing them
carefully with specimens of ^. Leachii that he had collected in
England, came to the conclusion that they were clearly that
species. They were, however, almost all immature specimens,
so we sent them to our friends R. Standen and J. W. Jackson
to be compared with various local sets in the Conchological

2 The Irish Natiitalist. January,

Society's cabinet in Manchester nniseiini. This the}^ did, con-
firming the identification. In returning the shells, they also
sent a set of this speci*es that J. R. Hardy had in his cabinet,
collected by Theophiliis Tucker and himself in 1870 in the
Grand Canal, about four miles from Shannon Harbour. This
was in King's Co., another county record, as the find had
never been published, both the collectors being unaware that
the species was an addition to the fauna of the country.

QUO

Fig. I.

A. Bythinia Leachii^ jVlonasterevan.

B. B. tentaculata,juv.

C. B. Leachii, typical English specimens from Stafford canal.

D. E. B. tentacidata, full-grown. D has deeper suture than typical
examples like E.

F. Operculum of B. Leachii.

G. Operculum of B. Unlacidata.

H. Operculum of ^. teniaculata about half-grown.

On his way home fromthe Cork Conference in July last, A. W.
Stelfox again visited the canal, this time at Sallins, in the
north-east of Co. Kildare, and found the shell quite common
there, much more so than at Monasterevan. This proved to
us that it was evidenth' widely spread, and that it would likely
be found all along the canal and its branches. I asked R. A.
Phillips, of Cork, to keep a look out for it, and on 19th Sep-
tember he wrote me that he had that da}^ collected it in the
canal at Mountmellick, in Queen's County. In October I went
down to the Grand Canal at Ltican, Co. Dublin (the Royal
Canal also runs close to the village and might repay a visit),
and the very first scoopful of material had a number of speci-
mens, mostly young, with a few of the common B. faiiaadata
also. I spent about twenty minutes there, and found that it
was even more plentiful than the latter, and was living among
the subaquatic moss Fo^itijialis antip) reiica, in about two to
four feet of water along the muddy margins of the canal. I

1908. i WKI.CH. — Byihinia Leachii. 3

did not find a single specimen on the other water-plants,
though they swarmed with other species, especially Physa
fojitinalis ; I never saw this latter so common anywhere
before, but only half-grown of course at that time of year.

A few weeks after this Mr. Phillips wrote again that he had
visited Graiguenamanagh, in Co. Kilkern}', and Tinnahinch,
in Co. Carlow, and had obtained specimens in the River
Barrow on both sides. This gives records for six counties,
and not onh' from localities fairly close together, but from
stations widely separated. I think this should dispose of the
question often raised, when a local species is found in a new
locality — one, too, that is supposed to have been well worked in
the past — that it may have been introduced. It is true that
the Grand Canal discharges into the River Barrow at Athy,
but Tinnahinch is thirty-six miles lower down, and that is a
long way ; apart from the fact that the localities on the canal
itself and its Mountmellick branch are spread along a distance
of over a hundred miles in addition.

The centre of distribution in Ireland for B. Leachii is also
that for Planorbis conieus, but the latter is more local. In
England, however, they have almost the same range as in
Ireland — a south-eastern one ; a glance at the map (Plate i)
will show that they likely have an even greater similarity of
ransfe than is there given from the records we now have. In
Ireland P. cornetis so far has only been found in about eight
localities along an irregular line, from near Maynooth in
north-east Kildare, to Mountrath in central Queen's County,
via Naas, Monasterevan, Lea Castle, Portarlington, La
Bergerie, and Graigavern.

In an interleaved copy I possess of Thompson's '' Catalogue
of the Land and Fresh Water MoUusca of Ireland,"^ which
belonged to his friend Robert Callwell, of Dublin (Callweirs
book-plate is in it), a former Secretary of the Royal Irish
Academy, I see a MS. note opposite P. comeiis on page 122 —
*' P. Cornells, Lough Miscaul, west side of Cahirconree Moun-
tain, specimen obtained from William Andrews, June, 1841."
This is in North Kerr}^ a very out-of-the-way place in the
Slieve Mish range, and needs verification. I think it better
to mention it on the chance that some conchologist may be

^ Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.y Sept., 1840.

A 2

4 The Irish Naturalist. January,

keen enough to visit the localit}-, which is about eight miles
south-west of Tralee. The habitat stated must be quite
unlike those in which it lives on the central plain ; there it
occurs onl}^ in shallow drains in low, marshy ground, and I
have not seen a trace of it in either canal or river. We
examined both repeatedly between Monasterevan and Portar-
lington on our second visit. Dythiyiia Lcachii, on the contrar3^>
did not occur in any of the many drains we examined in a
long day's walk across country, nor did we find it in the
river, though it was carefully worked at many places.

Mr. Praeger tells me that the canal is fed at its summit
level (279 feet) near Robertstown, Co. Kildare, b}'^ a canal from
the south, which conve3\s water from large springs rising in
an extensive marsh two miles w^est of Newbridge. Even if
B. Leachii were not found in this marsh or near it, the fact
would not be a good agument against its being an old
member of the native fauna. E- Waller long ago pointed
out,^ in his list of the Land and Fresh Water MoUusca of
Finnoe, how much the operations of the Drainage Commis-
sioners of those da5'S was affecting the habitats of the fresh
water species, dr3nng up or shallowing many of the old deep
drains.

P\irther search in the counties named and those near them is
very desirable. There should be no real difficulty in distin-
guishing the shell, especiallj^ if full-grown ; as Adams'* points
out, it bears the same relation in its distinctive characteristics
to B. tentaailata that Vivipara coJitcda does to V- vivipara.
The w^horls of ^. Leachii are much more convex and suture
much deeper ; it has an umbilicus, the mouth and operculum
are almost circular; while in B. te7itaculata they are obliquely
oval and angulated above. Figure i, D, shows the only likel}"
form of the latter that might be mistaken for it, and then only
in 3'oung specimens, as full-grown shells are much larger.

In its foreign distribution B. Lcachii is recorded from places
as wide apart as Algiers and Sweden. In England and
Ireland it is much more local than B. te7ttaculata, and in the
former countrv does not seem to have been found further

^ Nat. Hist. Review, 1854. p. 84.

= Manual of the Brit. L. and F. W. Moll, p. 142. 1896.

1908. WEI.CH. — Bythinia Leachiu 5

north than Yorkshire. I have never found any trace of it in
shell-marl deposits in Ireland, though I have examined
material from almost thirty localities, some well within its
present range. It is, however, rare also in a fossil state in
England, Kennard and Woodward recording it^ from only
three Pleistocene and three or four Holocene deposits in the
southern counties.

The Pembrokeshire record rests on the authority of the late
F. Walker, of Tenby, who sent a specimen to J. W. Taylor.
Mr. Taylor tells me that E- G. I^owe recorded it from Gla-
morgan on the authority of Jeffreys about 1855 ; he also gives
me a record from West Cornwall. A. G. Stubbs, who collected
very keenly for years in Pembrokeshire, remarks on the
almost total absence of the Operculata in the Tenby district.
He writes that he never found either species there, but has
found it in eleven localities in English counties, south and
east.

I have to thank Messrs. J. W. Jackson, A. S. Kennard, R. A.
Phillips, A. W. Stelfox, A. G. Stubbs, G. W. Taylor, and C. E.
Wright, for many county records, and I think their kindly
assistance v/ill render the map fairly correct to date.

Belfast.

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include a pair of Grass Parrakeets from Madame de la
Vallie, a vSwan from Mr. R. Coey, a Gannet from Dr. J. H. Brownrigg, a
Seal from Mr. St. George, two Turkeys from the Messrs. Carton, and two
Fallow Deer from Miss Ada Bellew. Four Monkejs have been bought,
and two Lion cubs have been born in the Gardens.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

November 23. — The Botanical Section met at the Museum. Rev. C.
H. WaddEI*t<, B.D., gave an address on Plants collected during 1907 ; the
address was illustrated by specimens. W. H. Robinson read a paper on
"Foliage Leaves; their Life-history, Composition, and Functions."

■• Proc. Gcol. Assoc, Nov., 1901.

=" Journal of Conchology, vol. ix., pp. 321 and 363.

The hish Naturalist, January,

DUBLIN MICEOSCOPICAL CLUB.

November 13. — The Club met at Leiuster House, the President (Prof.
Carpenter) in the chair.

Dr. J. Ai^FRED Scott gave a demonstration on the Lumiere "auto-
chrome" process of colour photography. He exhibited under the
microscope a portion of a plate prepared for the process, showing the
"filter" of coloured starch grains, and displayed a series of finished
lantern slides,

J. N. Halbert exhibited ahydrachnid mite, At urus scaber, P. Kram,
found plentifully in moss on stones in the Devil's Glen stream, County
Wicklow. This species has not been previously recorded from the
British Islands. It occurs in rapidly flowing streams in the mountain
districts of Europe, ranging from Norway to Italy.

F. W. Moore showed young seedlings in various stages of Drosera
spathiilata. This species lives in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand
and, as the specific name implies, the leaves are spathulate in shape ;
they are from two to three inches long, and, owing to the bright colour of
the glands with which the upper surface of the leaves are covered, the dense
tufts which the plant forms are very attractive. The chief interest in the
seedlings lies in the fact that the young leaves are palmately divided up,
regular wedges of tissue running into the few scattered glands borne by
them. In the older stages the leaves become quite entire, with uninter-
rupted margins.

Dr. G. H. PETlTi'BRiDGE exhibited the potato blight — Phylophthora
infestans — grown on tubers of the new potato, Solanuni Connnersonii {y\o\&\.).
The tubers concerned were derived from a crop grown in the ordinary
way from tubers of the variety imported direct from the raiser. The
claim of immunity put forward for this variety is therefore untenable.
Two previous exhibits (see /. Nat.^ vol. xvi., pp. 345 and37i), together with
this lavSt one, show that (i) the new tubers can easily be inoculated arti-
ficially, (2) the foliage of the plants grown from directly imported tubers
suffers in Ireland from the blight, (3) the resulting tubers also become
affected.

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL

SOCIETY.

November 12.— A lecture was given by Joseph R. Fisher, B.L.
Subject — " Canada in the Twentieth Century." The paper was illustrated
b}' a special series of lantern views.

December ii. — R. A. Dawson, A.R.C.A., Headmaster, School of Art,
Municipal Technical Institute, Belfast, lectured on the subject " Celtic
Art, its Development, Characteristics, and Possibilities," illustrated by
a special series of lantern views.

1908. Pfoceedings of Irish Societies, 7

DUBLIN NATUEALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

Oct. 29.— Conversazione. — The winter session 1907-8 was inaugurated
with a conversazione in the Royal Irish Academy House. The members
and their friends were received by the President (C. B. Moffat, M.A.),
and although the attendance was smaller than in previous years, a
most enjoyable evening was spent. During the evening J. Swain, B,A-i
gave a short lecture on " Photography in Natural History," and showed
how natural history can be made interesting to young students by the
use of photographs. The lecture was illustrated by a large series of
lime-light views. Visitors from the other Irish Field Clubs were present,
Belfast being represented by W. J. C. Tomlinson, and Cork by Thomas
Farrington, M.A. The usual meeting of the officials of the Irish Field
Club Union took place after the lecture, when the Hon. Sec. (R. LI.
Praeger, B.E.) gave a very satisfactorj' account of the issue of the special
Cork Conference Number of the " Irish Naturalist." During the evening
the following exhibits were on view in the Library and Council Room
and attracted much attention : —

J. Adams, M.A. — (a) Ciciunobohis Ulicis, a new Irish fungus, {b) Rose
Rust {Phragniidiiim subcorticinni). W. B. BrucE- — One hundred Co. Dublin
weeds (with seeds of the majority). J. B. BuTi^ER, M.A. — Micioscopical
preparation illustrating the action of Protozoa under the influence of
electricity. Prof. G. H. Carpenter, B.Sc. — Microscopical preparations
of the feet of insects and spiders. Prof G. A.J. Coi,E, F.G.S., M.R.I. A,
— Rocks showing the constitution of the Porcupine Bank, with map
illustrating the work of the Fisheries Survey and Geological Survey in
determining the nature of the sea-floor. J. Duffy. — {a) Fossils from
Lower Carboniferous Limestone of Clane, Co. Kildare {b) Vestinautilus
crassimarginatus, Curkeeu Hill, Co. Dublin. W. F. Gunn. — {a) Micro-
scopical preparations of Hydroid polypes, {b) Examples of recent results
in the cross fertilization and hybridisation of garden roses. J. N.
Hai^bert.— (a) Large specimen of Norway Lobster {Nephrops norvegiciis),
found off the Kerry coast, {b) Case of Insects (from the Natural History
Museum). J. de W. Hinch. — Fossils from the Coralline and Red Crag,
Suffolk. Prof. T. Johnson, D.Sc, F.L.S.— Phellomyces, scab in potato,
and other microscopic botanical preparations. T. Hai,i,issv.— Irish
rocks and rock-forming minerals. Miss M. C. Knowi^ES.— (a) Allium
Scorodoprasuvi, L., from Co. Dublin, (b) Plants new to Co. Clare. Miss
HEI.EN Laird, B.A.— Alpine plants from Switzerland. MissN. M'Ardle.
— Merciirialis perennis, Narcissus bifloruss ^c.^ from Santry demesne. A. R.
Nichols, M.A., M.R.I.A — Canadian Crane, shot at Galley Head, Co.
Cork. Geo. H. Pethybridge, Ph. D., B.Sc- Photographs of Irish
grasses. R. Li,. Praeger, B.E. —Rare Irish plants. R. F. Scharff,
Ph. D. — Living specimen of the Diamond-backed Rattlesnake from
Florida. R. vSouTHERN. — (a) African Earthworm, Benhatiiia Johnstoni^
Mount Ruwenzori, altitude 10,000 feet, {b) Tree Porcupine born in the
Dublin Zoological Gardens (from the Natural History Museum). Miss J.
Stephens, B.Sc— Coloured diagrams illustrating the life-history of the

8 The Irish Naturalist, January,

parasite of " sleeping sickness." I. Swain, B.A. — Fenestellidae from the
Irish Carboniferous rocks. Rev. C. Torrend. — Additions to the fungus
flora of Dublin and \Vicklow, including one species new to the British
Isles. Robert Weixh, M.R.I. A. — Photographs illustrating geology,
zoology, and antiquities of Cork.

November i6. — Fungus Excursion to Killakee Demesne, — A small
party of members and visitors drove from Terenure at i o'clock to Rock-
brook. Here a contingent of walkers joined the party, which pro-
ceeded under the guidance of Dr. G. 11. Pe thy bridge (Vice-President) to
study the Fungi of Killakee demesne. A large collection was made for
exhibition at the following Tuesday's meeting, and at dusk the party
returned to Terenure.

November 19.— The President, C. B. Moffat, M.A., in the chair.
R. Ivl. Praeger, B.E., communicated a paper on "Additions to Irish
Topographical Botany during the Years 1906-7." This communication,
which was illustrated by a number of specimens of the rarer plants, will
appear in our next issue. H. W. D. Dunlop, M.A., asked some questions
as to Connaught plants, to which Mr. Praeger replied. Mr. Praeger then
described the Irish Field Club Union Conference held in Cork in July,
1907, giving a short account of the work of the Union (of which he is
Hon. Secretary), and of the different excursions held in connection with
the Conference. This description was illustrated by a large series of
lantern slides of the Cork district. J. DE W. Hinch (Hon. Sec), exhibited
beach-pebbles, blown sand, and types of Boulder-clay from the Pre-
glacial raised beach of the South of Ireland, and gave a short accc unt of
the formation of the beach.

December 7. — Visit to the Geological Laborator}-, Royal College of
Science, under the guidance of Prof. G. A. J. Cole, F.G.S. A number of
members and visitors had an opportunity of seeing the methods of in-
struction in use in the laboratory. There were on exhibition models,
photographs, maps, specimens, microscopical preparations, &c., and
Prof. Cole explained the part pla3'ed by each in the education of the
student of geolog}'. Afterwards a short discussion took place on
palaeontology.

December 10.— C. B. Moffat, M.A. (President), in the chair. Nomi-
nations were received f or Officers and Committee for 1908. J. A.
CivARKE then gave a lecture on "Animal lyocomotion," and described a
number of the adaptations by which animals produced movement in
water, air, and on land. The lecture was illustrated by a series of lantern
slides. The following members took part in a discussion : — The President,
Prof. G H. Carpenter, R. Ivl. Praeger, B.E. ; Francis Neale, J. de W.
Hinch. Exhibits were then inspected. These were — W. B. Bruce : col-
lections of 50 Co. Dublin Plants, with specimens of seed of each. W. F.
GuNN: Microscopical exhibit of a Slime Fungus.

1908

THE SHIP-WORM

AND WOOD-BORING CRUSTACEANS

IN KINGSTOWN HARBOUR.

BY NATHANIE)!, COI^GAN, M.R.I. A.

In October last I observed Ijdng on the Carlisle Pier at
Kingstown some old wooden piles so much deca3'ed as to be
reduced in places from the original dimensions of 13 inches
square to a mere shell of an inch in thickness. The whole
surface of the piles was closely pitted by small circular per-
forations, ranging from the size of a pinhole to -l-inch in
diameter, which, at first piercing the wood diagonally, ulti-
mately followed the course of the grain as smooth-walled
cylindrical tunnels for about half an inch, and ended in hemi-
spherical headings. The intricate system of tunnels thus
formed penetrated to about a quarter of an inch from the sur-
face of the piles, the wood beneath the tunnelled layer being
quite sound. On submitting specimens of the wood to Mr.
Nichols, of the Dublin Science and Art Museum, he pro-
nounced the perforations to be the work of the well-known
wood -boring marine crustaceans, Chehira terebra^is and
Limnoria lig7ioruvt (the Gribble), several individuals of both
species being found in the fragments submitted. Examina-
tion of a series of old piles stored in the harbour yard ot
Kingstown, and removed, as had been the first piles I
observed, from the wooden structures flanking the granite
jetty of Carlisle Pier, showed me that the two vSpecies were
about equally abundant, though the Gribble, from its smaller
size and sober grey colouring, appeared at a first glance to be
much less abundant than the larger red-brown Chelura,
which is easily detected by the naked eye. The larger
specimens measured gave me the following lengths : —
Chelura -f^ inch, and Limnoria j% inch.

These diminutive scourges of the marine engineer may be
reckoned amongst the oldest inhabitants of Kingstown
Harbour. One of them, Limnoria, was observed at work on
the jetty there so early as 1834, or 73 3'ears ago ; both of them
were found at the same place in 1842, pursuing their career

A 3

lo The Irish Nafuf-altsf* January,

of destruction in amicable association just as we find them

to-day.^

The rate at which these species carrj^ on their ravages is a

matter of great interest, no less to unpractical students of
marine zoology than to harbour engineers, and the following
information, for which I am indebted to the courtes}- of the
Kingstown Harbour Commissioners; ma}^ be of use in deter-
mining that rate. The old piles now being removed from the
Carlisle Pier are of oak, Memel fir, and pitch pine, and those
reduced to a shell w-ere driven, some about the j^ear 1868,
others from 1877 to 1882. One of those driven between the
latter years has been reduced from 18 inches square to 10
inches square ; and of the other piles driven in 1886-87, three
have been reduced as follows : —

{a) 19 in. X iS in. reduced to 14 in. x 13 in.
(b) 18 in. X 16 in. „ 12 in. x 9 in.

(r) 16-^ in. x 16^ in. ,, 11 in. x it in.

Greenheart shows most resistance to the attacks of the
Chchira^ but is not entirel}^ immune.

Further information and facilities for examining both the
old piles removed from the pier to the harbour yard and those
still in situ at the pier, but badl}^ injured, were kindl}- given
me by Mr. R. de Witt Gra}^ Superintendent of Harbour
Works. One of the old piles shown me in the yard, a pile of
Memel fir, i6-| inches square^, which was driven in 1886-87, is
of peculiar interest. Of the portion of this pile between
high-water mark and the surface of the harbour bottom,
within which limits the operations of both Limnoria and
Chelura are confined, one half had been thickl}^ studded with
iron nails, a wxll-known preservative, which acts by coating
the surface and impregnating the superficial la3'er of wood
with iron oxide, while the other half had been left unpro-
tected. The latter half was very badly eaten, the ravages of
the crustaceans extending right up to, and apparently
ceasing at, the first row of nails in the protected part. But
on stooping down, it could be seen that large deep hollows,

1 W. Thompsou, Ediuh. Philosoph. /oiiriia/, Jan. 1833, and Ann. and Mag.
Nat. Hist., 1847, p 161.

1908. CoLGAN. — Ship-wo7'm a7id Wood-boring Crustaceans. Ii

passing beneafh the uails, had been worked from the unpro-
tected to the protected parts of the pile, while the surface
layer of this latter part remained quite intact, thanks to its
coating of oxide.

At low tide, on the 4th November last, Mr. Gray took me
in a boat to examine the superannuated piles still rising from
the w^ater beneath the Carlisle Pier, alongside of the sound
working piles of comparatively recent date. We procured a
series of specimens of the old wood, thickly populated with
living Chelura and Limnoria, and I was pointed out "some
large piles of greenheart, driven about nine years ago, which
had unexpectedly begun to show signs of decay, for this wood
was reputed immune from attack. Some shavings chipped
from the surface with an adze were found to swarm with
living Limnoria, adult and juvenile. A few Chelura were
also present, and the wood for full}' a quarter of an inch from
the surface was quite honeycombed with borings.

Thompson^ notes the vitality of Chelura, which he found to
remain alive out of the water in its borings for 90 hours.
With me this species showed a vitality even more remarkable.
In sections of old piles taken from Carlisle Pier at 4 p.m. on
the 4th November last, and kept fully exposed to the air in a
dry room, individuals were found living at 5 p.m. on the 14th
November, so that they lived in their borings without any
fresh immersion in salt water for ten days, or, to be perfectly
accurate, for 241 hours. According to Bate and West-
wood,- Limnoria lives at least for a fortnight in wood taken
out of the water and placed in a dry room. It seems clear, in
fact, that both species live in their wooden cells so long as
these retain any moisture.

As showing the vast numbers of these crustaceans which
must be simultaneously at work on a large pile, I may men-
tion that I extracted from a small piece of Memel fir from the
pier, not more than half-an-inch in cubic contents, 63 living
specimens of Chelura and 48 of Limnoria. Observation of
the living animals showed that Limnoria was markedly
sedentary in habit, while Chelura was most active. The
former rarely, if ever, issued entirely from its burrow, its

' Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.

2 " British Sessile-eyed Crustacea."

12 The Irish Natu7alisi. January,

motions were ver}' slow, and, though it made a few fairly
rapid swimming movements when placed iu water, it lay as a
rule inert on the bottom of the vessel. On the other hand,
Chelura prowled freely around the neighbourhood of its
wooden domicile, elevating itself on its pow^erful tail pro-
cesses, and travelling somewhat in looped caterpillar fashion.
Placed in water, it swam gracefully and rapidl}^, by preference
on its back.

Both of these destructive crustaceans live iu wood. Is it
quite clear that they live on it? Does timber furnish them
with both board and lodging, or with lodging onl)' \ Bate
and Westwood sa}- of lyimnoria^ that wood '• evidentl}^ forms its
support, as the stomach is found filled with minute ligneous
particles." No authority is given for this statement, and so
far as I can discover no similar statement has been made with
regard to Chelura. Thompson appears to have found onl}'
Limnoria in Belfast Bay. Has Chelura since been found
there, separately or in association with Limnoria %

Though the claims of Chelura and Limnoria to be regarded
as long-established residents of Kingstown Harbour are
beyond all question, it is otherwise with the more formidable
wood-borer, the Ship-worm, Teredo 7iorvegica. There seems
to be only one record of the occurrence of this mollusc in
Co. -Dublin, the record of Thompson,^ where we have the
following entry : — '' Teredo noyvagica^ Spengler — 1847, Kings-
town Harbour, Dr. Ball." Whether Dr. Ball procured his
specimens in old ships' timbers, in drift wood, or in harbour
piles it is not possible to decide, and so the following
account of the occurrence of Teredo as an undoubted in-
habitant of Kingstown Harbour will, no doubt, be of con-
siderable interest to students of the Dublin mollusca.

In the autumn of 1906 I observed a portion of what was
obviousl}' a Teredo tube in an old pile \y\\\% on Carlisle Pier.
The tube was about six inches long by a half inch in breadth,
but as both extremities were wanting it was impossible to
determine the .species. When examining the old crustacea-
riddled piles in the harbour yard in October last, I asked the

1 Op. lit., vol. ii., p. 353.

^ " Natural History of Ireland," vol. iv.

1908. CoLGAN. — Ship-worvis and Wood-boring Crustoceajis. 13

^workmen there if they ever happened to come across the
Ship-worm. The reply was that they occasionally met with
it in sawing up the old piles, but that it was very hard to get
anything like a complete specimen. The importance of pre-
serving any examples that might occur was impressed on the
men by Mr. Gra}^ with the result that an imperfect tube,
eight inches long, destitute of the tail or siphon end, but
containing the valves and fresh remains of the animal, was
placed in my hands in a few days. A fortnight later, on the
23rd November last, another specimen was sent to me. This
was embedded in a 3-foot length of Memel fir, cut into three
sections, forming part of an old pile driven at Carlisle Pier
about the j'ear 1868, and removed as decayed during the
second week of November last. The central section,
i6| inches long, was bored right through, and the bore at
either end evidently corresponded with the bores appearing
in the other two sections, one of which was 9 inches and the
other \i\ inches long.

On carefulh' paring down all three sections with a chisel,
until the bore was fully exposed, a truly magnificent speci-
men of Teredo norvegica was revealed, with all the essential
parts— -valves^ pallets, and concamerated termination of the
tube — intact, and with portions of the animal still present in
a tolerably fresh state. The bore v/as continuous in all three
sections, occupying the full length of the two larger, and
5J inches of the shorter or 9 inch section, so that the total
length of the bore, measured in a straight line, was 2 feet
9 inches. Following its sinuosities, for the bore was not
straight, the length of this remarkable tunnel through per-
fectly sound timber was fully 2 feet 10 inches. This exceeds by
4 inches the largest specimens I can find recorded for the
British Isles, Thompson's Portpatrick specimens, which in
some cases attained a length of nearly two feet and a half,
with a diameter at the larger end of |^ of an inch.^

The following are the principal measurements of the Kings-
town specimen : — Valves, J-inch broad by |-inch long ; pallets,
with the beaks, slightly over jf-inch long by jg-i^^h broad,
the beaks being je-inch long. The greatest diameter of the

^ Edinb. New Fhilos. /outn., Jan., 1835.

14 The Irish Naturalist. January,

tube, which occurred uearthe upper or valve end, was |-inch.
The chambered posterior end was 3-^ inches long, and its
extremity bearing the twin openings for the siphons was
-|-inch in diameter. The upper end of the bore containing the
valves w^as destitute of any calcareous tube or lining for a
length of 4} inches, The number of partial partitions in the
posterior end of the tube was from 35 to 40, most of them
being clearly visible through the semi-diaphanous 3'et solid
substance of this part of the tube. In Forbes and Hanley^
the number of the partitions is given as from 10 to 12. This
number was no doubt taken from a specimen of average size,
and the number of partitions probably increases with the age
of the animal. In texture the pallets, the partitions, and the
general body of the tube w^ere laminate. This was parti-
cularly noticeable in the outer face of the pallets, whose flakj^
texture resembled that of the cuttle-bone. The general body
of the calcareous tube lining the bore had a thickness of half
a millimetre, which increased to one millimetre at the cham-
bered end ; and in the thinnest portion of the tube from 2 to
4 laminae or distinct superpositions of calcareous matter could
be detected.

Both Chelura and Limnoria were present in the wood bored
by this Teredo, so that w^e have in Kingstown to-daj^ as
Thompson found in Port Patrick in 1847, no less than three
marine species co-operating in the destruction of harbour
piles. The fourth collaborator found by Thompson in the
Port Patrick piles, Xylophaga dorsalis, a mollusc closely allied
to Teredo, has not so far been detected at Kingstow^n. It is,
however, by no means unlikely to turn up on further exami-
nation of the decayed piles. It is likely, too, that all three of
the wood-borers now resident in Kingstown Harbour will
become rare in the near future, when the older timbers of the
Carlisle Pier have been fully replaced by nail-studded piles.

Sandycove, Co. Dublin.

^ Brit MoUusca, i.. p. 70.

i9o8. 15

REVIEWS.

BRITISH AND IRISH PLUME MOTHS.

A Natural History of the British Allucftldes : A Text-book
for Students and Collectors. By J. W. TuTT, F E.S. Vol. i.
Pp. xiv. + 558. 5 Plates. London: Elliot vStock, 1906. Price, 21s.
net.

This volume is the first of two which Mr. Tutt purposes to devote to
the "Plume moths" of the British Islands, and we gather from the
preface that it forms vol. v. of his great work on the British Lepidoptera.
The thoroughness with which the group has been treated by Mr. Tutt
may be gathered from the statement that in the 470 closely-printed
pages that form the systematic part of this volume only nineteen
species are described ; the remainder will be dealt with in the succeding
volume.

In Mr. Tutt's classification, the Plumes — best known to collectors as
the family Pterophoridte — form a " super-family " which he calls the
Alucitides. In the discussion of the group beginning on page 70 of the
volume and headed " Super-family IV. a : Alucitides," it is implied that
all the " Plumes," as usually understood, fall into this super-family. But
on page 127 we find another "Super-family IV. a: Agdistides," with
arguments in favour of making the small group represented in Britain
only.by that local species Agdistis Bennettii, into a " Super-family " distinct
from all the rest of the " plumes." Possibly Mr. Tutt may be justified
in this course, but the uninstructed student who may try to benefit by
the author's vast mass of learning ought not to be puzzled by such
changes of view in the course of a single chapter.

The systematic worker will be grateful for the very full historical
account w^hich is given of the literature on the classification of the
plumes. Not only are all the important authors, from Linne onwards,
mentioned, but their schemes of generic distinction are quoted at length.
The synoptic table from Hofmann(" Die deutschen Pterophorinen," 1895)
will be of especial value to the British student, Hofmann's distinctions
being justifiably preferred by Mr. Tutt to the more superficial if more
concise characters employed by Meyrick. The historical section con-
cludes with a list of the fifty-five generic names that have been proposed
for various species of the "plumes" from Linne onwards. Mr. Tutt is
himself responsible for twelve of these. It is lamentable that several
names — such as Pterophorus and Aciptilia — well known and in general
use by all systematic writers through the last century — are discarded as
synonyms under the supposed requirements of the ''laws " that govern
the fixing of generic types.

i6 The Irish Naturalist. January,

Of great interest and importance is Mr. Tult's section on the "General
Biological Characters of the Alucitides." Alike as all the "plumes " are
m their general appearance, and few comparatively as are the species,
"the divergence exhibited is exceedingly great, and there are few of the
largest super-families that exhibit so varied structures in the larval,
pupal, and to a less extent, wing characters." Nothing like so full an
accoiint of the larvae and pupae ot Pterophorids has ever before been
brought into so readilj- accessible a form as in this chapter ; there are
few entomologists who will not find here much that is new to them. An
elaborate table ot the characters of the last larval instar in some two
dozen species of the group will be especially valuable for coniparati^•e
purposes ; this table is the work of Mr. Bacot and Dr. Chapman. The
pterophorid pupa is of great interest— " incompletely obtect," with the
intermediate and hind legs " quite free from the abdominal segments," of
which four are movable in the male and three in the female ; it does not
move from its resting position before the eclosion of the imago, as
" incomplete " lepidopteran pupae usually do, but is " fixed by acremaster
that is developed on the eighth and tenth abdominal segments."
Further, the "larval tubercles are carried over into the pupal stage."
In many genera of the family the pupa is hairy ; it is but rarely enclosed
in a cocoon, being usually simpl}' attached by the cremaster to a silken
pad. The presence of larval tubercles on the pupa is to be regarded as a
specialised feature, probably correlated with the absence of a protective
cocoon ; for the insectan pupa is typically much more akin to the imago
than to the larva. This is one of the many features dwelt on b}' Mr. Tutt
as showing the isolated position of the "Plumes " among the Lepidoptera.
Mr. Tutt rejects their usual association with the Pyralides, the obtect
pupa of the latter being in his view — shared b}' that high authority Dr.
Chapman— a fatal objection to any near relationship. In this contention
he is probably right, though, in our opinion, he allows too little weight
to those characters of wing-neuration to which other lepidopterologists
such as Hampson and Meyrick perhaps allow too much. But in estimat-
ing the importance of characters as showing affinity, it must be re-
membered that neurational features are usually non-adaptive, and
therefore, more reliable than larval characters, which are likelj' to be
highly adaptive. On the other hand, the main features of the pupa are
perhaps more weighty than any other single set of characters. We
cannot follow Mr. Tutt in laying great stress on the form of the ^%^.

As already mentioned, Mr. Tutt divides the "plumes"— excluding the
" multiplumes " [(Orneodidse), which are generally acknowledged to have
no close kinship with the Pterophorids — into two super-families, the
Agdistides and the Alucitides. The former contains only a single British
species — Agdistis (or, as Mr. Tutt prefers to call it, Adaitylus) Bemietfit\
which has not yet been found in Ireland. It differs from the other
British plumes by its undivided wings, and its distribution is curiously
restricted to eastern England and Holland.

The Alucitides are divided by Mr. Tutt into two families— the Platy-
ptilidce and the Alucitidae. The former have cylindrical larvae that

1908. Revieivs. 17

usually feed internally, and comparatively smooth pupae, while the latter
have flattened larvae that feed openly on their food- plants, and hairy
pupj^e. The female PJatyptilids have a single spine to the frenulum,
while in female Alucitidae this structure is double. These divisions are
probably natural, but it is doubtful if the distinctions are sufficient to
warrant their separation as families. Throughout the classification
adopted, however, Mr, Tutt is inclined to draw sharp distinctions. In this
volume he deals only with the Platyptilidse, and these are split into four
sub-families, most of which are again subdivided into tribes, and the
eighteen species are distributed among twelve genera. JMeyrick in his
Handbook (1895) admits only nine genera in the entire group!

Space will not permit us to refer to all the species, but every Irish
naturalist will look eagerly for Mr. Tutt's remarks on the "Galway
plume," which appears in the volume as Fredericina iesseradactyla, having
been removed with calodactyla {Zetterstedti), from the comprehensive genus
Platyptilia, and placed in one of Mr. Tutt's new genera. The discovery
of this insect b}- Messrs. Dillon and Kane in Cos. Clare and Galway is
well known to most zoologists in this country. Its restricted distribution
in Ireland and its apparent absence from Great Britain are ver}' puzzling,
in view of the very wide foreign range which Mr. Tutt records. For the
moth occurs in the United States of America, both east and west, in
Finland, Russia, Lapland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium,
Austria, Switzerland, and North Italy. Probably it belongs to the cir-
cumpolar fauna, although ranging far south in Continental Europe.
Fairly full accounts of the larva are given from German sources.
Platyptilia isodactyla, for which a few Irish localities are given, has a
strangely restricted range, being known only from Germany, Holland,
Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Isles, and Spain.

The range of the species in the British Ivsles is not easy to trace, as Mr.
Tutt holds to the objectionable arrangement, on which we have before
remarked, of giving long, closely-printed lists, with all the counties in
various parts of the United Kingdom placed alphabetically. The de-
tailed and careful descriptions of the insects and their larvae would be
much improved, and mighty indeed, be considerably curtailed, if accom-
panied more liberally b}^ structural figures. But the crowded pages are
a storehouse of facts and a monument of painstaking industry.

As usual in the former volumes of his great works, Mr. Tutt gives
introductory chapters on some problems of general interest. In this
volume Hybridization and Mongrelization among the Lepidoptera are
discussed. The facts given are worth the careful study of zoologists in-
terested in problems of heredity. There is no constant appearance of
Mendelian phenomena among the hybrids or the mongrels, but the
results of crossing typical Amphidasys betiilaria and Abraxas grossulariata
with their natural varieties — dotibledayaria and Jiavofasciata respectively —
refute a recent statement that Mendelian results can only be seen in
domesticated mongrels.

G. H. C.

1 8 The Irish Nahwalist, Janiiarj',

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BRITISH MOSSES.

A Census Catalogrue of British lYIosses, with List of the
Botanical Vice-Couuties and their boundaries, and Lists of Sources
of Records, compiled under the direction of the Moss Exchange Club
by:— England— Professor Barker and W. Ingham, B.A. ; Wales—
D. A. Jones, F.L.S. ; Scotland— R. H. Mei<duum ; Ireland— Rev. C.
H. Waddei,!,, M.A., B.D., and Canon LETT, M.A., M.R.I.A. ; Channel
Islands— E. D. Marouand, A.L.S. 8vo. 64 pp. York: Coultas
and Volans, 1907. Price \s. 6d., or 2s. interleaved.

The study of our native mosses will be much furthered by this publica-
tion, which, by showing the distribution in the British Islands, as known
up to last year, of every species and variety, renders available at a glance
a mass of information previously to be obtained only after laborious
search, and a further mass of distributional facts hitherto unpublished.
Considering that the project of producing such a census was first mooted
only in Jul}-, 1906, the Committee who carried it out are to be congratu-
lated on the promptness of the appearance of the catalogue, which
involved a vast amount of labour. For not only have all reliable existing
records been utilized, whether published or unpublished, but a consider-
able amount of special collecting has been carried out in the less known
districts, for the filling up of obvious gaps. Considering the number of
workers who have been busy since the last (2nd) edition of the ''London
Catalogue of British Mosses "was published in 1881, and the forward
movement made during the intervening quarter-century in the critical
knowledge of the group, it may be imagined what an advance in every
direction the present catalogue shows over its predecessor. For the
purpose of the census, Watson's 112 vice-counties have been adopted as
regards Great Britain, and Praeger's 40 division as regards Ireland. We
are sorry that the editors have retained the illogical and scientificall}^
indefensible trick of bracketing the French islands of Guernsey and
Jersey with the natural biological province formed by Great Britain and
Ireland. The catalogue is prefaced with lists of the botanical divisions
before mentioned, and of the published and unpublished sources from
which records were derived. In the census itself, the arrangement of
the mosses follows Dickson's "Handbook," each name being followed
by a list of the numbers which correspond to the botanical divisions —
the Channel Islands appearing between the Scottish and the Irish
numbers! Round and square brackets distinguish the more or less
doubtful records. The "Census Catalogue" is a model of neatness and
conciseness, and makes one wish that equally accessible and complete
lists were available for other sections of our Britannic flora,

R. LI. P.

1908. Reviews^ 19

NEW KERRY INSECTS.

stray Notes from South Kerry In 1903. By Frank Bouskei.1.,
F.K.S., F.R.H.S. {Transactions of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical
Society. Vol. IX., Part I., January, 1905).

After his previous sviccessful experience amongst the plants and insects
of Kerry (Bouskell and Donisthorpe, Irish Nat., 1903), Mr. Bouskell decided
to vSpend another holiday exploring the fauna and flora of the south-
west, selecting the Caragh Lake district. The results of his researches,
during three weeks in June and July, are contained in this paper.

The records are mostly of insects and plants, and there are a few
references to birds, notably to a Hoopoe, which was seen flying " through
the wood close to the house," on the north shore of the lake. This
occurrence is of interest, as, according to Mr. Ussher, the bird is seldom
seen except as an irregular spring and autumn visitor in the south of
Ireland. A brood of Siskins was also seen " which had evidently been
bred in the district." Mr. Bouskell was also informed that a Martin had
been noticed during the winter months.

The most interesting entomological discovery is that of three species
of myrmecophilous beetles in a nest of the large Wood Ant Formica rufa.
These are Quedins brevis, Monoto^na formicetorutn, and Clythera iv-punctata,
all being additions to the Irish list. The Wood Ant Formica rvja is a
decidedly local insect in this country. It has been found at Churchill in
the county Armagh by the Rev. W. F. Johnson {Irish Nat., 1896) ; in
Killoughrim Forest, county Wexford, by Mr. C. B. Moffat {Irish Nat.,
1896) ; and it occurs commonly near the Upper Lake, Killarney. The
writer has also found it in numbers running on tree trunks in a fir plan-
tation close to Woodford, county Galway. When recording it from
Wexford Mr. Moffat gave some convincing arguments in favour of this
being a native insect and not an importation, as had been suggested.
The occurrence of these parasitic beetles in nests of the Wood Ant at
Caragh Lake is undoubtedly favourable to the same view, as they are all
more or less characteristic denizens of nests oi Formica rufa.

Another interesting capture is the handsomely coloured beetle
Callidium z'iolaceu?n, both the larvae and perfect insects of which were
lound under bark of fir trees at Lickeen, making a fourth new Irish
record. Mr. Bouskell suggests that it is in all probability native in such
an isolated and little explored locality as Lickeen, and we are inclined to
agree with him, althoiigh the species is one somewhat liable to importa-
tion.

In this connection the reputed extirpation of the original Scotch Fir
of Ireland, and the question as to whether our pine-feeding insects are
truly indigenous, is an interesting one. It would seem to be a difiicult
matter to decide whether the original stock of Scotch Fir was really
exterminated before recent plantings had begun. One would be inclined
to believe that some remnants of the original pine woods must have

20 The Irish Naturalist. January,

lingered on in ^vild and remote parts of the country, especially in the
south-west. The editors of Cybele Hibeniica (2nd edition) place the Scotch
Fir in the " Appendix " to their work, amongst the excluded species, and
write with reference to this sul)ject : " There can be no doubt that the
Scotch Fir was formerly native and abundant in Ireland. Its roots and
trunks were frequently dug up from the bogs. . . . The absence both
from the spoken language and from the place-names of Ireland of any
native name for the tree would tend to prove that it had become quite
rare if not extinct in very early times. Whether the records given above
refer to relics of a former abundance, or merely to introductions, must
remain doubtful ; but there is no reason to believe that any indigenous
vScotch Fir now exists in Ireland.'' It must be remembered also that pine
feeders are extremely conservative, and as a rule refuse to feed on the
widely different substitute plants with which collectors often succeed in
rearing lepidopterous caterpillars.

Other rare species are the Cardinal Beetle Fyrochroa serraticornis^ only
previously known in Ireland from county Limerick ; Donacia dentata, D.
clavipes, and Leistus niontanus^ Among the lepidoptera the best capture
was a fine male Lobster Moth {Siauropus fagi).

J. N. H.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

The Extinction of Cryptogamic Plants and the Need for a

Lichen Exchange Club.

I. — For some years past in England as well as to some extent in Ireland
Scotland, and Wales, in the neighbourhoods of large towUvS, it has been
noticed that cryptogamic plants, such as Lichens, Hepatics, and Mosses,
have become gradually scarcer and scarcer year by j'ear. This is due to
a variety of causes, amongst which perhaps the most potent is svioke*
Other reasons are increased dryness and the great variation from normal
climatic conditions noticed during the last twenty years. To this may
be added drainage and the deforesting" of large wooded areas for purposes
of cultivation. Where these or any other causes have brought about
the extermination of cryptogams (and flowering plants also) information
on this point would be exceedingly v-aluable to the writer, who is drawing
up an account of the extent of this increasing extermination amongst
these plants, and desires to have reports from each county in the British
Isles.

In Ireland the causes mentioned are not so operative as in some parts
of England and Wales. Still as the causes are universal so are the
effects, and notes on this question from Irish counties will be gratefully
received and acknowledged.

See /<?«;-«. of Bo!., September, 1907.

1908. Notes, 21

II. — Whilst it is still possible to study these plants the writer further
would wish it known that a Lichen Exchange Club is being formed for
the encouragement of the study of lichenology. For many years past
these plants have received lit tie attention, and it is thought that a medium
for the exchange and naming of critical or little known species would
give some impetus to those who already study these plants as well as
beginners also.

Ireland affords many opportunities for the field-botanist interested in
cryptogams to study Mosses, Hepatics, and Lichens, and there are a
number of Irish species unknown in Kngland or Scotland, whilst as a
whole it presents a far better hunting-ground for these plants than most
parts of the British Isles. It is desirable,therefore;that the study of lichens
be encouraged in Ireland. The writer will be pleased to receive the
names and addresses of those desirous of becoming members of the new
Club. Communications on this point and as to the extinction of
cryptogams in Ireland may be addressed to Ivanhoe, Gwendolen-road,
Leicester.

A. R. HORWOOD.

Corporation Museum, Leicester.

Central Committee for the Survey and Study of British

Vegetation.

The usual autumn meeting was held in Manchester on November
30 and December i. Out of twelve members, eleven were present. F. J.
Lewis, F.L.S. (Liverpool University), and afterwards R. Lloyd Praeger,
in the chair. Also present— W. B. Crump, O. V. Derbishire, Ph.D.
(Manchester University), C. E. Moss, M.vSc, Prof. F.W.Oliver, D Sc,
F.R.S. (London University), W\ M. Rankin, W. G. Smith, B.Sc, Ph.D.
(Leeds University), A. G. Tansley, M.A. (Cambridge University), J. W^
Woodhead (Halifax Technical College), Prof R. H. Yapp (Aberystwith
College). Prof. F. E. Weiss, D.Sc. (Manchester University), also sat with
the Committee. The general business included minutes, proposal to form
a society for the study of ecolog}', report on excursion to Sherwood
Forest, report on negotiations re publication of maps, appointment of
sub-committee to consider the use of various symbols on vegetation
maps, letter from Prof. Conwentz (Dantzig) relative to Naturdenkmaler,
proposed excursions in Ireland on the occasion of the Dublin meeting
of the British Association. The following papers were subsequently
read :— F. W. Oliver— " Salt marsh development and reclamation in the
Bouche d'Erquy"; R.Ll. Praeger— "The vegetation of the Glendalough dis-
trict"; W. M. Rankin -(i) "Heaths on chalk and similar strata," (2) " Peat
moors of the New Forest" ; W. G. Smith— '-'Vegetation in the Upper Ward
of Lanarkshire"; A. G. Tansley— " Classification of oak woods"; F. E.
W^eiss— " Dispersal of seeds by ants.'' Exhibits were also shown, including
mounted botanical photographs illustrating the travelling collection now

22 The hish Nafuralist, January,

being formed by the Coniniittee (by A. G. Tansley), and some recent litera-
ture, including papers b}- Ostenfeld (Faeroes), Cockayne (New Zealand),
Conwentz (Germany), Russell (Kent), &c. (exhibited by W. G. Smith).

Hypnum hamulosum.

Mr. M'Ardle records this moss in his interesting paper on Co. Ma}©
mosses (/. N.y ISJov., 1907), from a wood near Cong. It usually grows at a
high elevation, and is classed among alpine mosses. It is possible that
some of these alpine species may grow at a lower elevation in the western
districts of Ireland. It would be useful if observations were made of the
lowest elevations at which they have been observed.

C. H. WaddeIvI,.

Saintfield, Co. Down.

ZOOLOGY.

Scarcity of Wasps.

I also observed the scarcity of wasps last j-ear. referred to by Messrs.
Barrington and Welch (/. Nat., vol. xvi., pp. 323, 370). The}- were more
numerous towards the end of the season, especially among the twigs of
the Juniper. I noticed that the flowers of the Figwort were, in the
absence of wasps, much frequented by a small Carder Bee.

W. E. Hart.
Kilderry, Co. Donegal.

Testacella haliotidea and other Mollusca in Co. Kerry.

While staying at Parknasilla in June, T907, I heard from Mr. Dalzell,
of the neighbourhood of Sneem, of a curious slug with a small shell on
its tail that ate worms. I visited the locality, and after digging a con-
siderable time, come across a nice specimen of l^estacella haliotidea, Drap.
Two more were obtained during my stay. Mr. C Oldham has confirmed
my identification. Mr. R.Welch told me that the species is new to Kerry.
Staying at Valentia early in June, I came across big colonies of Planorbis
glaber, P. ptisillnni, Limmva tritncatula^ and Helix rjtfescens, var. alba,

B. R. Lucas.
North wich, Cheshire,

New Localities for Vitrea hibernica.

I have just submitted a number of Vitrece from Irish localities to Mr.
A. S. Kennard, and he finds his new Vitrea hibernica from such places as
Glengarriff. Roughty Bridge, Kenmare, vSligo Abbey, Knocknarea Glen,
Co. Sligo, and Dromahaire Abbey, Co. Leitrim.

B. R. Lucas.

Northwich, Cheshire.

1908. Notes. 23

Exotic Land Mollusca at Belfast.

Ten years ago J. Ray Hardy, Manchester Mnseuni, sent me specimens
of Opens GoodaUi, Miller, with the remark that I shonld be sure to find
specimens in some of the old greenhouses in the north-east. Though I
have searched greenhouses in many parts of Ireland since, I never found
the species till this year. In April I was hunting for the rare tiny Rosy
Woodlouse in the palm bed at Crawford's Nursery when I found five or
six specimens of the Opeas alive and dead on the surface of the soil. A
few months later A. W. vStelfox came with me to the nursery again and
we found a large number, well on to a hundred, alive and dead, of O-
Goodalli and Suhidina octona, Chemnitz, another and larger species of the
Stenogyridae. Dead specimens of the latter are easily mistaken for
Cochlicopa lubn'ca, if not full grown. Alive there is no chance of this, as
the animal is a bright greenish yellow, and shows very markedly through
the transparent shell. Eggs in many also showed clearly through shells
and R. Standen tells he has had specimens from Manchester green-house^
packed full of eggs. Both are West Indian species, and are supposed to
have been introduced to the British Isles with plants. The species are
very difficult to determine, as thej' are numerous and very much alike,
and there may be a third species among those we collected. Mr. Standen
kindly helped me in the identification of the Subulina.

In the same palm bed were other foreign animals, including several
woodlice, cockroaches, a spider or two, and a very tiny ant, which I have
forwarded to Dublin Museum to be worked out when time permits.

R. Wei^ch.
Belfast.

Mollusca of Bushy Park, Dublin.

In this Journal, June, 1904, we gave a list of the mollusca living in the
marsh at Bushy Park. Valvata cristata, which was common in the pond
below the house and also lived in the marsh, was omitted by mistake.
This year we find that Liniax ??targinatus, whose seeming absence we
commented on, does occur, living on old trees near the garden. The
upper part of the marsh, in which the bulk of the small species was
obtained, has now been entirely altered by a drain opened out to the
Dodder, and the removal of the stone-heaps to build rockeries ; and we
find some of the xerophiles have now come down from the dry bank
between the marsh and the river, and are feeding where three years ago
we collected the Pisidia and Aplexa hypnoritm. We mention this fact, as
any one now visiting the marsh might easily fail to find the species we
listed, unless they have partly migrated to the lower end, which still
remains undrained. It was, however, not as good collecting ground as
the upper half. The pond near the house, too, as a habitat for mollusca
has altered through the introduction of swans.

A. W. SteIvFOX.

Belfast. ■ R. WeIvCh.

24 The hish Naturalist. January, 1908.

New Irish Cephalopods.

In a *• Preliminary Notice of New and Remarkable Cephalopods from
the South-west Coast of Ireland" (^Ann. Mag, Nat. Hist- (7), xx., 1907, pp.
377-384^ Miss A. L- Massey records six species of Cephalopoda (three of
which are new to science) met with during the years 1901-1907 at 50 to 70
miles off the south-west coast of Ireland.

Of the five different families to which these six species belong, speci-
mens of one family only, viz., Polypodidae [ = Octopodidne] have pre-
viously been obtained in the Irish marine area.

The three new species described are Polypus {^=^Octop}is\ profundicola,
P. Normani, and Helicocratichia (n.g.) Pfefferi ; the other three species are
Gonahts /^(^/vV/V, Lichtenstein, Odopodoteuthis sicula, Riippell, and Hist to-
tcnthis bonelliajia^ Ferussac, none of which have been previouh' recorded
from British or Irish waters,

A detailed report of the whole collection of Cephalopoda obtained b}-
the Fisheries cruiser " Helga " during the years 1901-7 is promised in a
coming part of the Scientific Investigations of the Fisheries Branch of the
Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction.

Breeding of the Red-throated Diver.

In the November number of the Irish Naturalist {\Q)\. xvi., p. 337), I was
surprised to read jNIr. W. C. Wright's account of the continued persecu-
tion of the Red-throated Divers at their Donegal breeding haunt. It
is some years now since attention was directed to the fact of the eggs
being taken every season, and it certainly does not tell in praise of the
wealthy North of Ireland naturalists that no adequate protection has
been afforded to the poor birds up to the present.

The Dublin naturalists, in their protection at Malahide of the Tern's

breeding haunt, are an example that might be worthily followed by the

successors of the late William Thompson in Belfast and its neighbour -

hood.

Robert Warren.
Moy View, Ballina.

GEOLOGY.

Boulder at Narin.

The interesting boulder described by Mr. Welch in the Irish Naturalist
for December, 1907, p. 371, is quite likely to be a large inclusion in the
Donegal granite. These often assume a spheroidal form, and Irish
examples on a large scale have been described by me from near Pettigo
{Trans. K. Irish Acad , vol. xxxi., 1900, p. 455), and on a smaller scale from
other localities {Proc. R. Irish Acad., vol. xxiv.. sect. B, 1903, pp. 363-368
&c.)- Examples near Narin are described in the same Proceedings, vol
xxv., sect. B, 1905, p. 123.

GRRNVirvi^E A. J. Cole.

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

February, 1908. The Irish Naturalist 25

ADDITIONS TO THE FUNGI OF THE COUNTIES OF

DUBININ AND WICKI^OW.

BY REV. C. TORRKND, SJ.,
Professor in the College of Campolide, Ivishon.

During a visit to Ireland of three years duration, from which
I have just returned, I paid special attention to collecting
Myxomycetes. In the course of ni}- work, however, I col-
lected a large number of the Fungi proper as well, and think-
ing that a list of both the Fungi and the Myxomycetes,
which I have noticed as not hitherto recorded for the above
district, would be useful, I append the names and localities
herewith.

AGARICACE/E.
IVIarasmius caulicinalis, Fr.— On rotten twigs, Dunran.
Pleurotus dryinus, Pers.— Railway sleepers near Kilcool.
Cantharellus muscig-enus, Fr.— On moss, Kelly's Glen.
Polyporus amorphus, Fr.— Rotten pine wood, Kilcool.
P. picipes, Fr.— On willow trunks, Kilcool.

Canoderma applanatum (Pers.), Fr. — On elm, Blackburn estate.
Fomes fulvus, Scop, non Fr.— On willow, Kilcool.
Poria ferrug-inosa, Sclirad. — Fallen oak branches, Powerscourt.
P. vuIg-ariSp Fr.— Fallen branches, Blackburn estate.
P. sanguinolenta. — On old tree stumps, Devil's Glen.

HYDNACEi2E.

Hydnum pudorinum, Fr On fallen branches, Blackburn estate.

H. stenodon, Pers.— On a dead trunk, Devil's Glen.
Odontia uda, Fr.— On w^ood and bark, Devil's Glen.
O. fimbriata, Pers.— On bark, Devil's Glen.

0, crinalis, Fr. — Inside a rotten pine stump, Kilcool.

Irpex fusco-violaceus, Fr — On dead pine stump, Powerscourt.

1. pachyodon (Pers.), Bres. — On oak trunk, Bray.
1. obliquus, Fr. — On dead wood. Devil's Glen.

Radulum laatuni, Fr. — Under bark of fallen twigs. Devil's Glen.
R. orbiculare, PV., f. tenuior.— Fallen branches, Devil's Glen.
Phlebia contorta, Fr. — Bark of rotten fir, Kelly's Glen.
P. livlda (Pers.), Bres., var. caesia,— On fallen branches, Devil's Glen.

TELEPHORACEi^E.
Tclepliora terrestris, Fhr.— On the ground, Dunran estate.
Lloydiella Chailletii (Pers sub Stereum'), Bres.— Fallen branches and

dead trunks. Devil's Glen.
Hymcnochaete ferruginea (Bull.), Bres. — Inside of oak trunk,
Blackburn estate.

A

26 The Irish Naturalist. February,

Corticiuni coeruleum, Pers. — Twigs and fallen branches. Devil's

Glen.
C. roscuiYi, Pers. — On dead wood, Devil's Glen.
C. Sambucl, Fr. — Fallen alder branches, Devil's Glen.
Hypochnus fcrrugineus, Pers.— On dead leaves, Devil's Glen.

DACROIVIYCETACE>E.
Cuepinia merulina (Pers.), Quel. — F'alleu larch and fir branches.
Devil's Glen.

HYIVlENOGASTRACE>E.
Hymenograster vulgaris, Tul. — Palm House, Glasnevin Botanical
Gardens.

LYCOPERDACE.^.
Lycoperdon pratense, Pers. — Fields, Milltown Park.
Bovista plumbea, Pers. — Dublin mountains.

NIDULARIACE>E.
Crucibulum vulgare, Tod.— Dead wood. Devil's Glen,

UREDINE^.
Coleosporium Petasites, D.C. — Leaves of Petasites, Blackburn
estate.

IVIUCORACEiZE.
Pilobolus roridus, Schum.— On horse dung, Kilcool.

EXOASCACE^.
Exoascus Pruni, Fuck.— Leaves of Plum, Kilcool.

GEOCLOSSACE^2E.
lYIitruIa paludosa, Fr.— Dead leaves in marsh, Powerscourt.

HELOTIACE^.
Arachnopeziza aurelia (Pers.), Fuck.— On dead wood, Devil's Glen.

HYPOCREACE^.
Hypocrea rufa (Pers.), Fr.— On dead wood, Devil's Glen.

SPH^RIACE/E.
Rosellinia aquila (Fr.), de Not.— On dead wood, Blackburn estate.

XYLARIACEiC.
Hypoxylon multiforme, Fr.— On dead wood and bark. Devil's Glen.
Daldinia concentrica (Bolt.), de Not.— On elm trunk, Blackburn

estate.
Xylarla polymorpha (Pers.) Grev.— On dead stumps.

HYPHOWIYCETES.
Perlconfa calicoides. Berk.— On dead wood, and on porea sanguino-
lenta, Devil's Glen.

•Wk

1908. ToRRKND. — Fimgi of D2ibli7i a7id Wicklow, 27

Lasioderma flavo-virens, D. et M.— On dead leaves. Devil's Glen.
Myrothecium inundatum, Tod. — On decaying agarics, Glen of the
Downs.

IVIYXOIVIYCETES.
Ceratiomyxa mucicfa, Schroet.— On dead wood, Devil's Glen.

(Several forms have been found approaching the varieties ^'■^«////?«

and flex no so).
Bad ham ia utricularis, Berk.— On dead wood and mossy trunks.

Devil's Glen.
Physarum psittacinum, Dibm.— On rotten elm stump, Blackburn

estate.
P. viridc, Pers.— On fallen branches, Dunrau estate and Devil's Glen.
P. penetrale, Rex, — On an hepatic, Dunran estate and Devil's Glen.

(An interesting and rare species, five previous records only having

been made — viz., from Scotland, N. America, Sweden, Java, and

Germany. Verified by Dr. Lister).
P. nutans, Pers. — Very common on dead wood.
Craterium peduncu latum, Trent.— On fallen branches. Devil's

Glen.
Chondrioderma spumarioides, Rost.— On mossy stumps, Dunran

estate.
Didymium difforme, Dul5\— On dead leaves, &c., Milltown Park.
Stemonitis splendens Rost , var. Wetobcri.— On rotten trunks.

Devil's Glen.
Comatrlcha obtusata, Preuss.— On dead wood, Blackburn Estate,

Kilcool, &c.
C. laxa, Rost.— On dead w^ood, Rockbrook and Devil's Glen.
C. typhoides, Rost. — On dead wood, Rockbrook and Devil's Glen.
C. Persoonii, Rost.— On fallen branches and bark of coniferous trees,

Devil's Glen.
Enerthcncma eleg'ans, Borom. — On dead wood, Devil's Glen.
Licea f lexuosa, Pers. — On dead pine wood, Rockbrook and Devil's

Glen.
Trichia persimilis, Karst. — On fallen branches. Devil's Glen.
T. fallax, Ptrs. — Common on dead wood, Devil's Glen, &c.
Hemitricliia Karstonli, List. — On fallen branches, Stillorgan.
Arcyria albida, Pers. — On dead wood, common, Rockbrook and Devil's

Glen
A. flava, Pers. — On rotten trunks. Devil's Glen.
Pcrichaena populina, Fr. — On bark, Kilcool.

Lisbon.

A 2

2S The hish NaturalisU Februarj-,

ADDITIONS TO " IRISH TOPOGRAPHICAI. BOTANY"

IN I 906- I 907.

BY R. I,I,OYD PRAKGER.
[Read before the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, I9tli November, 1907.]

Two 5'ears have now elapsed since, in a paper entitled " Irish
Topographical Botanj^ : Supplement, 1 901-1 905," and pub-
lished by the Royal Irish Academy,"* I summed up the
additions to our knowledge of plant distribution in Ireland,
which had been made during the fiv*e-year period mentioned.
The two years which have now succeeded have been fairly
fruitful, and a considerable list of new count}' records, in-
cluding some very interesting plants, has now to be dealt
with.

The most complete piece of work carried out has been Miss
Knowles' surve}^ of the Barony of Shanid,- resulting in a
plant-list larger than that previously existing for the whole
of Co. lyimerick (of which Shanid forms about one-seventh),
and the addition of about 60 plants to the county flora.
Some of these are very valuable additions. Rosa stylosa, dis-
carded from the Cork flora as a mere escape, must now be re-
admitted to the Irish list on the Limerick evidence. Glyceria
Foiicmidi is also new to Ireland ; G, feshtccsformis has its only
previous Britannic habitat in Co. Down ; Rosa hibcrnica, as
previously known, was confined to the north-east; while Rosa
glauca and Epilobmin angiistifolmvi have each only one pre-
vious station in the southern half of Ireland. It should be
remarked that some of these plants were published in time
to be included in my 1 901 -1905 Supplement, and therefore
are not given in the lists which follow.

^ Proc. R.I. A., xxvi., Sect. B. No. 2.
» Irish Nat. xvi., 1 85-201. 1907.

190S Pkaeger. — Irish Topographical Botany. 29

Mr. Phillips has continued his study of the southern
Brambles.^ R. longithyrsiger^ previously known only as var.
botryeros^ is now recorded from Ireland in the typical form ;
and R. airvidens^ a sub-species of R, a7iglosaxo?iiais, is also
new to the country. R. Borceanus is also practically new to
Ireland, some doubt having arisen regarding the only other
record (Aghaderg, Co. Down).

Mr. G. C. Druce paid us a welcome visit in the autumn of

1906, and in the course of a rapid tour amassed an interesting
series of notes.^ He added Rubies thyrsoideus^ and the segre-
gate Rhinanthus monticola^ to the Irish flora, gathered a new
variety of Agrostis caniiia (var. Icevis. Hackel) on Brandon,
extended the range of Thymus ChavKsdrys northward into
Sligo, and that of Scilla ver7ia southward into Wexford, and
happily stumbled across a solution of the question of the
occurrence of the American Polygonum sagittatum in Kerry.

As regards work dealing with individual species, northern
botanists carry off the palm. Mr. Tomlinson's discovery^
that Spiranthes Romanzoffiana grows in abundance in several
stations on the northern side of lyough Neagh is of the very
highest interest to botanists throughout Europe. The local
Vetch, Vicia Orobus, of which only one plant has been known
to grow in Ulster for the last thirt3^-four years, has been
shown by Mr. Lilly* to occur on the adjoining Antrim moors
in a num.ber of stations, which number has been added to by
Mr. Tomlinson. °

Mrs. Leebody's find*^ of Glyceria aquatica near Bally-
shannon, gives a first station in the north-west of Ireland for
this Central Plain grass. Mr. Davies^ has found Galitcm
sylvestre in Down, and shown that Dr. Moore's discarded
Antrim record for the same plant is correct, thus extending
the range of this local species from the west to the east side
of Ireland. Mr. Waddell^ reports the identification (we hope
final) of a puzzling Saintfield Hawkweed, which has mas-
queraded under several names, as H. serratifrons^ var.
Cinderella ; this species has not hitherto been recorded in
Ireland, save from Kerry and I^imerick.

^ Irish Nat. xv., 1 18-120. 1906. 2 j^id., xvi., 146-153. 1907. ^ Ibid.^
xvi., 311-314- I907' ^ ^bid,, xv., 267-268. 1906. ^ /^/^^^ ^vi., 349-350.

1907. ^ Ibid., XV., 233. 1906. ''Ibid., xvi., 321 322. T907. ^ Ibid, xvi.,
350. 1907.

30 The Irish Naturalist, February

I myself have been spending some time in the West.
Inishturk has been surveyed,^ and the range of Hclian-
thanuni giittatum extended into West MaN'o. Lough Carra
has been examined;- its best plant being Ncoiiiiea intacta (in
three stations), which here reaches its northern limit in
Ireland and in Europe. The extreme south-western corner
of Connemara has been shown '^ to possess a ver}* interesting
group of calcicole plants. Of these, Ncotijica intacta, Ajiiga
pyramidalis^ and Euphrasia Salisbingcusis have not previously
been known except on the limestone pavements (the last also
on limestone hills). Ranuncidiis scotiais^ has been found to
come down from its sub-alpine stations in Achill and Fer-
managh, and to grow abundauth' on the limestone shores of
Lough Corrib.

In the matter of our alien flora, Miss Knowles^ has supplied
an interesting study of a large group of casuals growing
near Straffan. beside a house where grain siftings had been
used for feeding fowl. Such colonies of alien immigrants
are the recruiting ground for eventual additions to the per-
manent established flora, and deser^'e more attention than
they have hitherto received in this countr3'.

Before proceeding to list the new county records, two
records have to be withdrawn from " Irish Topographical
Botan}'.'' Both arise from clerical errors, the notes in each
case having been inadverrentl5^ placed under the wrong
division. These are : —

Caleopsis versicolor, Curt. — "Near Fox ford ;** attributed to

Galwa\- \V. ; belongs to Mayo E.
PoIypodiuiTi Phe&optcris, L. — " S.W. of Sheve Aughta f attributed

to Gaiway S.E. ; belongs to Clare.

I shall now, as in previous years, list the new county-
records first under their respective botanical divisions. All
published new records have appeared in the I?ish Naturalist,
which has made it an eas}' matter to give, by means of a
volume and page number, a reference in each case to the
original record. Then the new county records will be
re-listed in sj'stematic order : and, finally, those records
which have not been published (on this occasion few in
number) will be dealt with, and particulars of each given.

* Irish NcU., xvi.j 113-125. 1907. *Ibid., xv., 207-214. 1906. ^ Ilfid., xv., 257-
266, 1906; and xvi., 241-243, 1907. * Ibid., x^-i., 159. 1907. ^Rid., xv., 143-
150. 1906.

i9o8. Praeger.— /m/^ Topographical Botajiy. 31

New Records arranged under County Divisions.

r. Kerry South

Rubus thyrsoideus, xvi., 148.

2. Kerry North. —
Fumaria capreolata, xvi., 147.

3. Cork West.—

Rubus silvaticus, xv., 119.
pyramidalis, xv., 119.

4. Cork Mid. —

Rubus erythrinus, xv., 118.
argentatus, xv., 119.
silvaticus, xv., 119.
leucostachys, xv., 119.
Borseanus, xv., 119.

5. Cork East.—

Rubus dumnoniensis, xv., 118.
argentatus (type and robus-

tus), XV., 119.
silvaticus, xv., 119.
myricse (hesperius), xv., 119.
Questierii, xv., 119.
micans, xv., 119.
pyramidalis, xv., 119.
Borseanus, xv., 119.

8. Limerick. —

Ranunculus Drouetii, xvi., 195.
peltatus, xvi., 195.
Lingua.
Cochlearia danica, xvi., 196.
Sagina maritima, xvi., 196.
Ulex Gallii, xvi., 197.
Rubus silvaticus, xv. , 119,
infestus, xv., 120.
mutabilis, xvi., 197.
Marshalli (semiglaber), xvi.,
197.
Rosa glauca (subcristata), xvi.,
198.

9. Cl,ARE.—
*Papaver somniferum.
Lepidium hirtum.
Linuni angustifolium.

Polygonum maculatum, xvi., 150.

Origanum vulgare, xvi., 150.

Rubus longithyrsiger, xv., 120

foliosus, XV., 120.
Carex vesicaria, xvi., 304.

Rubus oigocladus, xv., 120.

Koeleri (cognatus), xv., 120.
Marshalli, xv., 120.
dumetorum (raduliformis),

XV., I2Q.

Rubus anglosaxouicus (cur-
videus), XV., 119.

echinatus, xv., 120.

Babingtonii, xv., 120.

scaber, xv., 120.

foliosus, XV., 120.

dumetorum (type and radu-
liformis), XV., 120.

Rosa stylosa (systyla), xvi., 198.

Epilobium angustifolium, xvi.,
198.

Hieracium vulgatum, xvi., 198.
*Lycium barbarum, xvi., 199.
*Marrubium vulgare, xvi., 199.

Galeopsis versicolor, xvi., 199.

Lamium hybridum, xvi., 199.

Glyceria festucseformis, XV., 279.

Chara aspera (capillata), xvi., 201.

Agrimonia odorata.
♦Polygonum Bistorta.
Hordeum secalinum.

32 The Irish NaturalisU February,

lo. TiprERARY North.— *Fceuiculum officinale.

II, KlI^KENNY. —

Potentilla procumbens, xv., 189.
Rosa spiuosissima, xv,, 43.

involuta, xv., 43.

rubigiuosa, xv., 43.

Rosa sepium, xv., 43.
Populiis tremula, xv., 189.
Poa nemoralis, xv., 189.
^quisetum hyemale.

12. Wexford. —

Agrimoiiia odorata, xvi., 14S.
Arctium Newbouldii, xvi., 149.

13. Cari^ow.—

14. Queen's County.—
Nasturtium palustre.

*Cheiranthus Cheiri.

15. Gai^way South-east

Vicia Orobiis, xvi., 148.

Scilla veriia, xvi., 152.

*Trifolium agrarium.

Callitriclie stagualis.
Bidens tripartita.

Agrimonia odorata, xvi., 148.
Lycopodium clavatum.

16, Gateway West.—

Ranunculus scoticus, xvi., 159.
♦Chelidonium majus, xv., 263.

Sagina maritima, xv., 263.

Geranium columbinum, xvi., 241.
*Trifolium hybridum, xv , 264.

Prunus Avium, xv., 264.

Apium graveolens, xv., 264.
♦Petroselinum sativum, xv., 264.

Sium angustifolium, xv., 264.

CEnanthe Phellandrium, xv , 264.

Caucalis nodosa, xv., 264.

Galium sylvestre, xv., 264.
♦Petasites fragrans, xv., 265.

17. Gateway North-east. —

Ranunculus scoticus, xvi., 159.
*Clielidoniuui majus, xv., 263.

Sisymbrium Alliaria, xv., 263.
{Lychnis Githago, xv., 263.

Lotus uligiuosus, xv., 264.

Vicia hirsuta. xv., 264.
angustifolia, xv., 264.
:j:Prunus Cerasus, xv., 265.

Rosa rubigiuosa.

Euphrasia Salisburgensis, xv.,

265.
Utricularia vulgaris, xv., 265.
Mentha sativa, xv., 265.
Lamium intermedium, xv., 265.
Ajuga pyramid alis, xvi., 243.
*Cheuopodium Bonus-Henricus,

XV., 265.
Atriplex hastata, xv., 265.
Rum ex Hydrolapathum, xv.,265.
Lemna trisulca, xv , 266.
Carex teretiuscula, xv., 266.

vulpina, XV., 266.
Poa nemoralis, xv., 266.
Glyceria maritima, xv., 266.
Festuca elatior, xv., 266.

Callitriche stagnalis, xv., 265.

Peplis Portula, xv., 265.
:}:Smyrnium Olusatrum, xv., 264.

Pimpinella magna, xv., 264.

Scandix Pecten-veneris, xv., 264.

CEnanthe crocata, xv., 264.

Valerianella olitoria, xv., 264.
* Inula Helenium, xv., 264,
*Tanacetum vulgare, xv., 265.

tQoS.

PRAEGER. — Irish Topographical Botany.

Z7>

♦Crepis biennis, xv., 265.

Mentha sativa, xv., 265.

Stachys arvensis, xv., 265.
*Chenopodium Konus-Henricus,
XV.. 265.

Polygonum Hydropiper.

Empetrum nigrum, xv., 265.

Juniperus nana, xv., 265.
Potamogeton perfoliatus, xv. ,

266.
Carex vulpina, xv., 266.
Glyceria plicata, xv., 266.

18. King's County.—
Vicia augustifolia.
Potentilla procumbens.
Callitriche stagnalis.
Rumex Hydrolapathum.

Juncus obtusiflorus.
Sparganium simplex.
Glyceria plicata.

19. KlI^DARE.—

Potentilla procumbens.

21. Dubinin. —

•fAllium Scorodoprasum, xvi.,348.
Aspidium aculeatum, xvi., 178.

26. Mayo East. —

Viola Reichenbachiana, xv., 211.
Prunus Avium, xv., 212.

Pad as, XV., 212.
Myriophyllum spicatum,xv.,2ii.
JAnthemis Cotula, xv., 2r3.
Hieracium iricum, xv., 213.
Euphorbia exigua, xv., 213.

27. Mayo West.—
Helianthemum guttatum, xvi.,

121.
Sagina subulata, xvi., 121.
Rubus erythrinus, xvi., 122.

Bidens tripartita.

Ivycopodium alpinum^ xvi., 368.

Ulmus montana, xv., 211.
Juniperus nana, xv., 214.
Taxus baccata, xv., 212.
Neottia Nidus-avis, xv., 212.
Ivistera cordata, xv., 213.
ILolium temulentum, xv., 213.

Rubus macrophyllus, xvi., 148.
Borreri, xvi., 122.

28. S1.100.—

Rubus macrophyllus, xvi., 148.

30. Cavan —

Lysimachia Nummularia.
Lathrsea squamaria, xvi., 132.

|Mentha piperita, xvi., 150.
Thymus Chamsedrys, xvi., 150.

{Mentha rotundifolia.

33. Fkrmanagh.—

Callitriche autumnalis.

34. Donegai, East. —
Ranunculus Lingua.

Glyceria aquatica, xv., 233.

A 3

34

The Irish Naturalist.

Febiuarv

36. Tyrone. —

Ranunculus heteropliyllus, xv., 186.
*Carum Carui. Carex Hudsonii.

Pyrola minor. prnecox.

38 Down. —

*Lepidium Draba, xvi., 222.
Galium sylvestre, xvi., 321.

39. Antrim.

Galium svlvestre, xvi . -?22.
Dipsacus sylvestris.

40. Londonderry. —

Hieracium serratifrons (Cinder-
ella), xvi., 350.

tLeucojum aestivuni, xv. , 170.

Lepidium campestre, xv . 187.

New Records arranged systematically,
with division numbers appended.

Ranunculus Drouetii, 8.
heteropliyllus, 36.
peltatus, 8.
scoticus, 16, T7.
Lingua, 8, 34.
*Papaver sonmiferum, 9.
*Chelidonium majus, 16, 17.

Fumaria capreolata, 2.
*Cheiranthus Cheiri, 14.
Nasturtium palustre, 14.
Cochlearia danica, 8.
Sisymbrium Alliaria, 17.
Lepidium campestre, 40.
hirtum, 9.

* Draba, 38.
Helianthemum guttatum, 27.
Viola Reichenbacliiana, 26.

:tLyclinis Gitbago, 17.

vSagina maritima, 8, 16.
subulata, 27.

Linum an gusti folium, 9.

Geranium columbinum, 16.

Ulex Gallii, 8.
•Trifolium hybridum, 16.

• agrarium, 13.
Lotus uliginosus, 17.
Viciahirsuta, 17.

Orobus, 15.
angustifolia, 17, 18.

Prunus Avium, 16, 26.
X Cerasus, 17.

Padus, 26.
Rubus erythrinus, 4, 27.

dumnoniensis, 5.

tliyrsoideus, i.

argentatus, 4, 5 (type and
robustus).

silvaticus, 3, 4, 5, 8.

myricse, 5 (hesperius).

macrophyllus, 27, 28.

Questierii, 5.

micans, 5.

pyramidalis, 3, 5.

leucostachys, 4.

Borseanus, 4, 5.

anglosaxonicus, 5 (curvi-
dens).

Borreri, 27.

infestus, 8.

ecbiuatus, 5.

oigocladus, 4.

Babingtonii, 5.

mutabilis, 8.

scaber, 5.

longithyrsiger, 3.

foliosus, 3, 5.

Koeleri, 4 (cognatus)

Marshalli, 4, 8 (semiglaber)

<•

rgoS

Praeger- — h'ish Topogiaphical Botany

Yt^

Rubus dumetorum 4 (raduliformis).

5 (type and raduliformis).
Poteutillaprocumbens, II, i8, 19.
Agrimonia odorata, 9.. 12, 15.
Rosa spinosissima, 11.
iuvoluta, II.
rubigiiiosa, 11, 17.
sepiuni, 11.

glauca, 8 (subcristata).
sty]osa, 8 {s3-st3-la).
Myriophyllum spicatum, 26.
Callitriche stagnalis, 14, 17, 18.

autuinnalis, ^2>-
Peplis Portula, 17.
Epilobium augustifolium, 8.
JSmyrnium Olusatrum, 17.
Apium graveolens, 16.
*Petroselinum sativum, 16.
*Carum Carui, 36,
Siiim angustifolium, 16.
Pimpinella magua, 17-
Scandix Pecten-veneris, 17.
tFoeniciihim officinale, 10.
CEnanthe Phellandrium, 16.

crocata, 17,
Caucalis nodosa, t6.
Galium sylvestre, 16, 38, 39.
Valerianella olitoria, 17.
Dipsacus sylvestris, 39.
*Inula Helenium, 17.
Bidens tripartita, 14, 19.
tAuthemis Cotula, 26,
*Tanacetum officinale, 17,
*Petastes fragraus, 16.
Arctium Newbouldii, 12.
Hieracium iricum, 26.

serratifrous, 38 (Cinderella),
vulgatum, 8.
*Crepis biennis, 17.
Pyrola minor, 36.
*L3'simachia Nummularia, 30.
*Lycium barbarum, 8.
Euphrasia Salisburgensis, 16.
Lathrsea squamaria, 30.
Utricularia vulgaris, 16.
:J:Mentlia rotundifolia, 30.
X piperita, 28.
sativa, 16, 17.

Origanum vulgare, 2.
Thymus. Chamsedrys, 28.
•IVIarrubium vulgare, 8.
Stach^-s arvensis, 17.
Galeopsis versicolor, 8.
Lamium intermedium, 16.

hybridum, 8.
Ajuga pyramidalis, 16.
*Chenopodium Bonus-Henricus,
16, 17.
Atriplex hastata, 16.
Polygonum Hydropiper, 18.
macxilatum, i.
* Bistorta, 9
Rumex Hydrolapathum, t6, 18.
Euphorbia exigua, 26.
Ulmus montana, 26.
Populus tremula, 11.
Empetrum nigrum, 17.
Juniperus nana, 17, 26-
Taxus baccata, 26.
Neottia Nidus-avis, 26.
Listera cordata, 26.
fLeucojum sestivum, 39.
tAllium Scorodoprasum, 21.
Scilla verna, 12.
Juncus obtusiflorus. 18.
Spargauium simplex, iS,
Lemna trisulca, 16.
Potamogeton perfoliatus. [7.
Carex teretiuscula, 16.
vulpina, 16, 17
Hudsonii, 36.
praecox, 36.
vesicaria, 3.
Poa nemoralis, 11, 16.
Glyceria plicata, 17, 18.
aquatica, 34.
maritima, 16.
festucasformis, 8.
Festuca elatior, 16,
tlyolium temulentum, 26.
Hordeum secalinum, 9.
Aspidium aculeatum, 21.
Equisetum hyemale, ii.
Lycopodium clavatum, 15.

alpinum, 21.
Chara aspera, 8 (capil'ata).

3^ The Irish Naturalist. February,

Particulars of Unpublished New Records.

Ranunculus Llngrua, L.

S. Limerick. Lough Gur, 1906 (Mr. Kennedy)— Miss Knowles.
34. Donegal E. Port Lough, 1907 (D. C. Campbell)— Mrs. Leebody.
♦Papavcr somnlferunn, L.

9. Cl<ARB. Canon Island, 1907 — Miss Knowles.
♦Cheranthus Chelrl, L.

14. Queen's Co. Abundant on Lea Castle, Portarlington, 1906— P.
Nasturtium palustre, DC.

14. Queen's Co. Roadside near Lea Castle, 1906— P.
Lepldlum hlrtum, Smith.

9 CivARE. Near Kilfiddane church, 1907 — Miss Knowles.
Linum angrustifolium, Huds.

9. C1.ARE. Common by the Shannon, between Labasheeda and
Killadysart, 1907 — Miss Knowles.

15. Gai^way S.E. Meadow between Woodford and Lough Derg

(M. Dowd)— More, Recent Add., 1872. In Irish Top, Bot. this
record was withheld, as the station lay far outside the appa-
rently well-marked south-eastern range of the plant, and had
not been verified in this well-worked locality. The recent
findmg of the plant in Limerick and S. Clare goes far to bridge
over the gap in its distribution, and the probability would seem
to be that the record is correct.
*TrlfoIium agrarium, L.

13. Cari^ow. Old Grange, 1868 (D. B. Pack-Beresford spec.)— Miss

Knowles,
Vicia ang^ustlfolla, L.

18. King's Co. Crinkle near Birr, 1906— Miss Annette Hemphill !
Potentllla procumbens, Sibth. ,

18. King's Co. North-west of Monasterevan, 1906— P.

19. Kii^DARE. Near Monasterevan, 1906 — P.
Agrrimonla odorata, Mill.

9. Ci<ARE. West of Killadysart, 1907 — Miss Knowles.
Rosa rublg^lnosa, L.

17. Gai^wav N.E. Three miles south of Tuani, 1906— Miss Joyce.
Callitrlche stagnalls, Scop.

14. Queen's Co. Near Lea Castle, Portarlington, 1906.— P.
18 King's Co. North-west of Monasterevan, 1906— P.

C. autumnalls, L.

33. Fermanagh. Blaney Bay, 1906— W. N. Tetley!
♦Carum Carul, L.

36. Tyrone. Duugannon, and established at Arboe, 1906 — R. W.
Bingham !
tFoenlculum ofTlclnale, Mill.

10. TippERARY N. A good colony on roadside 2-3 miles west of
Nenagh, 1906 — W. F. Gunn.

1908 Prakgkr. — Irish Topographical Botany. 37

Dipsacus sylvestriSi Huds.

39. Antrim. About 50 plants among brambles on spoil-bank of a
chalk quarry, one mile N.E. of Moira, 1906 — N. H. Foster I
Bidens trlpartitaf L.

14. Queen's Co. Near Lea Castle, Portarlington, 1906— P.

19. Kii^DARE. Monasterevan, 1906 — P.
Pyrola minor, L.

36. Tyrone. Fadross, Clogber, 1907— Miss Peck !
♦Lysimachia Nuininularia, L.

30. Cavan. Two miles from Belturbet, 1904 — W. A. Barnes.
{IVIentha rotundifolia, Huds.

30. Cavan. Duugummin, two miles from Oldcastle, 1904 — W. A.
Barnes.
Polygonum Hydropiper, L.

t8. King's Co. North-west of Monasterevan, 1906— P.
Rumex Hydrolapathum, Huds.

18. King's Co. Ballycumber, 1906— P.
*P, Bistorta, L.

9. CiyARE. Killaloe, 1906 — Miss Annette Hemphill
Juncus obtusiflorus, Ehrh.

18. King's Co. North side of R. Barrow near Lea Castle, 1906 — P,
Sparganium simplex, Huds.

18. King's Co. By R. Barrow, east of Lea Castle, 1906— P.
Carcx Hudsonii, Ar. Benn.

36. Tyrone. Near Dungannon, 1906 — R. W. Bingham!
C. praecox, Jacq.

36. Tyrone. Dungannon, 1906 — R. W. Bingham

Glyceria plicata, Fr.

18. King's Co. Ballycumber, 1906 — P.
Hordcum secalinum, Schreb.

9. Ci^ARE. Near Killadj'sert pier ; abundant in a swampy meadow
on Deer Island, 1907— Miss Knowles.
Equisetum hycmalc, L.

II. Kilkenny. Castletown, 1907 (W. S. Irving)— Miss Knowles.
Lycopodium clavatum, L.

15. Galway S.E. Attymon bog— Mrs. Joyce.

NEWS GLEANINGS.

Rowland Southern^ B.Sc.

Our hearty congratulations to our valued contributor, Rowland
Southern, of the National Museum, Dublin, who has lately obtained his
degree in science at the University of London with 2nd-class honours in
zoology.

38 The Irish Naturalist. Februarj',

Lichen Exchange Club.

We are glad to learn » from the receipt of a small pamphlet, the first
official publication of the Lichen Kxchauge Club of the British Isles,
that the proposal recently made by Mr. A. R. Horwood that such a club
should be founded, has borne fruit. There can be no doubt that in our
islands the study of lyicheus has been lagging behind, and if the success
of the Moss Exchange Club may be takeu as a guide, the foundation of
this Society ought to help to direct more attention lo the group. The
first list of members contains sixteen names, most of them of well-known
cryptogamic botanists. The distributor for the year is Rev. H. P. Reader.
Holy Cross Priory, I^eicester, and the Secretary A. R. Horwood, Iveicester
Corporation Muse am.

REVIEW.

BRITISH BIRDS.

Birds of Britain, By J. Lewis BonhoTe, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S..
M.B.O.U., with loo illustrations in colour selected b}^ H. E). DrEvSSER
from his " Birds of F)urope." London : A. & C. Black, 1907. Pp.
^' + 399- Price 205-. net.
The appearance of Mr. Bouhote's book almost synchronizes with his
appointment as Secretary of the British Ornithologists' Union, and we
congratulate him on both events. His book will never take the place of
his predecCvSsor's well-known and valued "Manual," but nevertheless it
possesses distinct merit of its own, audit contains particulars of eighteen
species not included in Saunders' work, these having been added to the
list of our avifauna since the latter's publication. The reading of Mr-
Bonhote's book has given us great pleasure. The condensed descriptions
of the birds are usually well done, and are better than most compressed
accounts with which we are familiar. Written in a popular style, the
author shows a close personal acquaintance with all the commoner British
birds, and his pen-pictures of the manners and customs of many of his
feathered favourites are admirably done. The descriptions of the
scenery to be associated w' ith some of our birds are also very good and
are evidently written first-hand from nature. Most of the coloured
plates, which are taken from Dresser's " Birds of Europe," are life-like
and excellent (such as the Magpie and Wryneck, for example), but some
of them are very crude in colouration (see plates of Robin, Whitethroat,
Hedge-Sparrow, Wren, Tree-Creeper, Barn Owl [right figure] and Part-
ridge), while in plate 100, the names of the two birds figured are reversed.
Indeed the book shows traces of hurry in production, as it is marred by
a number of misprints (Orphaen, p. 44, cornata, p. 239, boschas, p. 241,
Shoveller, p. 245, bardi.p. 326, pheopus, p, 348, Buffous, pp. 374-5, &c., &c.,
and at least five plates contain misprints), while in our copy eight pages
are inserted twice. In the dimensions, Mr. Bonhote as a rule gives

r9o8. Reviews. 39

Sauuders' figures, but a few are slightly different, while the following are
evidently typographical errors -length of Golden Eagle, 23 ins. ; length
of Macqueen's Bustard, 38 ins. ; of Avocet, 10 ins ; of Purple Sandpiper
8*57 ins. ; of Great Black-backed Gull, 23 ins.

We doubt the statement (p. 40) that the Nightingale sometimes ex-
ceeds in size the Greater Nightingale, or " Sprosser," while the assertion
that the Nightingale is "only known to the south-east of a line froni
the Humber to the Severn," is quite wrong, according to the latest infor-
mation. (See " Birds of Yorkshire," p. 50).

We must confess to a feeling of disappointment that the book does not
give more information in regard to the Anatidse, of which group the
author keeps so man}' species in confinement, and in which he has been
so successful in hybridisation. A full detailed description of the down
lining the nests of the various species would have been most valuable.
On page 361, the remarkable statement is made that in winter the bill
and legs of the Black-headed Gull are white ! And in describing the
summer plumage of the same bird, the words " Bill and legs much darker
than in summer" only makes more confusion in the mind of the young
student On the other hand, we have nothing but praise for the descrip-
tion of the nesting place of the Kentish Plover on p. 301. "... and it
will never be met with unless a special journej' is made to that lonely
stretch of shore which is its only home in these Islands." Bgg-dealers
will not make much out of that description !

When we come to examine the book from the stand-point of the Irish
ornithologist, we regret to find that the references to our island are often
misleading, and sometimes quite erroneous. A closer perusal of Ussher's
" Birds of Ireland," and the pages of this Journal since the publication of
that work, would have modified many of Mr. Bonhote's statements, and
with such information easily available, English ornithologists have no
excuse for misleading their readers regarding Irish bird-life. For in-
stance, one would think the Siskin did not breed here; the Brambling
" has only occurred at very irregular intervals" ; the Crossbill " has
nested at irregular intervals" ; one would infer that the Magpie was
local and scarce here ; the nesting colonies of Gannets '• are pretty well
distributed round our coasts, especially in Scotland and Ireland'''' ; the oc-
currence of the Pink-footed Goose in Ireland ■' is not yet authenticated" ;
the Gadwall is not so rare here as one would suppose ; the breeding of
the Scoter in Ireland is not mentioned ; of colonies of the Sandwich
Tern "Ireland can only boast of one, in the North" ; the Great Crested
Grebe " nests in several localities" ; while the only numbers of Irish
occurrences given (Red-necked Grebe) are w'rong ! These instances are
picked out at random and could be added to, but such statements should
not have been allowed to pass. We hope ere a second edition is called
for more attention will be given to the Irish records. The book is well
printed and bound, the pages have wide margins, and, so far as English
information is concerned, it leaves little to be desired. Its value lies in its
original descriptions of bird-life and habits, and for these we cordially

welcome it.

R. P.

40 The Irish Naturalist- February,

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include a Reeves Pheasant, a Silver Pheasant, and three
Golden Pheasants from Mr. W. T. Potts, a White Cock Pheasant (first
cross between Common and Mongolian Pheasant) from Capt. Longworth
Dames, a Blue and Yellow Macaw from Miss C. P. Widdup, a pair of
Swans and a Canadian Goose from Major Cusack, a Hawk from Mr.
Johnston, a Cub Otter from Mr. Macdermott, and a Budgerigur from
Miss MacDonnell. An East African Galago, two Badgers, an Eagle, and
a Peregrine Falcon have been acquired b}- purchase.

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

December it.— The Club met at Leinster House, Dr. G. H. Pp:thv-
BRIDGE (Vice-President) in the chair.

W. F. GuNN exhibited a specimen of Japanese wood paper. This
paper is made from very thin la3-ers of wood super-imposed and
cemented on sheets of thin ordinar}' paper, and gives a surface with the
appearance of polished timber. The combined thickness of the two
layers is about -^\q of an inch, and, assuming that each layer is of equal
thickness, would give a thickness of about gig for the upper layer of
wood. The species of wood used in the preparation of the paper was
not ascertained, but the distance between the annual rings indicates
that it is one of rapid growth, and possessing few vessels. Small por-
tions mounted in balsam make excellent microscopic slides,

J. N. HalberT showed the common green Hydra {Hydra viridis)
found among moss in a rapid stream, at a considerable elevation on
Kilmashogue Mountain, Co. Dublin. Such a locality is rather imusual
for this species.

R. Southern showed a specimen of the polychaet worm, Dasychone
bonibyx (Johnston), which was dredged from several localities in Dublin
Bay. The most striking characteristic of this species is the presence of
numerous compound eyes on the tentacles, which form a crown round
the head of the worm. This species is widely distributed in the North
Atlantic, but has not yet been recorded from Irish waters.

Dr. G. H. PeThybridge exhibited a mildew, Erysiphe tortilis (Wallr.),
Fr., in its perithecial stage, found parasitic on the leaves of a species of
Cornus, probably C. sani^tiinea, growing at the Albert College, Glasnevin.
This is the first record for this fungus in Ireland.

F. W. Moore exhibited Sphaerella Taxi^ Cooke, a fungus which is
found growing on yew trees. It is said to grow only on dead leaves, and
not to be a destructive fungus, a view which the exhibitor could not
accept. He showed dead leaves, and also healthy green leaves, with
Spaerella Taxi on them in various stages of development. Exhibitor had
found it in Counties Kildare, Louth, and Dublin, and in each instance
the symptons of the attack were similar.

1908. P7 oceedings of Irish Societies* 41

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

December 14— Botanicai, Section. — A meeting was held in the
Museum, when two short papers were read ; by, W. J. C. Tomi^inson on
" Local Botanical Field Work in 1907," illustrated by mounted specimens
of rare plants collected during the season, and by Svi^VANUS Wear on
"Cluster-cups, &c.," illustrated by special micro-slides.

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL

SOCIETY.

January 14.— Prof. Gregg Wii^son, D.Sc, M.R.I. A., lectured on
" ' Primitive Australia ' : An account of some of the more notable features
of Plant life, Animal life, and the habits of the Aborigines." The paper
was illustrated by a special series of lantern views.

OBITUARY.

LORD KELVIN.

In Lord Kelvin, the most distinguished Irishman of our time has passed
away. In the widest sense no greater naturalist has ever lived. The
laws of energy, which he did so much to establish, control the lives of
all living beings. Energy as an entity of varying form was not under-
stood till his work, along with that of Carnot, Joule, and Helmholtz,
founded the great conception : the most fertile ever brought into science.

His more detailed work for natural science was the invention of the
deep-sea sounding-wire. This has been instrumental in revealing a
new world to us, as unlike our aerial world as if originated on another
planet.

In geology he was a pioneer in exact methods. The impatience with
which his mathematical restrictions were received by contemporary
geologists show how much the new methods of exact induction were
required. No matter how plausible the hypothesis, when experiment
and mathematical reasoning enter the field, the only weapons are those
of exact science, or, failing these, submission. Much has changed since
the time when physicist and geologist contended over the period since
the consistentior stains. But the change is largely due to Lord Kelvin.

J. Joi,y.

42 The bish Naturalist, February,

ADMIRAL SIR F. L. M'CLINTOCK, K.C.B., F.R.S.

We regret to record the death in London on November 17th of last.
5'ear of the distinguished Irishman Admiral Sir Francis Leopold
M'Clintock, who commanded the steam-yacht " Fox", that sailed to the
Arctic Seas in 1857 in search of the Franklin Expedition, and returned
in 1S59, bringing home authentic intelligence of the death of Sir John
Franklin at King William's Land on June nth. 1847.

M'Clintock had also accompanied the three expeditions in 1848, 1850,
and 1852, that had been sent out by the British Government in search of
Sir John Franklin and his companions. In these three expeditions he
distinguished himself by some remarkable sledge journeys, in thelast and
longest of which a distance of no less than 1,400 statute miles was made
over the desolate wastes and frozen seas in the hitherto unexplored region
northward of Melville Island. The north-east shore of Prince Patrick's
Land, and the off- lying Polynia Islands were explored, the northern-
most of these islands lying almost under the 78th parallel of latitude
being named Ireland's Eye.

M'Clintock appears to have taken a great interest in the Natural His-
tory of the regions traversed, and his paper " Reminiscences of Arctic
Ice-Travel in Search of Sir John Franklin and his Companions,"'' con-
tains interesting observations on the mammals, birds, fossils, &c., of
Griffith's Island, Melville Island, and neighbouring islands of Arctic
North America.

During his residence in the Arctic Regions M'Clintock made valuable
collections of mammals, birds, shells, &c., which he presented to the
Natural History Museum in Dublin, the capital of his native country,
The following are some of the more important donations :— Skeletons
and skins of Musk Ox from Melville Island, skin of a very large Polar
Bear from Bellot Strait, skins of Eider Ducks and various Gulls. These
were mounted and have long been exhibited in the Museum. The first
authentic egg of the Ivory Gull (Zarz/j- ebnmens) that had been brought
to Europe was obtained by M'Clintock in June, 1853, at Prince Patrick's
Land (lat. 77-25 N , long. T16 W.), The &»% is preserved in the Dublin
Museum ; it was figured and the nidification of this gull described by
Carte.'

An extensive and valuable collection of rocks and fossils was also
brought home by M'Clintock, and deposited in the Dublin Museum.
These were examined by the late Rev. S. Haughton.2 who described and
figured several new species of fossils, including a very fine Trilobite
{Croitms arctiacs), an interesting Liassic fossil {Ammonites APClinloc/ci),
Ort hoc eras Griffithi^ <s^c.

From 1865 to 1868 M'Clintock was commodore of the Jamaica station.
While there he sent to the Museum collections of fishes and marine inver-
tebrates from Barbadoes and Jamaica, also two skins of the rare Petrel,

^ Jotirnal Royal Dublin Society, vol. i. 1858.

« lb., vols, i.-iii., 1858-62 ; and Appendix No. iv. to " the Voyage of
the ' Fox ' in the Arctic Seas," London, 1859.

1908. , Obituary. , 43

Oestrelata carMim, Carte.^ This Petrel (known in Jamaica as the " Blue
Mountain Duck ") lives in burrows in the mountains, and, owing to the
introduction of the Mongoose, is stated to be in danger of becoming
exterminated.

A. R. N.

REV. S. A. BRENAN.

Samuel Arthur Brenan, B.A., who died at his rectory at Cushendun,
Co. Antrim, last January, at the age of 72 years, was a botanist of con-
siderable ability, and a close observer of nature. During a long residence
in the Glens of Antrim, he acquired a very complete knowledge of the
northern flora, and to a less extent of the fauna. He was not a scientific
writer, and his published work consists of a few notes contributed to the
Journal of Botany and to the Irish NaUir-alist. He was the finder oi Hiera
siwn tridenfahini at Marble Arch, Co. Fermanagh, which still remains
its only Irish station ; and he enriched our knowledge of the Antrim flora
with new stations for several of its rarer plants.

R. Lr.. P.

EDWARD A. L. BATTERS.

The death of E. A. L. Batters, B.A., LL.B., F.Iv.S.. at the premature
age of 46 years, has put a stop to the career of one of the most distin-
guished of British algologists. and one the bulk of whor>e work still lay
before him. With great energy he combined a keen eye and a highlj-
critical perception ; and when to these qualities a position of inde-
pendence is added, the way seemed clear for a long and fruitful study of
ihe large and difficult group which he had selected for research. He
had only just begun to make the acquaintance of Ireland as a collecting-
ground for his favourite plants. He promptly accepted an invitation to
take part in the investigation of the fauna and flora of Lambay, the
results of which were published in this journal last year, and as the result
of a week spent on the island in April, 1906, he contributed a very re-
markable list of over 200 species, no less than 20 of which had not
previously been recorded from Ireland, some of these being species of
great rarity. His loss will be deeply felt by Irish as well as by English
botanists.

R. I.I.. P.

Proc. Zoo I. Soc. Lond., 1866.

44 '^h^ Irish Natiiralist.'^ February, 1908.

NOTES.

ZOOLOGY.

Vitrina p3n:enaica in Ireland.

By the kindness of Mr. A. S. Kenuard, I have been enabled to examine

two living specimens of the Vitrina announced in the August number

of the Irish Naturalist (vol. xvL, p. 225) as V. elotigata. I have myself

captured and examined both elon^ata {semilimax) and pyrenaica in France ;

and I have no hesitation in pronouncing the Irish specimens sent to

me to be V. pyrenaica, Fer. Their anatomy is easily distinguishable from

that of V. semilimax.

E. W. BOWEI,!,.
Penshurst, Kent.

The Red-necked Phalarope in Ireland.

British Birds for November, 1907, contains an extremely readable
article on observations on the breeding habits of this interesting and
rare bird as observed by Hugh S. Gladstone, F.Z.S , at its Irish breeding-
haunt last season.

Black-cap in November.

On 25th November I found a small bird on my avenue which I made
sure was a Black-cap ; but lest there should be any doubt of it I sent it
at once to Messrs. Williams, of Dame-street, who confirmed my identifi-
cation Is it not unusual to find this bird so late in the season ? It had
evidently just died, and it certainly could not have been in the place I
found it the previous day, as I walked along there several times on the
Sunday.

Thos. B. Gibson.

Ferns, Co. Wexford.

3

Scarcity of Sparrows in Co. Clare.

It is very noticeable in this neighbourhood that Sparrows have almost
disappeared. In the spring a few were seen, but hardly any during the
summer months, and as far as I can find out they have not been observed
in other parts of the county. That birds which literally swarmed in this
place should have disappeared in one season is curious. It would be in-
teresting to ascertain if their absence has been noted elsewhere, and if
it has been accounted for in any way. Within the last week a few hen

Sparrows have been seen here.

D. C. Parkinson.

Enuis.

Irish Xatikamst. Vor.. X\'II.]

[rr.ATK 2.

Racli division = \o micra.

RaDUI^AR TRRTH of IvIMN^A.
Maj^nified 500 diatneters,

A, Liiinhiii iin'olnta. W [., pi.ctennh C, L. glabra. \), /.. liniosa.

'J'o fare J^at;,' 45. J

^

March, 1908. The Irish Naturalist, 45

ON LTMN.^A PR.ETENUIS, N.SP., AND L. GLABRA,

MiJLL.

BY REV. R. W. B0WEI.1..
[Pr.ATR 2.] ■

Through the kindness of Mr. A. S. Kennard I have received
original examples from Mr. A. W. Stelfox of the Limnsea
found by him and Mr. J. N. Milne in Lough Nagarriva, and
figured in his paper entitled " Further Notes on the Land
and Freshwater Mollusca of Cork West and Kerr}-," which
appeared in the September number of the Irish Natiiratist for
1907.1

Messrs. Stelfox and Milne give in that paper the opinions
of some leading conchologists who had examined the shell.
All referred it to that curious alpine group which includes
L> invot^da and L. Bttrne.tti. I have seen nothing of Biirnetti
but the shell, of which I possess a number of old specimens
from Loch Skene ; but of involuta Mr. Kennard placed several
in my hands for dissection, obtained at Crincaum Lough by
the same indefatigable collectors. With these latter came
one of the egg-masses mentioned in the paper above referred
to ; it contained six embryos, one of which was undeveloped ;
the remaining five (alt. about 0.7 mm.) all had intorted spires.
I was thus enabled to examine the embryonic radula of L.
involuta.

The peristome of LiynncEa glabra (of which Mr. Kennard
has sent me living specimens) is very similar to that of these
alpine species. Like them it moves rapidlj^ and exserts the
body from the shell. Its radula also presents points of re-
semblance ; perhaps the first that strikes one is the regularity
of the marginals, which in other Limnseas overlap one another
confusedly like strands of bedraggled seaweed. I have there-
fore added some notes on this species. One would at first
think that glabra must be quite distantl}' related to the
species in v.hich the spire is fat or intorted; but the}^ do in
fact seem to have ver}- much in common. To put it in a
designedly rough and metaphorical way : — Nature seems to

■• Irish Nat., vol xvi., 1907, p. 2S6.

46 The Irish Naturalist. March,

be attending to the subject of spires in this group — making
experiments in spires. Hence the negative and positive
variation is directed niainl}' to the .spire ; some forms have it
exceptional!}' high, ^vhile in others it is exceptionally low.
In the same wa}^ in the genus Vallonia we find costation
strongh' developed, and also its complete absence ; in the
radula of the difficult " glabra " group of Vitreae we find both
unusual shortening and unusual lengthening of the central
mesocone; other examples will occur to every student of the
Mollusca, in which a new and pronounced character is
accompanied in the same group of forms by its inversion.
The bearing of this upon the Mendelian hypothesis will be
evident. It may also be noted that if there is some such
affinity between LimncEa glabra and the alpine Limnaeas,
they may be in some sense alternative to one another, and
this would give a meaning to the recorded non-occurrence of
Z. glabra in the district where these latter are found.

At the suggestion of Mr. B. B. Woodward, I propose for
the Lough Nagarriva form the name of Limncea p7'(stcnuis^ in
allusion to its remarkabl}^ thin shell.

LlMN^A PR^.TENUIS, n.Sp.
{Irish Naturalist, vol. xvi., pp. 286-8, pi. 36.)

L. involutes proxima, testa ovata conglobata terete
neritiformi, subdiaphana, colore corneo, t.enuissima
(o"02 ad 0.03 mm.), striis notaia spiralibus minutissimis
exacte dispositis ; anfractibus quattuor rapide crescenti-
bus ; spira appressa parum eminente, interdum erosa ;
columella obliqua leviter contorta, subtus vix reflexa ;
apertura ovali subpyriformi, altitudinem gyri penultimi
psene duplicante. H. 9-10; d. 8-9 mm. Hab. : I^ough
Nagarriva.

The type specimens are in the collection of Mr. A. S.
Kennard. The extreme tenuity of the shell is further
exemplified by the fact that three specimens weighed less
than 3 milligrammes. It appears evident that this is not a
case of irregular or pathological variation, for all the animals
examined were " well set up," and appeared to be in every
way healthy examples of a fixed and uniform type. The

igoS. BowELL. — Limnoia prcBlcmiis, n.sp., &* Z. glabra. 47

slight differences which distinguish it from Z. mvohita were
uniformly present. The fragility of the shell may well
account for its rarity and isolation ; indeed, it is evidently not
made to be a " wanderer."

As in all the ovate Limnaeas which I have examined, the
bulk of the female part of the epididymis and the albumen
gland was relatively very great ; so much so as to suggest
that extreme development of these parts may be the pre-
disposing cause of the ovate condition of the shell. In one
i7ivohcta examined, the volume of these parts was three-

FlG. I.

Fig. 2.

Fig. I, Genital Organs of LimncEa pratenuis. Fig. 2, oi L. glabra.

Magnified 5 times.

quarters of that of the whole animal. Concutrentlj', the size
of the digestive glands is reduced, and the upper whorls
are shared about equally between these and the ovotestis.
One would naturally expect an animal of such propagative
construction to be short-lived ; and accordingly we find that
when adult it has only four whorls. With respect to relative
size of parts, L. glabra presents a converse condition. The
large specimens often to be seen in collections testify to its
capacity for longevity.

Of the accompanying figures, Nos. i and 2 represent the
genital organs of L. prcetemus and L. glabra respectivel3\

A 2

48

The LisJi Naturalist.

March,

The spermatheca in <iacli case has been moved out of its
natural position to show its shape, which is different from
that which prevails in the L. pereger group. In the Z,. ;^/-^-
ienuis the female side of the epididjniis has developed to such
an extent as to enwrap the rest of the apparatus. In these
figures N indicates the nidamental gland, and S the sperma-
theca.

The remaining figures (Plate 2) represent typical teeth from
the radulae of the species above mentioned. The general
aspect is ver}^ distinct in each case ; but considerations of
time have prevented me from giving drawings of a large
portion of each radula, as I had intended. These tracings of
typical teeth will serve to show the more striking points of
difference. Putting them in a tabular form, we have the
following comparison : —

See Plate 2.

Fig. A.
Iv- involuta.

1

Fig. B.
L- prsetenuis.

Fig. C.
Iv. glabra.

Fig. D.
Iv. lituosa
(pereger).

Central cone, .

Narrow.

Wide.

Narrow.

Wide.

Asymnietr}' of c.c, .

Marked.

1
More marked.'

Frequent.

Rare.

Basal plate of c.c,

Triangular.

Parallel.

Triangular.

Subparallel.

General appearance
of laterals.

Rounded.

Squared.

Rounded.

Diffused.

Ectocone of lat.,

Rounded.

Straight.

Rounded.

Irregular.

Kndocone of lat,

Short.

Short, s. bifid.

Long.

Short,
with acces.

Basal plates of lat., .

P3riform.

Subquadrate.

Quadrate.

Rhombiform

Marginals,

1 Slender.

Very wide.

Wide.

Claw-like.

Basal plates of m., .

Long,
, slanting.

i

Square,
straight.

Squared,
with tail.

Subpyrifonn.

I have in preparation notes on the actual numbers and
measurements of the radular teeth of the different lyimnseas,
and in these the figures relating to the above species will be
included.

Those who are interested in the preparation of radulae will
find it an advantage to try mounting in styrax, which (owing

19^8. BowEix. — Limn<^a p7-<2tenuis, n.sp.. ^^ L. glabra. 49

to its high R.I.) brings out the smallest details perfectly,
while introducing no undesirable aberrations from the objects
themselves. Stained or unstained material may be used at
pleasure.

Pensliurst, Kent.

REVIEWS.

ENGLISH AND IRISH CAVES.

The Netherworld of iVlendip: Explorations in the Great Caverns
of Somerset, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and elsewhere. B}- ErnesT A.
Bakrr, ma., and HERBERT E. Batch. 8vo. Pp. 12 + 172. Man}-
illustrations. Clifton : J. Baker, 1907.

Mr. Baker is well known as an intrepid cave-explorer, and as a writer
of breezy and picturesque descriptions of caverns, and of the often
exciting and dangerous work which attends their exploration. In the
present most readable volume he describes a number of the more famous
English caverns, and narrates the story of various attempts — sometimes
successful, sometimes unsuccessful — to penetrate their recesses In the
final chapter he deals with the famous cave of Mitchelstown, and gives
an account of his visit there in 1905, with results which he has already
reported in this Journal (/. Nat., vol. xv., pp. 29-36. Plate i ) The work
is profusely illustrated with subterranean photographs — some of which
are notably successful examples of a difficult brancli of cave work — and
can be confidently recommended both to the cave-explorer and to the
general reader.

R Ll. p.

The Science Year Book, with Astronomical, Physical, and Chemical

Tables, Summary of Progress in Science, Directory, Biographies and

Diary for 1908. Edited by Major B. F. S. Baden-PowE!.!., F.R.A.S.,

&c. Loudon: King, Sell and Odling, Ltd. Pp. 152 + 365. Price

5 J. net.

The present is the fourth issue of this valuable annual, which cannot
fail to be useful to naturalists and to men of science generally, the ar-
rangement of the diary, engagement lists, and other practical details
being especially convenient. The information in the Directory still
needs revision ; although the staff of the Irish Geological vSurvey is now
given correcth\ Col. G. T. Plunkett still appears as Director of the Dublin
Museum, and the late T. H. Longfield as Art Keeper, while the name of
Prof A. Dendy has not yet been included among the scientific staff of
King's College, London, nor that of Prof Gregg Wilson in Queen's
College, Belfast.

50 The Irish Naturalisl. March,

NOTES ON THE KERRY FLORA, 1907.

BY REGINALD W. SCUIXY, F.L-S.

Sincp: the publication of my last Kerry Notes in the Irish
Naturalist, 1904, pp. 77 and 128, several interesting plants
have been added to its flora, and the range of others much
extended. In addition to these Valeria^ia Mikanii can now
be definitely restored to its list. In " Irish Topographical
Botan}^ " this plant was recorded on nn- authorit}' as rather
frequent in both N. and S. Kerr}', but was withdrawn in my
Kerry Notes for 1904, p. 78 ; however, a plant quite agreeing
with Syme's form was gathered near Eistow^el in the summer
of 1904, so it is probable that this extreme form will be found
to occur sparingly elsewhere in the count3\ Mr. G. Claridge
Druce's visit to the south and west of Ireland in the autumn of
1906 {Ijish Naturalist, 1907, p. 146), added several critical
plants to the Kerry flora, such as Rhinanthtis vionticola^
Druce, Polygonum tomentosum, Schrank {P. viaculattivi),
Agrostis canina, var. lavis Hackel in litt.. and Kxleria gracilis
Pers. ; it also produced an interesting note as to a possible
source of introduction for the pricklj^ American Polygommi
sagittatuvi, Linn. When first found b}- me in 1889 in what
still appears to be its onh' known station in Europe, this
plant was shown to ni}^ friend, the late A. G. More, and the
locality described to him ; he immediately suggested American
grain as its probable source of introduction. Elderlj^ people
living in the neighbourhood have told me that the}^ can just
recall the existence of a very small mill on the streamlet that
flows beside the Polygoniwi locality and enters the sea at
Castlecove ; one, however, an old man quite sevent}' years of
age, said it had ceased to work before he was old enough to
remember things. Whether introduced here in the manner
stated by Mr. Druce's informant — the purchase by the owner
of this mill of a shipwrecked cargo of American grain— or as
I, personally, still think, through the distribution of relief in
the shape of Indian corn from the States during the terrible
famine period of 1847-48, in either case the plant appears to
have existed in this spot for a period of between 60 and 70
years. Diftlcult as the introduction of this plant is to account

1908. SCULI.Y. — Notes 071 the Kerry Flora. 51

for, its continued isolation in this locality is even more so.
The hard nuts and prickly clinging stems would seem to lend
themselves most readily as means of dispersal both here and
elsewhere, but during the nineteen years this Polyg07ittvi has
been under my observation, no appreciable difference has
been noted in its local distribution, nor has it apparently been
carried to any of the numerous bogs and swamps in the
neighbourhood.

I notice in Mr. Druce's account of his visit to this locality
that he speaks of his vasculum as being " full" of this plant.
I can onl}' hope his vasculum was a small one ; to my own
knowledge, however, on two occasions at least, visitors have
filled vasculums of ver}^ considerable dimensions with this
Polygonum^ and I would earnestly ask botanists visiting Kerry
to be sparing in their gathering of this and other easily
exterminated rarities.

In the following list, additions to District I. of Cybele
Hiberfiica, 2nd edition, are indicated as usual bj' " I.," while
records followed by i or 2 are additions to the Kerry sub-
divisions oi Irish lopooj-aphical Bota7iy.

*DlpIotaxis muralis, DC— Sparingly at the foot of a wall near
Fenit pier, Tralee bay, 1906. This plant has probablj- come to stay
in Kerry, as it appears to be increasing in its Ballyheigue station
recorded in Irish Nat., 1903, p. 114. Although so fond of railway
banks and tracks, it has not so far been seen in such situations in the
county.

tCramtoe marltima, Linn 2. About a dozen fine plants scattered

along the stony margin of the beach west of the Spa, Tralee bay,
1905. They were not there a few years previously, but appear to be
, well established now ; it is quite possible, however, that they may
have originated from garden outcasts. Dr. Smith in his ' History of
Kerry " records *' sea coleworts " as occurring in the county near the
head of the Kenniare river as long ago as 1756, but no plants have
been seen in his locality in recent j-ears.

Trifolium arvense, Linn. — i. In some plenty ou rocks and rocky
ground about Foilhomurrum near Bray Head, Valencia Island, 1907 ;
Miss Wooton. This is a most welcome addition to the Kerry flora.
Miss Delap, to whom I already owe several additions to the local
flora, was kind enough to send me fresh specimens of this clover
gathered in Miss Wooton's locality.

Rubus sulcatus, Vest. — I. i. Rather sparingly in a damp, rocky wood
by the River Sheen, south of Keumare. This appears to be the first
Irish record for this plant.

R. incurvatus, Bab I. i. River side near Blackstones, Gleucar.

52 ' The Irish Natiualist. March,

Rubus Coleinanni, Elox. -I. 2. Near Glena bay, I^ovver I^ake,

Killarney.
R. adenanthus, Boul. & Gill.— I. 1.2. In the stony bed of the River

Sheen, near Dromanassig bridge, and in an open wood near Kenmare.

About Woodlawn near Killarney. These records now confirm the

provisional naming of this plant by the Rev. W. Moyle Rogers in

1903; vide Irish Nat., 1904, p 129.
R. rudis, Wh. & N.— I. 2. Near Glena bay, Lower Lake, Killarney.

"A small singular variety" — W.M.R.
R. dasyphyllus, Rogers— i. Wood near the N.E. corner of Caragh

Lake.
R. Balfourianus, Blox. - Thicket on limestone near the Lake Hotel,

Killarney. This is the first specimen from Kerry seen by Mr. Moyle

Rogers, but it has been already recorded from Killarney by Prof.

Babington in Cyb. Hib., 1866.
R. saxatilis, Linn. — i. Very sparingly on one of the Greenane

Islands, Kenmare ba}-, 1904. The locality is a bare limestone island

very similar in appearance to portions of Muckross demesne and Ross

Island, where this plant grows in abundance. In the Kenmare

station the island has been nearly stripped of its shrubby vegetation,

and the plant appears to be d3ing out and very nearly extinct.
*Scduin album, Linn. — 2. On walls about Fenit, and on banks and

walls by the sea about the Spa, Tralee bay, 1905. This plant appears

to be spreading in the county.
*Caruin Carul, Linn.— Sparingly on a bridge near the head of

Kenmare estuary, 1907. This is a very rare casual in Kerry.
*CaIiutn lYIoIIugro, Linn.— 2. In some abundance on the lawn and in

the shrubberies at Carriglea House near Killarney, 1904. This is the

only station in Kerrj- known to me where the plant occurs at present ;

it seems to have disappeared from the Killarney Workhouse grounds.
Valeriana IVIikanii, Syme.— 2. Rather sparingly near Inch bridge,

north of Listowel ; vide antca.
Dipsacus sylvcstris, Linn. — vSpariugly in a ditch between Milltown

and Castlemaine, 1905 ; Capt. Creagh Howard ; but not seen there n

1906 or 1907.
"Artemisia Absinthium, Linn.— 2. Rather sparingly by roadside

banks, &.C., near the Bally roe mills between Causeway and Bally-

heigue, 1907. This plant is very rare indeed in Kerry, and has much

diminished in its Stradbally locality near Castlegregory, where it was

quite plentiful in 1900.
fCarduus pynocephaius, Jacq. — Sparingly on a roadside bank

between INIilltown and Gallerus, west of Dingle. This is a very rare

Kerry thistle.
*Cichorium Intybus, Linn- i. Several plants in a field near houses

at Ballinasteenig, east of Dingle, 1905 This is the only occasion on

which I have seen this plant in the county, where it appears to be

little better than a casual.

1908. ScuivivY. — Notes on the Kerry Flora. 53

Hleracium orlmeles, W. R. Linton.— In some plenty on Bealalaw
bridge and more sparingly on rocks in the neighbourhood on both
sides of the Caragh river, 1906-07. Sparingly in two or three spots
about the Muckross shore, Lower Lake, Killarne5% 1904-07
Pyrola minor, Linn.— I. i Sparingly in a rocky wood near the
Caragh river, Glencar, 1907 ; Dr. Wood and R.W.S. The discovery
of this plant in Kerry is really due to Dr. Wood, an angling visitor to
the Glencar Hotel. When making his way through a dense tangle
of vegetation near the river his eye happened to be caught by a
solitary flowering spike. Fortunately this was gathered and brought
to me at the hotel ?iS.' Lily of the Valley.' A careful search was then
made, which resulted in the discovery of four or five plants only, two
of which, including that plucked, were flowering. No doubt a visit
to the locality earlier in the year, before the vegetation assumes such
dense proportions, would result in the discovery of this Pyrola else-
where in the neighbourhood. This addition to the Kerry flora is a
wide extension of the known range of this rare plant in Ireland ;
Tyrrell's Pass in Westmeath, where Dr. Moore discovered the plant in
1872, appears to be the nearest locality on record.
Chlora perfollata, Linn. — i. Rather abundant over an area some
hundred yards in length on the Ventry sandhills, 1905. The Rev.
W. Bently, now of Abbeyfeale, tells me he remembers finding a
small patch of this plant in the above locality when stationed
at Ventry some years ago. It is surprisingly rare in the county.
Lithospermum offlcinalej Linn. — In some plenty by the roadside
a little west of Lixnaw' bridge, 1907. This is only the second locality
known in Kerry for this species, which proves to be one of the rarest
lowland plants in the county.
Stachys amblgua, Smith {S. palustris x sylvatica). — 2. In a ditch on
the outskirts of Killarney (with the parents), 1904, and by the road-
side south of BallymuUan, Tralee, 1905.
Listera cordata, R. Br. — This little orchid reaches a height of
2,450 feet on the south-east slopes of the Purple Mountain, Gap of
Dunloe, the greatest elevation yet recorded for it in Ireland. As
might be expected, Kerry furnishes several instances of plants
attaining to unusual heights, thus Trifoliwn repejis, Hierachtni Pilosella,
and Urtica dioica were all gathered near the Punch Bowd on Man-
gerton at 2,200 feet ; in these latter cases the seeds were most pro-
babl}' derived from pony fodder brought up with tourists.

Ophrys apifera, Huds A few^ plants on the lawn of Carriglea

House near Killarney, 1904 ; the third Kerry station known.
SIsyrinchium angrustifolium, Mill.— Several fresh Kerry localities
have been found for this interesting plant. It occurs in very great
abundance in roadside fields in several places between Inch and
Boolteens on the north side of Castlemaine harbour, and is also
rather plentifiil on rough mountain pastures both north and west
of Castlemaine, ascending here to nearly 400 feet, 1904-05. The
more I see of the distribution of this plant in Kerry the more I am
inclined to consider it indigenous there.

A 3

54 The hish Nahcralist. ISIarch,

Potamogcton crispus, Linu.— i. On the north side of Castle-
gregory Lake ; Hart, 1884. In a pond near Knightstown, Valencia
Island, 1906 ; INtiss Delap. This is a rare pondweed in South Kerry.

iPoa nemoralis, L,inn. — i. Sparingly in Ardtull}- demesne, between
Kenniare and Kilgarvan, 1904. Very sparingh* in the " Green,"
Tralee, 1907. Three demesnes are now known for this grass in
Kerry, and in all three instances it grows alongside such com-
promising neighbours as Scdiiin Telephhwi, Kuscus^ or Rhododendron ;
so far, at least, it can hardly be regarded as native in the countj-.

Equisetum majus, Syme.— At about 1,500 feet, in damp cliffs on the
north side of the Pap's mountain. This is a very unusual elevation
for this Horsetail, and it appears to be the highest 3'et recorded for
it in the British Isles.

My thanks are due to the Revs. W. Moyle Rogers and E. S.
Marshall for their kindness in looking over doubtful plants.

Dundrum, Co. Dublin.

SOME IRISH BRAMBI^ES.

BY R. A. PHILI.IPS.

The following notes refer to a small collection of Rubi made
in the south-west of Ireland during the summers of 1906-7,
which contains some interesting species, one of them
{R. ochroderviis) being certainh% and another {R. CoIej?ia7i7ii)
probably, new to Ireland, while several make new records
for the counties in which they were found.

All the specimens have been submitted to, and named bj^
the Rev. W. Moyle Rogers, whose kind assistance I once
again gladly and gratefully acknowledge ; and man}^ of his
notes, being of interest and importance, are here largel)'
quoted under the various species to which they refer.

As usual; many of the specimens differ considerably in
appearance from those of the same species gathered in Great
Britain, and of these, Mr. Rogers writes : —

"Apparently we must give up all expectation of matching,
in every case or in nearly ever}- case, your S.W. Irish forms
by well-known English ones. In most cases, however, I
believe it will be unnecessary to make new names, as it will
be allowable to admit of slight modifications, attributing

1908. Phillips. — Some Irish Brambles. 55

them to differences of climate and soil. And in this connec-
tion I may explain that the addition to a specific name of
' f. umbrosa ' ma}' imply no more than that the conditions
under which the plant in question grows are such as to pro-
duce much the same modification of character in a species as
we commonly expect under the influence of shade."

Additions to the county or vice-county lists of " Irish
Topographical Botany " are here indicated by having the
count}' names printed in capitals: —

Rubus arg'enteus, Wb. & N. (R. erythrintn-, Geuev., anct. brit. prius).

5. Cork E. B}- the Blackwater east of Mallow.
R. Selmerl, Liudeb.

15. Galway S.E. In a wood at Woodford.
R. Colemanni, Blox.

5. Cork E. The Gleii, Cork, 1906 (/. itmbrosd). Mr. Rogers writes
of this — "A most iuteresting discovery and addition to Irish
brambles. Focke suggested the name for a Gleudalough
(Wicklow) plant of Praeger's, but I felt obliged to characterise
it as 'doubtful,' and I know of no other Irish record." ^
R. hirtifolius, Muell & Wirtg.

5. Cork E. The Glen, Cork, 1906, a form between type and var.
danicns, Focke. A very beautiful plant, new to Co. Cork.
R. iricus, Rogers.

9. Clare. By the river Fergus near Ennis. Mr. Rogers informs
me that this species, which was supposed to be endemic in
Ireland, has lecentlj' been found in West Cornwall (quite
typical), and also in Wales (a small form). This handsome
and striking bramble is very abundant in many parts of
Galway and Clare.
R, oig^ocladus, Muell. & Lefv., f. umbrosa.

5. Cork E. Plentiful at The Glen, Cork. Of these specimens Mr.
Rogers writes — "I agree with you in putting this to R. oigo-
dadtis, M. & ly. — as a modified form (I suppose) through being
shade-grown. A very handsome plant."
R. Criffithlanus, Rogers (forma).

5. Cork E. By the Blackwater east of Mallow, and by the same
river near Fermoy, 1907. Of the Mallow specimens IVIr,
Rogers says — "This cannot, I think, be kept distinct from my

A'. Griffithiamis On the strength of these Mallow

specimens, Griffithianus must now, in my opinion, be accepted

^ Since this was written I have had a note from Mr. Rogers, in which
he says — " vSince I returned your specimens, I have had a packet from
Mr. Scull}' which contained a North Kerry (' Thicket near Glena
Cottage, Killarney ') plant, which recalled at once to me your ' Glen,
1906,' R, Colemanni, f. umbrosa. I should give the same name to both."

56 The Irish Naturalist. March,

as Irish (confirming former more doubtful records)." The
Fermoy plant differs considerably, and is placed— "pro-
visionally under Gri^ithiamis as a new form or variety. A very
interesting plant, calling for further study."
R. mutabllls, Genev.

2. Kerry N. Hedgerow near Killarney.
R. scaber, Wh. & N.

5. Cork E. Wood near Fermoy.
15. GaIvWAY S.E. Woods at Woodford.
R. botrycros, Focke.

5 Cork E. Lota, near Glanmire. " Hardly distinct from the Jersey
plant referred to on p. 78 of my " Handbook of British Rubi " —
W. M. R.
R. hystrix, Wh. & N., f. umbrosa.

10. TiPPERARY X. In a wood at Cloughjordan.
R. ?tcreticaulis, P.J. Muell.

5. Cork E. Wood near Fermoy. Of this specimen Mr. Rogers
says — "I write * tereticauHs, P. J, Muell,' here only by way of
suggestion, and rather as suggesting affinity than identity.
We have no definite knowledge of Muellers plant, and Mr.
Linton's Sprowston specimens are not in all particulars like
this." This is the second time that Co. Cork specimens have
been doubtfull}' referred to R. tereticaiilis.
R. ochrodermis, A. Ley.

15. G.\i,WAY S.E. In a wood near Woodford, 1906. New to Ireland.
R. diversifolius, Lindl.

4. Cork Mid. By the Blackwater west of Mallow. New for Co.
Cork and S.W. Ireland.

Cork,

NOTES.

ZOOLOGY.

Trichoniscus pygmseus, Sars, a Woodlouse new to Ireland.

Under an old Ijox lying in my garden 1 found a colony of Trichoniscus
ptisillus, but among them were a few Isopods of smaller size and much
lighter colour. Being unable to reconcile their characteristics with
those of any of the published British species, I submitted them to Dr.
Scharff, who pronounces them to be Trichoniscus pygriiaiis, a species
which has not hithei to been observed in Ireland. Until quite recentl}-
this species was only known from a single locality in the vicinity of
Christiania (Norway), but it has lately been discovered in the neighbour-
hoods of Glasgow and Xcwcastle-on-Tyne.

Nevin H. Foster.

Hillsborough, Co. Down.

1908. A^ofes, 57

Morning Flight of Sea Birds over Dublin.

During the last two winters I have been much struck b}' the continual
passage of sea birds during the period between dawn and sunrise, as
viewed from my own garden at Rathgar, 3 miles S.S.W. of the centre of
Dublin cit}'. The birds consist mostly of gulls, flying south-west. The
movement is noticeable as soon as there is light enough for observation,
and seems to cease about sunrise. I have not observed any correspond-
ing return movement in the evening, so that it would appear that the
birds straggle back during the da}-. The}- evidently come from the
mouth of the Liffey, presumably from the sands of the North and South
Bull, but why so great a number head in this particular direction I do
not know. If we assume that an equal number passes across the whole
arc (about two-thirds of a circle) of the Dublin suburbs, the total number
of birds going inland each morning would be enormous. I give an
abstract of two observations, each of 15 minutes duration. The birds fly
in bunches of i to 50, sometimes in compact bodies, more often
straggling — the .epulis especially. On windy mornings their flight is much
more irregular than when the weather is calm.

nth Jan., 1906. 7-30 to 7.45 a.m.— CjuIIs, 369 going S.W., 2 W, i N.W,,
3 vS.E. Rook, I vS.W., I N. Magpie, 1 X. Jackdaw, 12 vS.E., 2 N. vStar-
ling, 2 N.E. Pigeon, i N.E. Finch, i N.

14th Jan, 1907. 7.40 to 7.55. — Gulls, 449 S.W. Curlew, 20 S.W. Rook,
2 N. Magpie, 2 N. Finch, 2 N.W., 2 N. The dim light of January
mornings prevented my exercising my limited ornithological talents as
to the closer identification of species.

R. Iyi.ovD Prakger.

Dublin.

Ornithological Notes from Londonderry.

The following notes for 1906 and 1907 may be of some interest to the
readers of the /r/s/i A^aturalist, though they do not record the occurrence
of any great rarities. The Pied Wagtail is, I think, one of our most un-
certain and shy songsters, and I have only heard its .song a few times in
my life, and then at unusual seasons. I heard it singing one day at the
end of January, 1906, on the roof of the Corn Market in our city, and on
27tli September, 1907, I heard it singing in Templemore Park on a dull
foggy morning. During the past two springs I have found the Great
Crested Grebe breeding at Port Lough^ Co. Donegal, about five miles
from our city. I saw two pairs on the lough, which is of small size. I
believe this is the first record of the Great Crested Grebe breeding in
Co. Donegal. Prof. Leebody reports that he saw a Red-throated Diver in
full summer plumage at Inch, Lough Swilly, on 8th June, 1907, also
that he saw a pair of vSniew at Inch, early in May, 1907.

I found the Lesser Tern nesting on the sandbank in the fresh water at
Inch; one pair in 1906, and three pairs in 1907. In June, 1907, Mr.
David Woodburu, when searching this low grass-covered sandbank with

5? The Irish Naturalist, March,

me, fouud a Black-headed Gull's nest with one ^%'g. The nest was little
bigger than one of the Common Terns near by, but was in the centre,
not at the edge of the bank. The pair of gulls were seen frequenting
the bank, so I think it was a genuine case of a pair nesting amongst the
Terns. The wet spring of 1907 worked sad havoc among the nests on
this Inch sandbank. The entire bank was flooded, and the nests w^ere
covered with three to six inches of water. In some places many eggs
were washed into the sandy hollows, and twenty or thirt}- could be picked
up at once: At one end of the bank a pair of Mute vSwaus had made
their nest, and as the flood rose they built up their nest higher and
higher. A kindly gentleman fishing near by gathered a great armful of
coarse grass and wrack and laid it beside the nest, and this they used to
keep out the rising flood. A few fine days intervened and the water fell,
leaving the bank fairly dry.

At once the terns set to and built again, this time further from the
water's edge, and laid their eggs. The nests were larger and more com-
pactly built than before. But, alas ! the wet weather again set in, the
flood rose and the homes of the poor terns and Ringed Plovers were
again swamped and ruined beyond repair. The swans did their best
but at last they, too, had to give up in despair.

The Quail has visited this district during the past two summers. In
September, 1906, Mr. R. H. Smyth shot an adult at Raphoe. In October,
1906, among the call notes of the migrants passing over our city at night.
I heard calls on two nights, which were quite new to me, croaking
guttural notes. I could not make them out, but at last discovered that
they proceeded from Manx vShearwateis, for one of these birds alighted
on one of the nights in question in the yard of a shop in town, and was
brought to Mr. E. McCourt, who kept it alive for some time. It emitted
the same guttural call notes at night. Some years ago a Manx Shear-
water was brought to me, which had alighted in a yard in Derry, on a
night in September, or early in October. I cannot understand why
shearwaters should fly over our city in numbers in autumn.

D. C. CampbeIvI/.

Londonderry

Short eared Owls.

T wonder if any readers noticed the abundance of owls last autumn.
Short-eared Owls were especially numerous, in fact I saw more last
November than I ever saw before in my life. Up to i6th November I
had observed seven c>n different occasions, but on Monday. i8th Novem-
ber, while shooting over a piece of ground of about half an acre, I rose
seventeen vShort-eared Owls ; they rose in pairs, or singly, out of the
withered bracken and sometimes six or eight would be on the wing at
one time. As the day was bright they were probabl}- dazzled, as they
flew past very close to me and lit again not far off. I could have shot
several of them with the greatest ease had I wanted to, but I prefer to
see these beautiful birds flying about to seeing them in a glass case.

1908. Notes, 59

They had probablj' just arrived, as they come south in winter and
travel in flocks. Unlike others of this family they avoid forests, and are
found in open country such as moors, fens, and sandhills where bracken
abounds. Although these birds live nearly altogether on vermin, it is
surprising how few people recognise them as useful birds; gamekeepers
do their best to exterminate them, and in doing so increase the number
of their enemies ; others shoot them because they are rare, or because
they imagine their story will not be believed unless they can produce a
specimen ; for this reason I do not name the locality in which! saw them.

E. H. Fr.KTCHRR.
Castlerock, Co. IvOndonderry.

Richard's Pipit in Co. Dublin.

In the Zoologist for January, W. J. Williams records the capture in a net
at Ivucan on November 21 of a Richard's Pipit, {Anthus Richardii). the
first occurrence in Ireland.

Wood-Pigeon Diphtheria.

We are glad to draw attention to the schedule issued by British
Birds, which is inserted in the present number. Much public interest
has been shown lately in the disease of which Wood-Pigeons were
dying so freely last winter The subject is of considerable scientific
interest ; moreover, it is quite possible, although it has not yet been
absolutely proved that this disease, which is most infectious amongst
Wood-Pigeons themselves, may also be contracted by other birds, and
especially game-birds. It is of great importance, therefore, to find a
means of stamping out the diphtheria. Before, however, any effective
means can be taken to eradicate the disease it is necessary to discover its
origin. In the January issue of British Bijds, Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, of
Guy's Hospital, wrote on Wood-Pigeon diphtheria, and explained that it
was due to a micro-organism called Bacilltis diphtheria, coltunbartim. At
the same time Dr. Ticehurst points out that the etiology of the disease
is most incomplete, and that much has to be learnt as to its origin
and distribution, before we can suggest a remedy.

Little Bittern in Co. Donegal.

A beautiful specimen of an adult male Little Bittern (Ardetta mimita,
Linn.) has just been received from Owey Island, N.W. Donegal. It was
found exhausted on the beach on Februar}' 9th by the light-keeper, and
died shortly afterwards.

R. M. Barrington
Fassaroe, Bray.

6o The Irish Naturalist. March,

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

January 28 — The Annual General iMeeting was held in the lecture
theatre of the Royal Dublin Society, the Rt. Hon. Jonathan Hogg
(President) in the chair.

The report of the Council was read by the Hon. Secretary (Dr. R. F.
SCHARFF),who stated that the admissions to the Gardens during 1907 were
260,666, and the receipts ;^4.o74 9^-. 4/., as against 188,422 and ^^2, 490 <^s. Sd.
respective!}' for 1906.

It is with great satisfaction that the Council have to announce this
enormous increase of the number of visitors to the Gardens during the
past year, with a corresponding considerable addition in the receipts at
the gate. That in spite of the bad weather visitors came in such
enormous numbers to the Gardens, must be ascribed largely to the
influence of the Exhibition, which brought such great flocks of
excursionists from all parts of Ireland, England, and Scotland.

In the early part of the summer, on the occasion of the opening of the
new Carnivora House, the Council gave a Garden Party in the Society's
grounds, at which the Lord Lieutenant honoured the Council by his
presence. This gave many members and their friends an opportunity
of inspecting the recent improvements carried out b}- the Council.

Although there can be no doubt that the Dublin people are proud
of their Zoological Gardens, the Council wish to draw attention to the
fact that there was a decrease in the amount received from subscriptions.
A smaller number of members joined the vSociety last year than in
previous ones, the falling-off being principalh- in life members, of wlioni
only nine joined during 1907.

Prof. A. F. Dixon, who has for several years past undertaken the post
of Honorary Treasurer, retires The Council feel assured that the Society
will share with them the regret which they feel at losing his services.
The}' nominate Dr. E. INIacDowel Cosgrave for the vacant post.

The vSuperiutendent of the Gardens, Mr. Thomas Hunt, has retired
from the post which he occupied since Febiuary, 1890. During the 17
j-ears that Mr. Hunt held the post he had on several occasions received
the Council's acknowledgment and thanks for his prompt and courageous
action in times of emergency, while his kindly disposition earned for him
the esteem of the Keepers who served under him. It was, therefore,
with regret that the Council accepted his resignation

Nearly 200 candidates applied for the post, and it was with some
difficulty that a selection was made among the applicants. As Captain
L. C. Arbuthnot brought forward testimony of possessing special qualifi-
cations and experience, the Council appointed him Superintendent ; and
he took over the duties on the ist December last.

As in previous years, the duties of the Honorary Secretary during his
absence from Dublin were carried on by the Honorary Vice-President, Mr.

1908. Proctedings of Irish Societies. 61

W. E. Peebles, while Professor Mettam discharged again the function of
prosector, and furnished the Council with most valuable reports on the
post-mortem examinations made by him. The Honorary Secretary repre-
sented the Societ}' during the year at the International Zoological
Congress in Boston, and subsequently visited the Zoological Gardens in
New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, where he was most courteously
received by the authorities in charge.

The Council are particularly indebted to Messrs. Palgrave, Murphy
and Co. and the City of Dublin Steam Ship Company, for the generous
arrangements they have made in connection with the transit of
animals.

One of the most important structural additions made during the year
was the building of series of open-air cages designed by Mr. C J.
M'Carthy for the large Carnivora, such as hyaenas, wolves and pumas,
for which species accommodation had always been rather deficient.
The cages occup}- the site between the Aquarium and the Llama and
Giraffe enclosure. They are partly covered with a corrugated iron roof,
and the sleeping dens are placed in a passage to the rear, from which
the cleaning operations take place.

The second large structure which w^as undertaken during the past
year, and which has only been completed last December, is the new
Seal enclosure. A member of the Society, Mr. John Kincaid, initiated
this useful addition by generously contributing towards the expenses of
erection. The enclosure is situated close to and below the old seal pond.
It consists of an extensive ornamental wall of rockwork, with three
fenced-in divisions containing concreted ponds. These can be used for
various kinds of aquatic animals such as the Californian Seals, our native
Seals, and others.

During the coming year the Council propose to rebuild the old Lion
house, and, if possible, to effect various improvements in the existing
structures.

For years past the state of the lake proved to be an eyesore to the
frequenters of the Gardens in the summer, owing to its slimyness and
green colour. This condition was found to be due to the enormous
growth of algse. At Dr. Scriven's suggestion the experiment was tried
to kill the algte by means of sulphate of copper, which has already proved
so beneficial to agriculture in the destruction of fungoid growth on
plants. After calculating the amount of w^ater contained in the lake by
measuring the depth and superficial area, il was easily ascertainable
what strength of the salt could be applied without injury to the birds,
fish, and other creatures frequenting the lake. The correct quantity of
sulphate of copper was then filled into a large sack and tied to the end
of a boat, which was rowed several times round the lake. The next day
the lake was bright red, due to the floating masses of dead algse ; but a
day or two after the water became absolutely clear, such as it had never
been before, and myriads of minute crustaceans, worms, and water snails
could be seen crawling about quite uninjured, while the algae had all
fallen to the bottom. Thus the experiment proved a perfect success.

62 The hish Naturalist. March,

The catering department of the Society's work has been carried on
during the year under the management of Miss Kinahan, and continues
to be a great success. Large parties had often to be catered for, and the
Council have reason to believe that the work has been carried out on
every occasion to the satisfaction of the many visitors who thronged the
Gardens in the summer months.

No less than eight lion cubs were born, namely, live males and three
females, while Lord Cranworth presented a young male which he had
caught on the banks of the Tana River, in Kast Africa. "Jeremiah," or
"Jerry," as Lord Cranworth called him, was so tame that the Superin-
tendent could allow him to roam about freely in the Gardens. He never
interfered with the many waterfowl or other birds which are accustomed
to gather on the walks. It was only his natural playfulness which caused
him eventually to become a permanent inmate of the Lion house after
having been one of the most interesting attractions of the out-door life
in the Gardens.

These additions to the collection made it necessary to part with some
of our old stock. One lion cub was exchanged, three others were shipped
to England, the lion Prince went to vScotland, while Remus and Ladj'
Lill}' also enriched the collections across the Channel. There are now
in the collection a total of ii lions and 9 lionesses, 14 of which are
Irish-born animals.

As more funds were available, the purchases made during the year
were more numerous than those for some years past. The more recent
arrivals are a pair of fine Zebras, one of them belonging to the variety
called " Grant's Zebra," while the other is a " Burcheirs Zebra." A
female Ostrich was also bought, as well as a Sea Lion, a male Llama, a
Bennett Kangaroo, and a good many smaller mammals and birds. A
female Chimpanzee was obtained by exchange. The most important
gifts were a pair of young Ostriches from West Africa, sent b}' Dr. W. H,
Langley, and a pair of Rheas from South America, given by the Duke of
Bedford.

The most severe loss that the Gardens have sustained was the death on
the elephant Padmahati, which had been presented to the Society by
the Duke of Connaught. It died apparently from some intestinal
inflammation of unknown origin. A Sea Lion also succumbed from
unknown causes, as well as a good many Monkej's and Birds. When-
ever possible Professor Mettam makes 2i post-mortem examination and
reports to the Council.

The vSociety's silver medal for the best set of pictures was awarded to
Mrs. H. C. Sutherland, the Bronze Medal to Mr. J. F. Gainsfort, on the
recommendation of the Council's photographic committee.

The Treasurer's Report shows that a balance of ;^i,936 10^. 2d. remains
to the credit of the Society as a result of the year's work.

After the adoption of the Report moved by E. WhiTK and seconded by
Dr. E. MacD. Cosgrave, an exhibition of lantern slides illustrating the
5'ear's changes in the Gardens was given by Dr. J. A. ScoTT. Prof. G. H,
Carpenter, A. E. Goodbody, and E. White were elected to fill vacancies
on the Council.

1908. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 63

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

January 8.— The Club met at Leiiister House — Dr. G. H. Pethy-
BRIDGE (Vice-President) in the chair.

R. Southern exhibited a specimen of the tubicolous polychaete
worm, Pectinaria auricoma (Miill), together with its tube. The distin-
guishing characters of this species are the curvature of the tube, and
the frilled margin of the peristomium. The specimen was obtained by
Mr. Colgan, in July, 1907, in five fathoms of water, off Skerries, Co.
Dublin. It seems probable that this species was included under the
name Pectinaria belgica, Lam., by Thompson (*'Nat. Hist, of Ireland,"
vol. iv., p. 429). He describes it as of "the size of the full -grown
Dentaliiim ailalis, and of similar curvature." This is clearly not the
straight-tubed P. belgica, Lam., but may be either /'. auricoma (Miill) or
Cistenides gramilata, L. It is difficult to see from Thompson's account
whether the straight-tubed P. belgica was obtained or not, though the
specimens taken b}- Templeton in Strangford Lough, to which
Thompson refers, are placed by Johnson ("Catalogue of Worms," p. 244)
under P. belgica, Lam.

N. Coi^GAN exhibited living specimens of two of the rarer Co. Dublin
Nudibranchs, Tritonia Hovibergi and Polycerna Lessonii, dredged in 10
fathoms off Bullock Harbour, on the I4tli December last, during one of
the winter dredging trips of the Dublin Marine Biological Committee.
The individuals shown had lived with the exhibitor for twenty-five days,
during which they had fed freely on the common zoophyte, Anienntdaria
antennina. When mature, Tritonia is the largest ot the Britannic Nudi-
branchs, attaining to a length of six inches. The Bullock specimen
exhibited was, however, quite juvenile, measuring only | of an inch.
Under a low power its branchiae and tentacles were very interesting
objects.

J. N. Halbkrt exhibited specimens of a small Rove-beetle, Thaviiarcea
hospita, Maerk., found last February in burrows made by the Goat Moth
{Cosstis ligniperdd) xn an old oak tree in the Lucan demense. There are
only two recorded European species in the genus Thamiarsea, both of
which appear to live almost exclusively in the tunnellings of the Goat
Moth in various forest trees. The species here recorded is rather wide-
spread in Central Europe, and occurs also in the more southerly
parts of the Britannic area. It has not been previously recorded from
Ireland.

W. F. GuNN exhibited a minute fungus, Stilbiim touientosiim^ growing
on Trichia chrysospenna. The host plants had been gathered from the de-
cayed trunk of a tree in Killakee Woods about two months previously,
and had been kept in a closed glass vessel. In the interval the sporangia
oi the Trichia had burst, exposing the capilitium and spores, and the
Sdlbum developed on the sub-stratum thus formed.

F. W. Moore showed a small slice from the upper surface of the sepals
of Scaphoscpaluiii anchoriferum. In many of these minute orchids the lip

64 The Irish Naturalist. March,

is covered with peculiar hairs, or rugosities, l)ut the surface of the other
floral segments is usually smooth. In this case the surface of the sepals
near the apex is covered with peculiar flask-shaped, imbricated, hair-
like outgiowths from the epideruial cells. The plant is a native of
Costa Rica, and is scarce in cultivation.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

October 25. — Annt'ai, ConveRvSazionk. The President and Mrs.
Patterson entertained almost 500 members and friends to a conversazione
in the " Patterson Museum " of the People's Palace, Belfast. Tea was
served in the large hall, while the exhibits were displayed in the
Museum and in the minor hall underneath. The buildings were
speciall}- decorated and illuminated for the occasion, and music was
provided. The fotlowing is a summary of some of the principal
exhibits : —

Botany : — Botanicai^ Section. — vSpecimens from Club's Herbarium
N. CarrotherS: Plants collected during summer session. J. H-
DavieS : Galium sylvestre from County Down. W. Gray, INLR.I.A, :
Microscopic Demonstration. J. Hamil,TON : BeythoUetia excelsa, from the
Amazons, showing growth of nut. W. H. Phii^i^ipS: Four new
varieties of exotic Ferns, growing. Also series of dried specimens of a
large number of choice varieties of British Ferns. W. Porter:
Athyriiinis raised from spores. J. Strachan : Iron-bacterium
(Cladothrix) from the Six- INIile Water, growing on basalt ; Ferruginous
deposits caused by same, &c. Rev. C. H. Waddei^l, M.A., B.D. : Some
rare flowering Plants and Mosses.

Geoi^ogy:— Miss M. K. .Andrews: Microscopic sections of Derbyshire
" Toadstones." R. BelIv : Palaeolithic implements from drift gravels,
England. C. Bui^i^a : Remains of Cerviis giganteus from County
Tyrone. T. Dewhurst, A.R.C.Sc. (London): Demonstration in optical
properties of minerals ; and straining of rock sections W. J. F'EnneTvL,
M.R.I.A. : Minerals from the Mourne granite. F. C I'orTh, A.R.C.Sc.I. :
Geological specimens, minerals, and models W. A, Green: Plant
remains from the Coal-measures, Ballycastle, and other Carboniferous
fossils. W. Gray, M.R.I.A. : Microscopic demonstration. W. H.
Gai^i.\vay : Teeth of fossil Sharks. J. L. S. Jackson: Portion of stalag-
mitic flooring from prehistoric cave, Doneraile ; also section showing
growth of stalagmite. J, Strachan : Specimens of jasper and chert;
Mydrophaneopal from vSand}' Braes ; Tube-amygdaloid from Bally-
pallidy ; Primary natrolite in basalt from near Carumone}'. W. J. C.
Tomijnson: Cretaceous fossils (Gault and Chalk) from Folkestone ;
Kentish Rag fossils from Hy the beds, Kent ; Pyrites nodules fi oni the
Gault and Greensand, Folkestone. J. Wright, F.G.S. : P'oramiuifera
from Lough Swilly and vSheephaven, North Donegal.

Zoology: — F. Bai^four Browne, M.A., F.R.vS.E. : vStages in the life-
histories of aquatic insects; specimens and drawings. J. CotTney :
Uncoloured eggs from covered nests. G. Donaldson : Marine shells.

1908. Proceedhigs of Irish Societies* 65

N.H.Foster, M.B.O.U. : Woodlice collected during Cork Conference
week, July, 1907. W. H. GaIvT^way : Development of Dog-fisli ; jaws of
Port Jackson and common Sharks. J. Hamii^TON : Insects from the
Amazons. J. ly. S Jackson: Living specimens of Netterjack, Change-
able, and Fire Toads, also Salamanders, Common Frog and Newts.
H. M'CivEERY : Insect anatomy (microscopic demonstration). W. S.
M'Kee : Pond life (microscopic demonstration). H. L. Orr : Skulls of
Mammals, R. PATTERSON, F-L.S. : Pair of adult Tree Sparrows and
young from County Donegal — the first obtained in Ulster ; Case of young
Coots to illustrate independent young ; Skull of American Coypu
(Water Rat) recently captured at Holy wood, compared with skull of
Common Rat. S. M. vStears : Night Heron, Glossy Ibis. A. W.
Stei.fox : Laud and freshwater shells collected during Cork Conference
week,Juh-, 1907. Prof. Symington, M.D., F.R.S. : A series of illustra-
tions of the brains of Apes and Man. Prof. Gregg W11.SON, D.Sc.,,
M.R.I.A. : Demonstration showing how to tell the age of Fishes, Snakes,
poisonous and non-poisonous : Living marine animals. R. Wei,CH,
M.R.I.A. : Land and freshwater shells.

Misceli^aneous: — F. C. Forth, A.R.C.ScI. : Ph3'sical apparatus,
models, &c. W. Gray, M.R.I.A. : Models of pre-historic Irish monu-
ments W. A. Green : Crusies, Irish and Continental. A. R. Hogg :
Examples of colour photography. R. May : Old Ulster door and gate
keys ; Two ancient iron hammers ; Ivor}' paper-knife found in excava-
tion of site for Scottish Provident buildings. D. C. Patterson :
Humorous drawing of exterior of Dr. J. S. Bowerbank's house in 1846.
S. M. Stears: Ancient steel gun crossbow.

Microscopic Demonstrations,— By Miss M. K. Andrews, Messrs.
Dewhurst, Gray, M'Ci.eery, M'Kee, Wright, Prof. Gregg Wii^son,
and others.

At 9.15 an adjournment was made to the large hall, where a short
business meeting enabled the President to give a heart}' welcome to all
who had responded to his invitation, and a summary of the Club's aims
and objects Twelve new members were elected^ and a unique and
beautiful series of pictures of wild bird life on our coasts, taken by Oliver
G. Pike, were shown b}' a cinematograph. The meeting concluded with
the usual lantern display of photographs taken on the Club's
excursions.

November 19.— The Vice-President (N. H. Foster, M.B.O.U.) in the
chair. Robert Welch, M.R.I.A., gave a brief description of the dis-
covery and scientific value of Bythinia Leachii, a shell new to the Irish
fauna. Professor C. J. Patten, M. A , M.D., D.Sc, of Sheffield University,
read a paper entitled " Links in Man's Ancestral Chain," in which he
referred to the strides which had taken place in recent years regarding
our knowledge of man's origin and his place in Nature. Dr. Patten dealt
with the links connecting some of the most primitive of the living races
of mankind with the highest types, and also with those connecting man
with his nearest ape-like kinsman. The lecturer touched briefl}' on the
anatomy and habits of the man-like apes now existing. The paper was

66 The Irish Naiitrahst. March,

illustrated with an exceptionally fine set of lantern slides. A discussion
took place, the speakers including Prof. Symington, M.D., F.R.S. : Prof.
Gregg Wilson, D.Sc, and C. M. Cunningham.

November 27. Zoot.ogicaTv Section. — Robert Welch, M.R.I. A., in the
chair. The Vice-President (Nevin H. Foster, M.B.O.U.) read a short
paper entitled "An Elementary Outline of Zoology." Through the
kindness of Prof. Gregg Wilson he was enabled to illustrate his remarks
with a number of preserved specimens from Queen's College Museum.
A discussion followed the close of the paper. The following members
took part : — R. Welch, T. Dewhurst, A. Deane, J. N. Milne, J. Carson,
Rev. J. Shiels, and W. H. Gallway.

December 10. — A special meeting was held in the Museum, the Pre-
sident (Robert Patterson, F.L.S.) in the chair. The object of the meeting
was to bring before the Club the work done during the week spent with
the Field Club Union in Cork last July. The various speakers showed a
number of lantern slides, which had been prepared for the evening. The
following members read papers : — Nevin H. Foster, on the botany and
terrestrial isopods of County Cork ; Robert Patterson, the ornithology
of the district, and (in connection with the visit to the Mammoth Cave)
anaccount of the distribution of the Norway and Arctic Lemmings;
Robert Welch, on the geology and land and freshwater mollusca of
the county; J. Iv. S.Jackson, on the Mammoth Cave at Buttevant; W.
H. Gallway, on the archaeology of the districts visited. The attend-
ance was large.

December 14. Botanicai. Section — H. C. Marshall in the chair.
Two short papers were read by members. The first, entitled *' Local
Botanical Field Work in 1907," by W. J. C. Tomlinson, in which an
account was given of the finding by the speaker of Spira^ithes Roman-
zoffiaua, Vicia Orobus, &c. ; the second, by Sylvanus W>ar, on " Cluster-cups
and Microscopic Fungi."

December 17.— The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.S.) in the chair.
Thomas Pi.unketT, M.R.I.A,, read a paper on the "Tombs, Temples,
and Pyramids of Bgypt," illustrated by a large number of lantern slides.
The attendance was remarkably large, many people being unable to gain
admission to the lecture room.

January 21.— The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.S.) in the chair.
At the outset, the President referred in feeling terms to the late Lord
Kelvin, and drew the attention of the members to the proposed pubHc
memorial. E.J. M'Kean, B.A., B.L., read a paper on "A Holiday Trip
to West Kerry," dealing with the archaeology and folk-lore of the
district. The next paper was by John Harbison. B.A., on " Hydra ; its
Movements and Reactions," illustrated by living specimens, diagrams,
and lantern slides. The lecturer, by means of the blackboard, described
the construction of Hydra and its somewhat complicated movements.
A point which had not hitherto been noticed in the movements of Hydra
was that it did not contract en masse, but in fractions, one-third or one-
quarter of its length at a time. As Prof. Gregg Wilson had pointed
out to him, this might be due to a segmental arrangement of muscle

190S. Proceedhigs of Irish Societies. 67

spindles in the body walls. Here they had indications of segmentation
in the very first of the Metazoa. The animals showed " light" reactions,
due, no doubt, to the green chlorophyll corpuscles in the endoderm, this
being one of the few cases where plant pigment occurred in the animal
world. A very interesting discussion ensued, in which the following
took part :— The President, Miss Andrews, Prof. Gregg Wilson, William
Gray, M.R.I.A., Robert Welch, M.R.I.A., and Robert May. The election
of six new members brought the proceedings to a close.

BoTANiCAi. Section. January 29. — W. C. Marshall in the chair.
AiyEXANDER Mii,i,iGAN read a paper on " Lower Forms of Plant Life."
The Chairman referred to the presence at the meeting of James W.
White, author of the "Flora of Bristol," and also to the loss which the
Club had sustained by the death of its old member, Richard Hanna.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

January ii. — Visit to ihe Herbarium, National, Museum. — A
number of members and visitors assembled at 2.30 p.m. in the Herbarium
of the National Museum. Miss Knowles, who acted as conductor, gave
a demonstration of the methods adopted in the Herbarium in drying,
poisoning and mounting botanical specimens. Afterwards the different
botanical collections deposited in the Museum w^ere inspected
and then the members were taken through the different sections of
the Herbarium.

January 14.--ANNUAI, Generai, Meeting. — During the earlier part
of the evening the chair was filled by C. B. Moffat, M.A. (President), and
afterwards by Dr. G. H. Pethybridge, the newly-elected President. The
Hon. Secretary (J. de W\ Hinch) read the report for 1907, which
reported a slight increase in membership and m other respects
a prosperous year. Among the matters referred to the most important
were — The publication of " Contributions to the Natural History of
Lambay," to which fourteen members of the Club contributed material ;
the holding of the Triennial Field Club Union Conference in Cork in
July, and the special report published on the work done during the
Conference ; the representation of the Club at the centenar}' celebration
of the Geological Society of London ; the establishment of a photo-
graphic survey of the Dublin district in connection with the visit of the
British Association; and the starting of a marine biological committee to
deal with the coast of the County Dublin. The Hon. Treasurer then
read his report, which showed a satisfactory balance to the credit of the
Club. After a ballot had been held the President announced the election
of the following officers; — President, George H. Pethybridge, Ph.D.;
Vice-President, A. R. Nichols, M.A. ; Hon. Treasurer, H. K. Gore
Cuthbert ; Hon. Secretaries, J. de W. Hinch and J. Bayley Butler, M.A,
Votes of thanks were passed to the outgoing officers and members of
Committee, the Royal Irish Academy and the Dublin Press. The
President then delivered his inaugural address on "Plants and their

68

The Irish Naturalist.

Marcli, 1908.

Environment" He spoke of the habits of plants, their obedience to the
law of gravitation, their sensitiveness to contnct, their perception of
light, etc. The address was illustrated by a large series of lantern
slides. Two candidates were proposed for membership.

IRISH SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS.

January 23. Annuai^ Mketing.— Mr. Justice Bo3'd in the chair.
The Secretary (Miss Constance Pirn) read the annual report, which stated
that during the year Mr. W. P. Pycraft had lectured in Dublin on the in-
vitation of the Committee ; lectures were also given at Mountmellick by
Mrs. Webb, at Malahide by Miss Jellett, and at the Father Mathew Hall,
Dublin, by Rev. T. O'Ryan. Two watchers were employed in the Dublin
district during the year; three prosecutions were carried out under the
Wild Birds" Protection Acts, and in five other ca.ses bird-catchers were
warned and put under police supervision. The membership of the
Society has increased bj'Si members and 15 associates. The accounts
vshowed a credit balance of ;^32 \(>s. /\d. The report and statement of
accounts were adopted. Subsequently R. M. Barrington gave a short
address on the subject of birds, illustrated by lantern slides.

IRISH FIELD CLUB UNION.

ACCOUNTS, 1907.

Receipts.

£
To Balance, 1905, . 8

-^\ d.
7 I

FvXPENSES.

£ s d.

R. LI. Praeger, Lecture
in Cork, . .110

Affiliation Fees —

D.N.F.C, T906, . I

i 4

H. J. Seymour, Lecture
in Limerick, . . i 14 6

B.N.F.C, T906 7, . 2

2 0

O.N.F.C, 1907, . 0

5 0

C.N.F.C, 1906. . 0

5 TO

L.F.C., 1907, . 0

19 0

Profit on Cork Con-
ference, . . 0

19 8

By Balance, . .1145

£n

T9 II

;^I3 19 II

Audited and found correct.

J. DE W. HiNCH,

Hon. Sec. D.N.F.C.

r. Li^oyd Praeger,

Hon. Sec. I.F.C.U

April, 1908. The Irish Naturalist, 69

SOME COUNTY DUBININ HOLOTHURIANS.

BY NATHANIEL COI.GAN, M.R.I.A.

Thkre can be little doubt that all of the species of the Holo-
thurian division of the Echinoderms are rare on the coasts of
Co. Diiblin. Of the fifteen species known to occur in
the shallow water area of Ireland, ^ onlj^ four have been
recorded for Co. Dublin, and, with one exception, these
records are at least 45 j^ears old. Evidently much remains to
be done in working out the Irish distribution of the
Holothurians, and it is hoped that the following notes, giving
the meagre results of the wTiter's shore-collecting and dredg-
ing in 1906, may act as a stimulus to further investigation.

CucuMARiA PENTACTKS, Linue.

A single specimen of this species occurred to me at Shen-
nick's Island, Skerries, under a stone at lov/ w^ater, on the
25th July, 1906. It was cream-white in colour, the mouth
ringed with browm, and the tentacles spotted with the same
colour on a yellowish ground. At rest, the animal was one
inch in length, and in motion extended to rather more than
\\ inch. Two out of the ten tentacles were much smaller
than — indeed, little more than one- third the size of— the
remaining eight, and these two were contiguous.

With occasional changes of water this specimen lived wdth
me for eight days in a small glass tube, 2 inches long by
|-inch wide, and passed one night, or, at all events, some
hours of it, entirely out of water. This last severe test of its
vitality was undesigned. On going to bed the second night
after the capture of the animal, I left it in its open tube of
sea-water on the dressing-table in my bedroom. When I got
up next morning, eager to resume my observations on the
manners and customs of the interesting captive, I found the
tube unoccupied, and after a vain search on the floor for the
absconding tenant, finally discovered it far under the stand
of the looking-glass, where it lay high and dry, and reduced

■• See A. R. Nichoi^S, " A List of Irish Echinoderms.'' Froc. R. I. Acad ^
vol, xxiv., p. 231.

70 The h-'ish Naturalist, April,

to a tough, shapeless knob. Replacing the apparently dead
animal in its tube, and giving it some fresh sea-water, I left
it there to the operation of the vis medicatjix natures. When
I returned in about an hour's time, I was astonished to find
the animal extended to full length, and creeping up the side
of the tube by means of its sucker-feet. All its tentacles
were displayed, and in graceful rhythmical motion, and the
creature had evidently entered once more upon the inscrutable
joys and sorrows of Holothurian existence.

On the sixth day of its captivity the animal was observed
to be greatly swollen in its upper part, which had grown
quite pellucid. This change, which I interpreted as a sign of
approaching dissolution, w^as in reality but a prelude to self-
evisceration, that curious facult}^ or infirmit}^ which many of
the Holothurians are well known to possess or be liable to ;
for within an hour's time the intestines of the animal were
observed to protrude from its upper extremity near the base
of the tentacles, their owner remaining all the time in a lively
state. All next day the animal remained alive, with the ten-
tacles in feeble action. On the ist August it was still alive
with the tentacles fully extended but inert ; and, finallj^, on
the morning of the 2nd August, it died and was placed in
spirit. Throughout these last two days the extruded viscera
remained attached to the animal, but at one point onl}- .

A second specimen of this species almost precisel}^ the same
in colour and size with that just described was taken by me
under rocks at low water, on Shennick's Island in Jul}' 1907.

CucuMARiA LACTEA (Forbes and Goodsir).

Ocniis lacteus and Ocmis brji^uiais, Forbes.

On the nth August, 1906, when dredging in Dalkey Sound,
close by the shore of the island, in about 5 fathoms, the dredge,
as often happens in the Sound, came up quite filled with
Ophiocoma granulata (Forbes), the individuals ranging in
colour from cinnamon brown to velvety black. The haul of
fully half a hundred weight of " creepers" was spread out on
a tarpaulin in the stern sheets of the boat, and while glancing
over the writhing mass a spra}' of zoophyte with shapeless
brown blobs attached to it caught my eye. The spray was
transferred to a jar of sea water where half an hour later some
of the brown blobs were found expanded into unmistakable

1908 Coi^GAN. — So)ne County Dublin Holothuriaris. 71

Holothurians with suckers and tentacles i\A\y displayed. On
more leisurely examination at home the species proved to be
Ocnus br2mnens of Forbes' British Starfishes, apparently new
for County Dublin and for East Ireland, or Marine District
II. of Mr. Nichols' List. On the spray of zoophyte examined
there were six individuals of Ocnns bmmieiis, ranging in size
from quarter inch to three-quarter inch, and agreeing closely
in form and colour with Forbes' figure and description.
Three of them lived with me for four days, creeping rather
rapidly up and down the sides of the tube in which they were
lodged, and freel}' displaying their tentacles. As in C pen-
tactes, so in all three individuals of Ocmcs briinneus which I
examined, two of the ten tentacles were much smaller than
the remaining eight, and the smaller tentacles were in all
cases contiguous. The colour of the whole animal, body,
suckers, and tentacles, was a rich chocolate brown.

Thyonk fUvSus (J. F. Miiller).

Tliyone papulosa^ Forbes Brit. Starfishes.

A single specimen of this species three-quarter inch in
lenQ:th was taken in the same haul with Ocnus bnmnezcs on
the nth August, 1906. It lived with me for two days and a
half, never displaying its tentacles, but perpetually changing
its form. The changes were so smooth and gradual as to be
followed b}' the eye with great difficulty. At one time the
animal appeared to suffer from swelled head, the anterior end
becoming swollen to twice the diameter of the remaining
portion. Then an almost imperceptible wave would be pro-
pagated downwards along the body, the head would dwindle
to normal size, and the whole animal assume a roughly cylin-
drical or oval form. But before long a severe fit of tight
lacing would supervene. A deep constriction in the centre
of the body would threaten to sever the animal in two, then
the central pressure would be somewhat relieved and a second
constriction would appear dividing the body into three
swollen segments. While the animal lived this change of
form, appeared to be going on with greater or less rapidity,
only the extreme tail end retaining throughout its com-
paratively slender proportions.

3andycove, County Dubhn.

72 The hish Nainralist. April,

THE DETERMINATION OF SEX
IN THE WOODCOCK.

BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D., F.I,.S.

How to distinguish a male Woodcock from a female one bj"
means of external characters has often puzzled ornithologists,
and has led to a good deal of discussion. For in spite of the
most careful inspection by the trained ej^e of the naturalist,
no difference can be detected between them. Young
birds of both sexes appear to be lighter in colour than adults,
while the outer web of the primar}^ feathers has a distinct
series of fulvous notches. This has given rise to the belief
there are two distinct species of Woodcock. Some sportsmen
have maintained that the male birds are always heavier in
weight than the females. Others contend that the contrar}'
is the case. We have, therefore, no unanimity of opinion in
this respect, nor in the matter of size. In anj'- case, the
weight of a bird would not be a reliable test in distinguishing
the sex of a Woodcock, for it is evident that there must be
strong and heav}^ as well as feeble and light, birds among
both males and females.

Lord Ardilaun requested me recentl)' to re-investigate the
problem of finding a reliable distinguishing character between
the male and female Woodcock, and sent me for that purpose
ten specimens which he had shot in his demesne at Ashford,
Co. Galwa}'. I was quite anxious to do so, as so many
naturalists had tried the same investigation and failed to
arrive at any definite conclusion. In order not to keep
ornithologists in too great a suspense, I may as well mention
that I did not succeed in my endeavour, but I think it may
be useful to place on record in the Irish Nahwalist the facts
revealed by my studies.

After labelling the specimens, they were carefully weighed
by Mr. Nichols, who assisted me. As the right wing had in
every case been removed from the wrist, the weight of the
remaining left wing was added to that of the bird, so as to
ascertain the correct weight of the whole bird. We then took
very careful measurements of the length of the bill and the
length of the wing from the wrist, which I indicate below.

19°^. SCHARFF. — Determination of Sfx in the Woodcock, 73

and made notes of the colour, which was practically the same
in all except No. 6. The latter was darker than the others.

A dissection of the ten birds revealed the fact that eight of
them were females and two males, and that all were immature
except No. 6. An examination of the gizzard showed that
the birds had been feeding on beetles, as well as vegetable
matter and earthworms. No mollusc remains were found,
but Mr. Halbert, to whom I handed the contents of the
gizzards for further examination, intends to publish a note on
the subject of their food shortl}'.

The following table indicates the weight (in ounces) and
size (in milimetres) of the 10 specimens of Woodcock : —

No.

I.

9l

oz.

(Female).

Bill,

73

mill.

Wing,

195 mill.

No.

2.

JO\

(do.)

broken.

195 M

No.

3-

loi

(do.)

76 mill.

i9« ..

No.

4.

12i

(Male).

72

200 „

No.

5-

II

(Female).

77

205 „

No.

0.

10

(Male).

69

190 „

No.

7-

II

(Female).

72

damaged.

No.

S.

Hi

(do.)

73

201 mill.

No.

9-

loi

(do.)

74

.,

202 „

No.

10.

10^

(do.)

73

)»

200 ,,

Dublin Museum.

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include a Cliacma Baboon from Mr. C. Leslie, a Sparrow
Hawk from Mr. D. Deuagher, a Blue-fronted Amazon from Mr. R. P.
Grevlish, a pair of Pheasants from Mr. \V. T. Potts, Badgers from Mrs,
Phipps and Mr. W. W. Despard, five Guinea Pigs from Mrs. F. S. Smith,
an Alexandrian Parrakeet from Lad}- Clarke, a pair of Barred Owls from
Mr. J. R. Leutaigne, a pair of Muscovy Ducks from Mr. W. W. Despard,
a pair of Chinese Geese from Mrs. V. C. Singleton, six Telescopic Fish
from Col. J. J. Cronin, and a Bonnet Monkey from Mr. J. Watts. Six
Marmosets, three Spotted African Owls, and a number of Rheas have
been obtained by exchange or purchase. The Rheas are from the col-
lection of the late vSir Douglas Brooke. Like the Rheas already in the
Gardens, they will be accorded liberty in the grounds. The Emeus have
lately been moved from their old house into an open paddock, to the great
improvement of their health.

74 The Irish Naturalist. April,

The Council have considered plans for rebuilding the old Lion House.
The proposed new structure, in conjunction with the " Roberts" house,
-will make a magnificent lodging for the Society's famous collection of
large Carnivora.

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

February 12.— The Club met at Leinster House, Dr. G. H, Pethy-
BRiDGE (Vice-President) in the chair. He exhibited the parasitic
fungus Tillctia striiformis attacking the grass Holais mollis. The fungus
is one of the "smuts" or "bunts," and causes the appearance of longi-
tudinal black lines in the grass leaves, parallel to their edges, easily
seen by the naked eye. Microscopic examination shows that the vas-
cular bundles of the leaves have become replaced b}- masses of the dark-
brown chlamydospores of the fungus. The specimen was gathered near
Brittas in co. Wicklow, and is new for the district and for Ireland.

W. F. GUNN exhibited an alga, Chroolepus aureus. It is a common and
widelj'-distributed species, of a deep 3'ellow or orange colour. The
specimen shown was found growing in profusion on the inside walls of
a greenhouse in Co. Cork.

Dr. R. F. SCHARFF exhibited a minute Woodlouse (^Trichoniscus
pygnueus, Sars.) whicli had been forwarded to him by Mr. N. H. Foster
from Co. Down. Mr. Foster intends to publish a full account of the
distinguishing features of this species, which is new to the Irish fauna,

D. M'Ardle showed plants of the F^xtinguisher Moss, Encalypta
sireplocarM, Hedw. (=Leersia contorta, Lindb.) which he collected on
Heron Island, Ivough Krne, last year. He also showed microscopical
preparations of the leaves, their strong red nerve and the basal areolation,
whicli is very hyaline and streaked with bright purple, but the most
striking characters in the leaves are the projecting marginal papillae.
He also exhibited a preparation of the remarkable tomeutum, which
more resembles persistent protouema, and lies among the young leaves
in neat strata of a brilliant red colour with dark septa, and bearing club-
shaped and spherical heads, which are very fugaceous and may be
vegetative. The plant has not been found in fruit in this country,
though evenly distributed in limestone districts. A drawing of a fruiting
specimen and of the leaves showing the projecting papillae and the curious
protonemoid tomentum enlarged 400 times demonstrated the exhibit.

J. N. Hunter of Park Road, Trinity, Edinburgh, sent for exhibition
Dkramnn stricitiin (Schleich) and a drawing of the leaves and areolation,
together with some notes on this rare moss, which had been collected in
Roslin Wood, Midlothian, last January.

In Dr. Braithwaite's " British Moss Flora," volume i., the species is
recorded as Dkramtin viridc (Lindb.), but H. N. Dixon in his " Handbook
of British Mosses " has shown conclusively that the plant is reallj'
Diiianiini sli iciii/ii (.Schleich), and that all the British specimens he has
examined belong to the latter species. It belongs to the section Aporo-
dictyoii of the genus Diciaiium — this section being characterised by the

1908. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 75

plants being dioicous, the leaves subdulate, lower cell-walls (alone) rarel}?
porose, capsule rather small, usually erect and symmetric, longly ex-
serted. Dicraniun strictu/ii occurs in tufts usually on old rails and trunks
of trees and a very characteristic feature is the fragile nature of the
leaves, nearly all of them having the apex broken off. The nerve is
narrow at base, about f th of width of leaf, and the basal cells are elon-
gate-rectangular, thin walled, 4-8 times as long as broad, gradually
becoming shorter above, very shortly rectangular or almost graduate
near the summit. The leaf is finely channelled-subulate, entire or
faintly denticulate at the margin above. The capsule is oblong- cylindric,
but unfortunately all the British plants have been found in a sterile con-
dition. Dicraniim strict uni occurs in a very few localities in the English
Midland counties, and also on trees in Roslin Wood, 6 miles from
Edinburgh, where it was discovered by Mr. W. Evans.

C. F. Bai,i, showed species of Tillaudsia, a genus of tropical and sub-
tropical plants which are mainly epiphytic. The usual type of
Tillandsia has broad channelled leaves, sheathing at the base ; the rain
pouring upon these leaves runs down into the axils, \vhere it collects,
and is then absorbed by means of special glands at the base of the leaf.
Tillandsia zisneoides, called the Spanish Moss or Old Man's Beard, is a
native of tropical America. The plant is wiry and threadlike, covered
with silvery scales one layer of cells in thickness; no roots are produced,
but the plant lakes up its food by means of glands which are distributed
over both stem and leaves. A section under the microscope showed
these glands, which have a centre of cells in form of a sphere divided
into quadrants, around which two other rows of cells are arranged. In
its native country this plant has been long used as material for packing
breakable articles and also orchids. The stems are fairly strong though
thin, and are said to be used by the Watchipicket birds for making their
curiously-contrived nests hanging on the twigs of trees.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

February 15 — Geoi^ogicai, Excursion to Carrickmines.— Twenty
members and visitors took part in this outing. They left Harcourt-street
at 2.15, and on reaching Carrickmines walked across country in a violent
hail shower to the Dingle. The origin of this strange steep-sided ravine
was explained b}^ the conductor, H. Halliss}', who pointed out the
numerous facts which went to prove that it was the overflow channel of
a lake formed during the later stages of the Glacial Epoch. From the
Dingle the party proceeded to Ballycorus, where near the disused shaft
of the lead mine some fine specimens of galena were obtained. Thence
to the Scalp, which, as the conductor pointed out, was another example
of a glacial overflow channel. After tea at the Scalp the party walked
back to Carrickmines station.

76 The hish Naturalist. April,

February i8. — The third busineSvS meeting of the session was held in
the Royal Irish Academy House. G. H. Pethybridge, Ph.D. (President),
in the chair. J. de W. Hinch read his report as delegate of the Club
at the celebration of the Centenary of the Geological Society of London
in September, 1907. The Report dealt with an excursion into the Crag
districts of Suffolk and Essex which had been organised by the Society,
with the official reception in London on September 26 (when an address
of congratulation from the D N.F.C. was presented by the delegate), and
with excursions in the Thames valley and Kent, which took place after
the official receptions had concluded. The President then read a letter
from Sir Archibald Geikie, thanking the Club on behalf of the Geological
vSociety for the address it had presented. J. BayIvEv Buti,eu, M.A.,
brought forward the Report of the Corresponding Societies Committee
of the British Association for 1907. The Report dealt with the British
Association proposals for the establishment of a photographic survey o^
the British Isles, and with proposals for a Fungus Survej*. The Presi-
dent gave a short account of what the sub-committee of the Club
had alread}- done with reference to the Photographic Survey. J. de \V.
Hinch then read a paper on " The Occurrence of Shelly Drift at 12.50
feet in the Killakee Valle}-." An abstract of this paper will be published,
in the Irish Naturalist. Miss Helen Laird, B.A,, and Miss Walker, B.A.,
were elected members.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

February 22— Botanical Section.— Rev. C. H. Waddei,!,, B.D.,
lectured on " Our Native Orchids, how they grow and where to find
them." The lecture was illustrated by mounted specimens of the various
species.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Irish Algse.

In the /otirnal of the Linnean Society (vol. xxxviii., pp. 279-2S9, plates
29-21, January, 1908), Prof G. S. West publishes a paper on "Some
Critical Green Algae," in which Polychatophora simplex from Lough
Gartan, Donegal, is described as a new species, and W. Archers
Cosmariuvi platyisthtim is re-described under the name letraedron
platyisthiitn.

1908. Notes. 77

Mosses of Co. Dublin.

. In the list of Mosses of Lambay, given at pp. 100-103 of the Irish
Naturalist for 1907, ten species are n.arked with an asterisk as being
" New to Co. Dublin." This statement, however, requires correction, as
fovir of these — viz., Grimniia apocarpa, Ba'hula cylindrical Trichostomum
tnutabik, and Brynm murale — had been collected in this county fifty
years previously, and the specimens are in the Herbarium of the' Science
and Art Museum ; while two were recorded from the same county,
thirt}'^ years ago, by the late Dr. David Moore, of Glasnevin Royal
Botanical Gardens, one i^Trichostovuim tenuirostre) in his "Synopsis of
Irish Mosses," published in the Proceedni^^s of the R.I. Academy for 1872,
and the other ( IVeissia rupcstris) in the Proceedings of the Royal Dublin
Society for 1878.

H. W. Lett.
Loughbrickland.

There is no locality given in the late Dr Moore's work on the Mosses
of Ireland for Grimmia apocarpa ; he describes it as common; it is not
mentioned in his list of Dublin and Wicklow mosses, and I feel justified>
therefore, in recording the localic}^ for it. Bryum murale is published in
the same work (p. 82) as /3. erythrocarpa, j3. murorum, collected near
Killarnej' by Hunt. Trichostomum mutabile —thero: is no locality given for
Dublin; he writes, " Frequent in southern counties " IVeissia rupestris
is given under the name of Gyvinostomum rupestre^ and Trichostomum
tenuirostre under the name of Didymodon cylmdricus. The asterisk to this
and others, if I mistake not, was duly deleted by me when correcting
proofs. I am sorry I have not time at my disposal to search herbaria
for such records, having only a few hours to spare some days in the
week, I used the asterisk to denote '' not previously recorded from Co.
Dublin," and the presence of unrecorded specimens in a herbarium does
not invalidate my statement.

D. M*Ardi.e.

Glasnevin,

EropMla prsecox and Vicia Orobns. — Corrections.

In making up my recent paper on Additions to Irish Topographical
Botany in 1906-7, two slight errors were observed which might possibly
mislead if not corrected. In recording Erophila prczcox from Gal way and
Clare as new to Ireland (/. N., xv., 155), Mr. Phillips overlooked C. P.
Hurst's Clifden record for the same plant (/. N., xi., 45). Again, Mr.
Druce cites Vicia Orobus from Church Island, S. E. Galway, as new to Dis-
trict VI. (/. JV., xvi., 148). But it is recorded from this district (Castle-
Lambert, N. E. Galway) in Cybele Hibernica, Ed. II.

R. Lr,. Praeger.
Dublin.

A 3

yS The Irish Natiiralist . April,

Oxyria digyna in Co. Clare— A Correction.

In a paper on the Levinge Herbarium, by Prof. Johnson and myself,
published in the Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society.
1903, Oxyria digyna. Hill, is recorded from " Hill near Lisdoonvarua, Co.
Clare." Further examination of this specimen proves it to be an unusual
form o^ Rumex scntaius. The leaves are rounded at the apex, much less
sagittate than usual, and so like those of the Mountain Sorrel, as to have
deceived Mr. I.evinge, who had labelled it Oxyria digyna, Hill. Kumex
scntaius is recorded from an old wall at Lisdoonvarua iu the appendix to
*' Cybele Hibernica," 2nd Ed. Specimens from this locality have recently
been presented to the herbarium by Mr. Praeger, a'jd a comparison of
the Levinge specimen with these shows that it is identically the same
plant.

M. C. Knowi.es.
Dublin Museum.

ZOOLOGY.

Notes on Irish Birds.

British Birds for March contains notices of a Black Redstart captured
on 3rd November at Kilternan, Co. Dublin. The January Zoologist con-
tains notes from \V. J Williams of the occurrence of two immature
Ospreys in Co Sligo in November, 1907, and of a Night-Heron in Co.

Meath during the same month.

Seagulls in the City of Dublin,

Any person interested in birds, especially sea birds, cannot but be
struck with admiration at the beautiful sight of the gulls that frequent
the River Liffey in the vicinit}- of Wellington-quay, where the Poddle
River discharges itself into the LifFey. The gulls in former years were
dispersed along the river, but as the main drainage is now an accom-
plished fact they are somewhat restricted in their feeding ground, and
congregate in large numbers to feed on the offal brought down b}' the
Poddle in its underground course through part of the slums of Dublin.
Several species of gull may be seen at different periods of the year; the
Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, frequents the river all through the
autumn, winter, and early spring, but is seldom seen during the
breeding season, June and Jul}'. In March the Lesser Black-backed
Gull — Larus fuicus — arrives from its winter home, and haunts the river
almost the summer through till the advent of winter warns to go
south again. In May, 1906, 1 had the pleasure of seeing that rare
species, the Iceland Gull, Z. leucoptertis, in company with Herring Gulls,

190^. JVolcs. 79

near Grattan Bridge. It has always appeared strange to me that the
Common Gull, Lams canits, seldom visits the river at any time. I have
noticed it in Stephen's Green Park, but have no record of ever seeing it
at Wellington-quay. The most abundant gull, and one which may be
seen at all times, is that interesting and changeable species, the Black-
headed Gull, Lams ridibundus. Many persons ask, if you show them this
bird in the winter plumage, why call it the Black-headed Gull ? Usually
in the month of July, but sometimes in the last week of June, young
birds bred on the inland bogs follow the course of the Liffe}- until they
reach the rich banqueting ground at Wellington-quay. There they
may be seen following their parents, which have dark- brown heads,
pearl-grey backs, and pure white tails. Towards the end of September
the young birds have turned to pearl-grey on the back, but with a well-
defined dark brown bar on the tail, and brown stripe along the
secondar}- wing feathers. This plumage they retain till the following
spring. In the parents of July, the dark-brown hood becomes dappled
with white, and a few weeks later not a sign of the brown head is
visible, with the exception of a dark patch behind the eye. The feet
and beak of the adult birds become a bright vermilion, whilst the feet
and beak of the immature birds are pale ochre. This can readily be
seen as the birds descend to pick up food. No change takes place till
the following February, when the adult birds again begin to show signs
of the dark head. Although called the Black-headed Gull, in reality
the colour of the head is dark brown. During March and April, the
young birds hatched the previous year also assume the dark head, which
IS even a deeper shade than that of their parents, but they can always
be identified by the bar on the tail and brown stripe along the wing
previously mentioned. By the end of April most of the adult birds have
gone inland to breed, leaving the immature birds, which are not at this
period interested in nesting, to frequent the river, where they are occa-
sionally joined by an adult bird, who is too old to undertake the serious
duty of incubation, or whose breeding ground is within easy flight of
the cit}-. In the following autumn of the second year the immature
birds, with the bar on tail and brown stripe along the wing, moult into
the full adult plumage — viz., pure white tail, pearl-grey back, vermilion
feet and beak, losing all traces of the distinguishing brown marks of the
immature stages. In the following spring they join the vast throng
that leave the river to breed on the inland bogs. It is remarkable how
tame the gulls have become within recent years in the city. The bird,
that sits on the Liifey wall, within a few paces of the passer-by, is
entirely changed when you meet him on the North Bull (four miles
away). Here he has learned by bitter experience the effect of firearms,
and he will give you a wide berth and little opportunity to study his
plumage. The Black-headed Gull has learned to vary his diet by a visit
to the lake in Stephen's Green Park, much to the discomfiture of the
ornamental water fowl, who sit still while he snaps the bread in mid-air
thrown by visitors. I have seen one almost take bread from the
hands of children. So tame have they become, that many visitors

8o The Irish Naturalist, April,

think these gulls are part of the collection kept l)y the Board of Works
for their instruction and amusement. Perched on the branches of a
weeping ash, growing on the south side of the lake, may be observed,
taking little notice of the visitors who pass within a few feet, the Lesser
Black-backed, which gull. 1 regret to say, has found out this sanctuary ;
one immature specimen last summer frequented the lake, resting on the
cornice of a house overlooking the Park, till an opportunity presented
itself of swooping down and snatching one of a group of ducklings. It
became so expert at this form of poaching that special orders were
issued by the Board of Works, and the marauder promptly executed.
On another occasion an adult Lesser Black-backed attacked a duckling,
and was in turn attacked by the parents (a pair of Chilian Wigeous)
with such success that the exhausted gull was killed by one of the Park
constables with a stick. No such charge can be levied at the head of
the Black-headed; they live in peace with the waterfowl, making no
attempt to molest the young birds, no matter how small and weak they
are. The gulls conspicuous by their absence from the cit}' proper are —
the Greater Black-backed {Larns /nannies) and Kittiwake {/\issa tridactyla),
the latter in the earl}' spring frequent the river as far up as the London
and North W^esteru boats, but the former I have not seen beyond the
Pigeon House Fort.

W. J. Wir,i,iAMS.
Dame-street, Dublin,

Morning Flight of Gulls across Central Scotland.

Within view of a south window alone here the flight of Herring Gulls
continues all winter. They pass over almost im'ariabU' in a S.W.
direction, between the Forth and Chxle estuaries. Their flight has been
traced at various points all along the course. So far as those seen here
are concerned the same line is chosen, but the full width of the area so
occupied has not so far as I know been accurately laid dowii or mapped.
The flight continues from daylight — at this point — onwards, and often
continues most of the day, but on some da5's ceases about lo.o a.m. It is
almost entirely when the wind is westerl}', that the}- travel, and they
are little observed if the wind is easterl}-. I have not observed any
corresponding return in the evening, and rarely see even a straggler
going east. They come from the mud-flats and shores of the Firth of
Forth, and are known to congregate on the mud and shores of the Clyde;
and at a few intermediate stations where food supplies are obtainable.

Early in November or earlier, these flights are accompanied by a few
parties of Great Black-backed Gulls — i, 2, 3, 4, or up to 7, or 8 (I can't
recall ever seeing more), but all of this species apparently soon pass over
and none are seen as the winter advances. I have of late 3'ears carefull}'
scanned the birds passing over, but have always failed to make out any
Lesser Black-backed Gulls amongst them, or flying over at any time.
But when early spring arrives, and lambing-time on the inland oioors

t9o8. Notes. 8 1

and valleys, Lesser Black-backs in pairs, are common, and many are to
be seen hanging in the keeper's " larders" of vermin. These birds— as
with the Herring Gulls — are almost invariably pursuing a westerly
course, itp the valleys.

Similarly here, in late autumn and winter, Rooks pass at dawn,
continuing till about 9 or 10 a.m., and sometimes till noon, flying S.W.,
and have been traced along the course all the way to Glasgow, some
dropping here and there along the railwa}' lines and other feeding
stations, but all returning in the " gloaming" on an easterly course. It
is believed that a large proportion of these Rooks belong to the huge
winter roost at Dunmore, and from it and to it, they appear certainly
to take almost bee-lines, 7y?>/^-strengths permitting.

These notes may prove of some little interest to compare with my
good friend, Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger's — to whom greetings.

J. A. Harvie-Brown.

Dunipace, Stirlingshire.

Morning Flight of Black-Headed Gulls.

I live six miles from Dungarvan Ba}', and the morning procession of
Black-headed Gulls coming inland from the sea, as well as their return
towards evening, has been so long familiar to me that I have come to
look on it, at least in winter, much as I do on the daily round of light
and darkness. In the Birds of Ireland, p. 331, it is said, "As winter
approaches these flocks spread over the country during the day, largely
following the plough for the worms that are turned up, but they retire
towards evening to roost on some isolated sea-bank or other marine
retreat, if such be within reach.''

There is a daily flight of Rooks coming from the great rookery at
Dromand, in the reverse direction to the gulls, which return in a long
column to their home at night. The daily movements are similar, but
while the gulls retire at night to the seaside, the Rooks betake them-
selves to the greatest mass of old trees in the count}'.

Cappagh, Co. Water ford.

R. J. USSHER.

Great Shearwaters and Fulmars.

I am again favoured by Mr. George P. Farran with a series of in-
teresting notes of oceanic birds made during the cruises of the " Helga,^''
chiefly off the Teraght, Skelliggs, and the Bull Rock, and extending to
40, 60, and in one case, 90 miles from land. They were made at
various times of the year in February, I\Iay, August, and November.

There are thirty-three observations of Fulmars, birds which occurred
at all seasons, and this agrees with the reports of Mr. W. S. Green and
Mr. Holt, who often met with F'ulmars off the west coast of Ireland.

32 The Irish Naturalist, April,

Mr, Farran has sent me eighteen observations of Great Shearwaters
made on the same occasions and places as those of the Fulmars ; but
these Great Shearwaters uere only met with from August to November
inclusive, while their absence at other seasons is specially mentioned.

The notes I now refer to include those given in the Irish Naturalist
for 1907, p. 163. The Sooty Shearwater is said not to have been met
with in 1906-7, though Mr. H. Becher found both Great and Sooty
Shearwaters in some numbers off the same coast in 1900 and 1901 {Irish
Nat, 1901, p- 42, and 1905, p. 43).

R. J. USSHER.

Cappagh, Co. Waterford.

Pink-Footed Goose in Co. Roscommon.

It might be of interest 10 some of your readers to know that on the
1 7thof February I shot at Rockingham, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, a Pink-
footed Goose, this being only the second occasion on which it has ever
been secured in Ireland.

I was waiting on an island on Lough Key for Beau Geese which
frequent this lake, and I shot this bird, which was one of two that came
over me. I think it probable that these two were the only ones of that
species, though there may have been more among the Bean Geese.

Unfortunately I left the next day, and had, therefore, no further op-
portunity of finding out for certain. The bird is being set up bj'
Williams and Son, of Dame-street.

Henry G. O. Bridgeman.
Royal Hospital, Dublin.

Mayo Birds.

To the February Zoologist Mr. Robert Warren supplies *' Some Ornitho-
logical Notes from Mayo and Sligo," dealing chiefly with the migratory
movements of the White Wagtail.

GEOLOGY.

Coastal Features in Co. Waterford.

In an article in the Geolojcal Magazine, (5) vol. iv., Jan., 1907,
F. R. Cowper Reed discusses the stretch of coast on the west side of
Waterford Harbour, lying between Credan Head on the south and
Knockavelish Head on the north, and known as Fornaght Strand. About
the middle of this area, and 200 yards from the present sea-margin, is an
Old Red Sandstone ridge which terminates abruptly in what the writer
considers to Ijc an old sea-cliff produced by marine erosion. This con-
clusion gains support from the existence of Ci) an old rock platform
preserved beneath the drift deposits at the north end of the strand and

1908. Notes. \ 83

(2) a shelf cut in the face of the Old Red Sandstone cliffs of Kuockaveli.>h
Head. The level of this ledge is from 10-15 f^^t above the present short
platform, and corresponds with that of the base of the inland cliff. At
Credau Head there is no trace of a similar ledge, but this may be ac-
counted for by the fact that the rocks are soft and have yielded readily
to the weather. Inland, however, up the Credan valley, relics of an old
sea-cliif still persist. A close correspondence obtains both as regards
buried rock-cliffs and also wave-cut rock-platforms between this and the
various sections along our south coast which have been examined and
described by Messrs. Wright and Muff. A submerged forest is observable
at low spring-tides, which records a former downward and a more recent
upward movement of our coastline. About 30 stools were counted, the
diameter of the trunks being in most cases i-i^ feet. In a second article
( . c, Dec, 1907), it is stated that between Tramore and Dunmore East,
the materials of the drift are largely derived from the old Red Sand-
stone, and there is an absence of granite, gneiss, and metamorphic rocks,
which form such an important part of the drift at Passage.

The Soil Geology of Ireland.

Accompanying the volume recently reviewed in our pages (vol. xvi.,
p. 340) is a map showing the surface geology of the countrj% prepared
under the direction of Sir Archibald Geikie, F.R.S. : scale 10 miles to an
inch.

REVIEWS.

BRITISH AND IRISH MARINE WORMS.

A Monograph of the British Annelids. By W, C. McInTOSH,
M.D., F.R.S. , &c. Vol. II., Part i. 1908. 4to. Pp. 1-232. Plates
XIvIII. — L. coloured, and LVII. — LXX. uncoloured. Issued by the
Ray Society to subscribers for the year 1907. London, 1908.

The third part of Professor Mcintosh's sumptuous Monograph of the
British Annelids has just been issued by the Ray Societ}-. The first part,
issued in 1873-4, dealt with the Nemertine worms, which are no longer
included among the Annelids. Part 2, published in 1900, included the
Families Amphiuomidse, Aphroditidae, Polynoidae, Acoetidae, and
Sigalionidae. It was briefly reviewed in the Irish Naturalist^ Vol. ix.,
p. 181. The volume just issued deals with the Families Nephthydidae,
Phyllodocidse, Hesionidse, and Syllidae. It is illustrated by 8 beautiful
coloured, and 14 uncoloured plates. The completion of this elaborate

84 The hi sh Naturalists April,

Monograph will be a great boon to all students of the Polychaeta, and
one can onh- hope that the intervals between the publication of the
forthcoming volumes will be shorter than they have hitherto been. In
the " Temporary Preface," Prof. Mcintosh states that the Carnegie Trust
made a grant of ;(<,'ioo towards the cost of publication. He also gives us
the welcome news that the next volume is ready for the press.

The absence of an Index, or even a Table of Contents, is to be great!}'
deplored. It adds considerably to the labours of those using this Mono-
graph. Such aids to progress as Ke5's to the Genera and Species are
quite absent. Prof. Mcintosh does not adhere to the system of classifi-
cation put forward by Prof. Benham. The Family Aphroditidse of
Benham is equivalent to the Aphroditidse, Polynoid^e, Acoetidse, and
Sigalionidce of this Monograph. The account of each species is ver}- full'
and besides the anatomy, includes notes on its history, development,
habits, parasites, and economic uses. The use of the name Lagisca
/effrcysii for the new species described in Part II., p. 305, is quite in-
defensible, as Prof. Llclutosh had already applied this name in 1876
to a species which he now^ regards as identical with Lagisca extenuata
(Grube).

The Polychaeta collected by the various dredging expeditions of the
Royal Irish Academy and the Roj^al Dublin Societ}', as well as those col-
lected by Prof. Haddou, the late A. G. More, and man}- others, were sent
for examination to Prof. Mcintosh, and so this Monograph is of special
interest to Irish zoologists. Examined from this point of view, the Mono-
graph shows some unsatisfactory features. For instance, in the Dublin
Museum there are Irish specimens of Castalia punctata (O. F. I\I ), Eteone
picta, Quat., Alystides Lizzies^ McI., Enlalia nebutosa, Mont., and Phyllodoce
maculata, Iv-, named by Prof. Mcintosh himself, and yet these species are
not recorded as Irish in the volume just issued. The records of Irish
Polychaeta are very few, but they have usually been ignored by Prof.
Mcintosh.

The total number of species described is 133, with 6 varieties, and of
these 51 species and 3 varieties are recorded from Irish waters. Families
such as the Nephthydidie (7 out of 10), and Polynoidae (20 out of 37),
which contain large conspicuous forms, are well represented in the Irish
records, whilst the P'amily Syllidte (5 out of 33). which is composed of
small forms living chiefly between tide-marks, is but poorly represented.
Careful shore-collecting is needed to remedy this deficiency.

The following list includes all the Irish species recorded so far in this
Monograph. Those marked with an asterisk have only been found as
yet in Irish waters. Some of the localities of the deep-water species are
indicated so vaguely that it is impossible to decide whether they come
within the Irish area. These are omitted from the list : —

AMPHINOMIDyE.

vSpinthcr oniscoides, Johnston. FAiphrosyne armadillo, vSars.
JSuphrosync foliosa, Aud. andh)d.

1908

Reviews,

85

Aphroditid^.

Aphrodite aculeate, L.
Laetmatonice filicornis, Kinb.

L. products, van hritannica, McI.*
Hermione hystrix, Sav.

POI,YNOTD.«.

Lepidonotus squamatus, L,.
Iv. clava, Montagu.
Gattyana cirrosa, Gall.
Lagisca floccosa, Sav.
L. extenuata, Grube.
Harmothoe imbricata, L.
H. Fraser-Tliomsoui, McI.
H. lunulata, Chiaje.
Evarne inipar, Johnston.

E. Johnstoni, McI.
Antinoe fiumarchica, Malmgren.
A. mollis, Sars.
Scalisetosus assimilis, McI.
Malmgrenia castanea, McL
Halosydna gelatinosa, Sars.
Polynoe scolopendrina, Sav.
Achloe astericola, Chiaje.

SlGALIONID.^.

Sthenelais boa, Johnston.
S. limicola, Ehlers.
S. JefFreysii, McI.*
S. sp., McI.*

Eustheuelais hibernica, McI.
Leanira hystricis, Ehlers.
Phloe minuta, Fabricius.

Nkphthydid.^:.

Nephthys caeca, O. F. Mull,
N. Honibergii, Lamarck.
N. hystricis, McI.
X. Johnstoni, Ehlers.

Nephthys cirrosa, Ehlers.
N. incisa, Malm.
N. pansa, Ehlers.

Phyllodocid^.

Notophyllum foliosum, Sars.
Eulalia viridis, O. F. Miill.
E. imbricata, Ehlers.
Eumida sanguinea. Oersted.
Anaitis kosteriensis, Malm.

A. Jeffreysii, McI.*
Phyllodoce lamelligera, Gmelin.
P. groenlandica. Oersted.
Genet5'llis hibernica, McI.*

Hesionid^.
Ophiodromus flexuosus, Delia Chiaje. Castalia arctica, Malm.

86 The Irish Naturalist. April,

SvijjD.i:.

Exaouegemiiiifera, var. Scharffi. Odoutosyllis gibba, var. Robertianae,

McL* McI.

Xeuosyllis Kiubergi, McL* Syllis coriiuta, Rathke.
Sphcerosyllis histrix, Claparede.

R. Southern.

TROPICAL TRAVEL.

Three Voyages of a Naturalist, being an accouut of many little-
known Islands in three Oceans, visited by the " Valhalla," R.Y.S.
By M. J. Nicoivi,, M.B.O.U., with an introduction by the Rt. Hon.
the Ear:, of Crawford, K.T., F.R.S. Pp. xxvi. + 246. With 56
plates, 4 sketch maps and text illustrations, London, Witherby & Co.
1908. Price 7s. ^d. net.

This book of scientific travel will appeal to all naturalists, and
especially to lovers of birds. The author, Mr. M. J. Nicoll, who now
holds a post in the Zoological Gardens at Giza, near Cairo, accompanied
Lord Crawford on three voyages of his yacht, the " Valhalla," in order
to obtain specimens for the British Museum collections from remote and
little-visited regions of the earth. The voyages described are round
Africa, to the West Indies, and round the Woild. On the first-named
voyage, after visiting St. Paul's Rocks in Mid-Atlantic and Fernando
Noronha, the naturalists had the good fortune to observe, about 14 miles
off the coast of Brazil, a " Sea-serpent, with a quadrate dorsal fin and a
long eel-like neck surmounted by a head shaped somewhat like that of
a turtle." The neck was 6 feet long and as thick as a man's thigh I
From the aspect of the fin, Mr. Nicoll concludes that the creature was a
mammal and not a reptile. The island of South Trinidad, visited by
naturalists onl}' on three previous occasions, afforded many interesting
birds for study, while near the more familiar Tristan da Cunha were seen
specimens of our mysterious Great Shearwater. Dassen Island near
Capetown afforded Jackass Penguins and Sacred Ibis. On Aldabra of the
Mascarene group. Abbot's Ibis was photographed ; the difficulty was not
to avoid frightening the birds but to keep the birds in their inquisitive
tameness from upsetting the camera. An observation of much general
interest to the student of animal behaviour is that on the same unin-
habited island one species of bird may be tame and fearless while an
allied species is suspicious and shy.

In the other two voyages better known islands were visited Martin-
ique, Faster, Pitcairn, Tahiti, and Samoa. But in all cases, facts of the
natural history of the places are plainly and simply told. The photo-
graphs that adorn the volume are always good and frequently
beautiful.

G. H. C.

1908. Reviews 87

A BOOK OF BIRDS.

A Book of Birds. By W. P. Pycraft, A.L.S., F.Z.S. Pp. 156; with
30 full-page, coloured plates, and many illustrations in the text.
London : Sidney Appleton, 1908. Price, 6j-. net.

This attractive volume is uniform in appearance with Mr. W. F.
Kirby's " Mammals of the World," lately noticed in this magazine. It
can be recommended as, on the whole, a trustworthy and fascinating
introduction to ornithology. The opening chapter contains an account
of the structure of birds in which the characteristic features of the
skeleton, feathers, and, more briefly, of the internal anatomy are
described with care and accuracy, attention being especially called to
the points of affinity between birds and reptiles. The short description
of Archaeopteryx is particularly' good, and the evolutionary standpoint
of this chapter cannot fail to be stimulating to the beginner who may
read it.

In the succeeding sixteen chapters the various orders of birds are
dealt with in ascending order according to the revised modern classifi-
cation, the species figured in the coloured plates being chosen for
special description. In sketching the distribution of our native birds,
Mr. Pycraft has not neglected Ireland ; for example, the recent spread
of the Tree-sparrow in Co. Dublin has not been overlooked. Various
errors — such as the statement that " the Yellow Wagtail is an extremely
common bird in parts of Ireland," and the implication that the Tree-
Pipit (''fairly distributed throughout the British Islands") is an Irish
bird — may be corrected in a second edition.

G. U. C.

OBITUARY,

REV. WILLIAM RICHARDSON LINTON.

The death on January 4, at the age of 57 years, of Rev. W. R. lyinton,
M A., F.L.S.^ Vicar of Shirley, removes one of the most energetic and acute
of British field botanists. His earlier work in Britain was done mostly in
Scotland; later he devoted much time to the working out of the botany
of the county in which he was long resident, and the result appeared in
his " Flora of Derb3-shire " in 1903. He studied especially critical
plants, issuing in conjunction with his brother and others the well-known
sets of British Rubi, Willows, and Hieracia. His latest work was the
"Account of the British Hieracia, " published in 1905. Linton twice
made a botanical tour in Ireland — in 1S85, when he gathered many of the
endemic species, and again in 1895, when he studied Rubi, Characese, &c.,
with H, C. lyevinge in Westmeath.

8S The Irish Naturalist. April, 1908.

ROBERT PRIDE.

We regret to record the death in Dublin on Sunday, February 2, after
a very brief illness, of Robert Pride, who had been connected with the
Dublin Natural History Museum for a space of nearly fifty years.

His death was ver}- unexpected, for he seemed in remarkably good
health in the summer of 1904, when he retired under the age limit, and
it was thought he would then have several j-ears in which to enjoy his
well-earned pension.

During his long connection with the Dublin Museum as taxidermist,
he had acquired an extensive knowledge of the history of the various
specimens ; a great number of the stuffed birds and skeletons were
mounted b}- him, also manj' of the marine invertebrates, which required
great patience and skill in their manipulation.

He was a man of deep religious convictions, and always most anxious
to assist in the promotion of any work of a charitable nature.

NEWS GLEANINGS.

Prof. Henry H. Dixon, D.Sc, F.R.S.

Among the fifteen names chosen for election into the Royal Society
we are delighted to see that of the Professor of Botany in Dublin Uni-
versity. Prof. Dixon has attained this honour unusuall}' early in the
career of a naturalist. We congratulate him most heartily, for his bril-
liant researches in vegetable cytology and physiology have thoroughly
deserved the recognition.

The Royal Irish Academy.

Among the twelve chosen for election into the Royal Irish Academy
natural science is represented by J. N. Halbert, of the Dublin Museum,
whose excellent work in entomology is well-known to all our readers ;
Dr. A. Henrj', the forestry expert ; and Sir John Ross of Bladensburg, who
adds to his military knowledge, eminence as an arboriculturist.

British Birds' Nests.

We have received Part I. of a new edition of R Kearton's " British
Birds' Nests," to be completed in sixteen fortnightly parts at one shilling
each. The work, illustrated with photographs by C. Keartou, and
coloured plates of eggs, will be welcomed by all lovers of natural histor}'
and artistic photography. It is published by Messrs. Cassell & Co.

Irish Natikai.ist. Nol. X\1I.

I'latk 3.

J . W . Jacinion, Plwtoiiiicii),
NEKlKiO MOULINSIANA. \' . LILLJEBOKCW . AND \' . AN T I\EK T IGO,

sliowing variation in size, form, and mouth.

\'. iiioiiliiisiana, 1—4, Tinnahinch, X9 ; 5 — 6, Mordeii. Dorset, X8 ; 7 — S, lirauiuoii Hiurows,
Devon, X8 ; i)--io, Wicken Fen. X9; 11 — 12, Bessungen, Darmstadt, X9.
V. Lilljeborgi, 13 14. Conneniara, Xio. V. antivertieo, 15 — 16, Conneniara, Xio.

May, 1908. Thehish Nahiralist, 89

VKRTIGO MOULINSIANA, DUPUY.

An Addition to the Irish Fat^na.

BY R. A. PHILLIPS.

(Pirate 3.)

This rare and interesting little molkisk, apparently through
confusion arising from a similarit}^ in its shape and dentition
to those of V, Liiljebo7gi, has on previous occasions been re-
corded as occurring in Ireland. Thus, a shell found b}^ Dr.
J. G. Jeffrey's in 1845, at Ball3'nahinchj Co. Galwa}^ was
named b}^ him F. motilinsiana {British Conchology^ vol. i.,
p. 255), this name being afterwards corrected to V. Lilljeborgi^
West. {A^inals a7id Magazine of Nat, Hist., 1878, p. 380) It
was also included by Dr. Scharff in his list of '* Irish Land
and Fresh-water Mollusca" (/.A^., 1892, p. 136), he, at that
time, looking on V. Lilljebo7oi as a variety of V. vioulinsiana^
a view taken also by some recent British authors, and by the
compilers of the Conchological Society's census. The re-
discovery of V. Lilljeborgi at Ballynahinch by Messrs, Chaster
and Tomlin in 1902 settled all doubt as to what the shell
found by Jeffreys really was, and careful comparison of the
specimens then obtained with F. 7}ioiilinsiana showed that
the two are quite distinct. As a result of this discovery, Dr.
Scharff withdrew the latter species from the Irish list, saying
in a note on the article announcing it (/A^., 1903, p. 14) : —
'' When I wrote my paper in the Irish N'aturalist, vol. I., on
the ' Irish Land and Fresh-water Mollusca,' I had not seen a
specimen of V. Lilljeborgi^ and a shell I took on the Aran
Islands seemed to me to agree more closely with the descrip-
tion of V. motdijisiana, but as my onh' specimen has unfor-
tunately been lost, I cannot now compare it in the light of
more recent researches. Possibly both species may occur on
the west coast of Ireland, but until a specimen of V. niouliii'
siana is forthcoming it would be better to omit it from the
Irish list."

Under these circumstances, I have now much pleasure in
definitely recording V. 771021 lin siana ^ Dupuy, as a member of
the Irish fauna, having, early in October last, discovered

A

90 The Irish NatinaUst. May,

quite a colony of it in a small marsh by the side of the River
Barrow, near Tinnahinch, Co. Carlow

I first perceived it resting on the stems and leaves of the
tall grass Glyccfia aqiiaiica and other plants, and a further
search revealed some dozens of specimens on the leaves and
twigs ot a hawthorn bush at the edge of the marsh.

During the second week in Januar}- I was again at Tinna-
hinch and revisited the marsh. Expecting to find the animals
wintering, like some other Vertigoes, in the shelter of hollow
stems and other plant-remains, I spent some time examining
the marsh debris without finding a trace of them ; at last,
quite unexpectedl}^ I caught sight of a specimen on the trunk
of a small Alder ; this gave me a clue to their true winter
habitat, and I was not long in discovering numbers of the
hardy little creatures hibernating, during the coldest spell of
weather we had last winter, on the most exposed parts
of th^ lower branches, at from two to three feet above
the ground. The}' are gregarious and apparently viviparous,
as there were several small communities of from four to
about twenty individuals huddled together, many of them
bearing young ones of two or three whorls on the backs of
their shells. Later on I took some handfuls of loose, A\y
leaves that had got caught by the forking of the blanches, and
found that each curled-up leaf contained several specimens,
both adult and juvenile. In no case did I find one among
leaves that were wet, or in a position to retain moisture. Its
constant companion in both these situations was Siicchtea
p2itris^ a species said to hibernate in mud, of which there were
hundreds among the leaves and on the Alder branches.

Parts of the marsh produce a dense growth of Bur-reed
(Sparganium), the leaves of which wither and dry, but do not
fall or decay until the following summer, and on these large
numbers of young Vertigoes were congregated waiting for the
spring, v.'hen the new crop of leaves would supply them with
food and fresh habitat.

An hour or so after being collected, the little snails were
to be seen actively crawling about the box in which they were
placed, their black bodies and tentacles fully extended. I
tested their power of motion in water, and found that when
beyond their depth they floated, but were quite helpless ; on

1908. Phii,i,tps. — Vertigo moiilinsiana^ Dtipiiy. 9 1

being blown to the edge of the water they quickly crawled
out of it, carrying their shells in an upright position. Most
of the shells have only four denticles, but some of the older
specimens possess an additional small one at the corner of
the lip near the columella.

The first specimens I collected differed from English
(Bishopstoke, Hants) ones in my collection in being of a much
darker colour and possessing a more contracted mouth and
rather narrow^er lip-margin, so I sent some to Dr. Scharff, who
compared them with English and Italian ones in the National
Museum, and at once pronounced them true V. mo7iHnsiana.
This determination w^as afterwards fully confirmed by Messrs.
R. Standen and J. Wilfrid Jackson, of Manchester Museum.

The distinctions noted above between the Irish and English
specimens induced Mr. Standen to go deeply into the ques-
tion, and comparison with the numerous sets from nearly all
its known localities, British and continental, in his own col-
lection and in the collections of the Conchological Society and
Manchester Museum, resulted in showing that these differences
were fully accounted for by the "locality variation " to which
most species of mollusca are subject. This was clearly demon-
strated b}- a number of beautiful photo-micrographs prepared
by Mr. Jackson, who has kindly allovv'ed me to reproduce some
of them here (Plate 3.). A fairly large gathering made at
Tinnahinch in January proves that even among individuals of
one locality a considerable amount of variation may occur,
many specimens showing differences in size, outline of lip and
tumidit}^ This is well illustrated in Plate 3 and in the
accompanying figures (see next page),

V. moiilinsia7ia has, like many other species, been described
by various authors under different names, and the synonjmiy
here published, I believe for the first time, will, it is hoped,
prove useful to conchologists.

Dr. Scharff, who kindly worked out its distribution for me,
says that V. moulmsiana seems to be a member of the Lusi-
tanian fauna. It occurs in Spain, France, North Italy,
Carinthia, Sicily, and as far east as the Caucasus. North-
eastward it spreads into Switzerland, Germany, Belgium
Denmark, and northward into the. south of England and
Ireland,

h 2

92

The Irish Naturalist.

May,

Mr. A. S. Kennard, F.G.S., informs ine that, according to
Dr. Boettger, it is found in North America (United States)
as V. ve7itricosa, Morse.

B

H

Fig. I.

A, P..

Vertij^o MouHiisiana,

CD.

Do.

R, F.

Do.

G. H.

V. Lilljeborgi,

I J.

V. antivertigo,

Tinnahinch, Co. Carlo w, x 9.
Bessuugen, Darmstadt, x 9.

Morden, Dorset, x 8.

Ballinahinch, Co. Gahvaj', x 10.
Roundstone, Co. Galway, x 10.

In England it has been found in Devon, Dorset, Hants,
Berks, Cambridge, Herts, Notts and Derby.

1908. Phillips. — Vertigo moulinsiana^ Dupuy. 93

The fact that V- Lilljeborgi'i^ 6\s\A.nQX.irom. V. moulinsiana
is quite apparent when the two are seen side by side under a
lens. The former is much smaller, more glossy, its whorls
are more tumid, and its thinner lip lacks the broad, almost
colourless margin of the latter. The habits of the two
animals also appear to be quite different, for, as has
been shown, V. vioiilinsiana^ although inhabiting marshes,
avoids during boch summer and winter anything in the
nature of damp or decaying matter; while the favourite,
if not only habitat, in this country at least, of V, Lilljeborgi is
among the decaj'ing roots and stems of aquatic plants cast up
on lake shores. V. Lilljebo^^gi is also a much more local shell,
having been found only in Sweden, Norway, and West of Ire-
land. Judged from its size, form, and habits, V. Lilljeborgi
would seem to be more closely related to V. aritive^tigo than
to K 7tiouli7isiana^ but of course the dentition of the two species
is entirely different (PI- 3., figs. 13-16).

For information and assistance kindly given me in the pre-
paration of these notes, I desire to express my thanks to Dr.
R. F. Scharff, Messrs. R. Standen, J. Wilfrid Jackson, and R.
Welch, M.R.I.A.

Synonymy.

Vertigo moulinsiana, Bupuy.

V. Charpentieri, Shtittkworth,

V. Charpentieri, Adams.

V. laevigata, Kokiel.

V. moulinsiana, Dromt.

Pupa anglica, Moqiiin-Tandon.

P. laevigata, Pfr.
Vertigo Lilljeborgi, IVesterlmtd.

Pupa desmoulinsiana, [effvcys (1855).

Vertigo moulinsiana, leffreys.

V. modesta, Westerltind.

Explanation of Plate 3.

Figs. 1-12, Vertigo moulinsiana, from various localities.
„ 13-14, V, Lilljeborgi.
„ 15-16, V. antivertigo.

Ashburton, Cork.

94 The Irish Naturalist. May,

ON THK ANATOMY OFVITRINA PYRENAICA,

BY RKV. K. W. BOWEI^L, M.A.
[Pl,ATK 4.]

Last \-ear Mr. Keniiard kiiidl}- sent me for examination two
living specimens of the new Irish Vitrina which Mr. Grierson
had sent him. I at once pronounced them to be V. pyreiiaica^
Fer., tliough I was aware that they had been ascribed by a
high authority to F. eloiigata (se7Jiilimax) ; and that Simroth's
figure of the genitalia of that species had been copied in illus-
tration of them.^ I have taken both these species myself in
p'rauce. • Recently Mr. Kennard sent me eight more speci-
mens of the Vitrina. which had been collected by Mr. R. A.
Phillips in Co. Louth, March, 1908. I was especially glad to
have this extra material, as it has enabled me to verif}' and
correct my former dissections. All doubtful points have been
elucidated by paraffin sections of properlj'-fixed specimens.

In Plate 4, figures A, B, and C represent the shell. The
actual length of the example drawn is 4 mm. Figures E, F,
G, and H are on the same scale. They were traced with the
Abbe camera from the actual objects. The most remarkable
feature of the shell is its extreme obliquitj' ; in order to see the
spire and the lower margin of the peristome at the same time it
must be held at an angle (as at C), when its flatness is also
apparent. In the living animal the shell rests on one side of
the visceral hump, inclined at an unusual angle to the vertical
axis, as will be seen by comparing figures A and D. This
last figure shows the animal in about an average state of ex-
tension ; it is capable of still further elongation, and is also
able, when at rest, to assume very much the .same shape as
Agriolimax IcBvis. When the animal is extended, the walls of
the atrium (which are very thin and flimsy) are drawn out,
as shown in figure K ( V. pcllucida). But the flagelhim,
vagina, and proximal parts of the epididymis are also capable
of considerable extension ; thus the end of the flagellum is
often found retorted, as in fig. E- The external genital orifice

^ J. \V. Tavi.ok, '• Vitrina eloiigal.a in Ireland," Uish Nat., vol. xvi., 1907,
pp. 225-231, pi. 26.

Irish Xatiralist. Vol XVII.]

[Plate 4.

cbid

10^

VlTRIXA PVRKXATCA.

A, B. C. vShell. D. Shell with animal extended. E, F, G, H. Dissections of
Internal Oro-ans (for references see text of paper). K. Reproductive or<ians of
V pellucida. J. INIaxilla. L, iNI, X. Radula Teeth

The uiicronieter scale refers to L, ]M, X onlv.

To face page 94. ]

1908. BowELL. — O71 the Aiiatomy of Vitriiia pyrenaica. 95

{g'O., figs. D and K) is large; the *'balancier" {b.) covers the
spire of the shell.

Figure E represents a dissection, in which the integument
has been divided longitudinally, and reflected {f.i.) ; p.g. shows
the position of the scale-like grooves along the edge of the
foot. The radular sac, r.s.^ has been gentl}^ drawn aside and
turned half over, so as to display the collar of ganglia in
profile ; a: is the oesophagus, and s.g. the salivary glands
(about half of their length). The flagelluni, which normally
covers the spermatheca and its duct, has been drawn over to
the outside; figure F shows the same organ {fl) in its normal
position. The vagina appears at v. ; the lower part of the
line dividingJt from the spermathecal duct {sth, d.) is really
only part of a fold in the fine membranous bag which sur
-rounds all these organs. This bag, of which it is impossible
to form a just idea without actually dissecting a fixed
specimen in a medium of high refractive index, encloses
the whole of the flagelluni and spermatheca, each of
them having a separate pocket. It is doubly folded round
the male organ (/>.), which can be completely everted, and it
afterwards joins the walls of the atrium. A part of it is the
retractor muscle {r.7?i.), which has led some authors to describe
the {d.v.d.) inferior dilatation of the vas deferens as the intro-
mittent organ and sac. This dilatation looks also ver}' much
like a dart-sac; but the first objection to that is that the
apparent dart is turned the wrong wa5^ It is quite probable
that it may be the place where the capreolus is secreted, but
I have not found an example, The true course of the vas
deferens is shown in figure H, which should be compared
with figure K. in which the proximal parts of these organs in
V. pelhtcida are shown. The penis sheath {p-s^ is similar in
shape to the organ discovered b}' Messrs. Moss and Paulden in
Helicella barbara, but in this Vitrina it is merely a soft bag of
connective tissue, without any signs of chitinisation or cal-
careous deposit. The dilatation {d.v.d.) is merel}^ in the form
of a sigmoid flexure, with the sides appressed, and the whole
covered over with a fold of the enclosing bag ; its similarity
to a penis or dart-sac is purely superficial. The retractor
muscle is not uncommon in this position.^ The same dilata-

^ Proc. Malac. Soc^ vol. viii., p. 53.

96 The Irish Naturalist. May,

tion, slightly further modified, and of a different shape, is
found in V. pcllucida (figure K; specimen from Penshurst) ;
and it seems probable that the male organ and its flagellum
is what has been described as a globular spermatheca ; there
can be no doubt at all about the real spermatheca, which
opens into the vagina, and not into the atrium. I have re-
ferred throughout to this highl}^ glandular organ {ft. in the
figures) as the flagellum, because I think that histologically
it is without doubt the same as the organ usually so called ;
there is perhaps nothing to show whether the filiform or the
obovate type is the older, but certainl}^ the latter seems more
perfect in function. The central canal varies considerably in
width, according to the condition of the individual ; sometimes
it is straight, sometimes spirally convoluted.

In figure F these organs are seen as the}^ appear when dis-
sected out entire from a fixed specimen ; figure G shows the
same from the inner side. The letters vi.e. and f.e> mark the
male and female parts of the epidid3^mis. Figure G also
shows the form of the ovotestis, which lies in the living
animal just below the point of the " balancier." The sper-
matozoa have acrosome, nuclear portion, mesosome, and axial
filament each of about the same length, and there is a long
flagellum. Exclusive of the flagellum, their length is 15 to
18 /i.

In V. pcllucida the flagellum and intromittent apparatus do
not always appear so largel}' developed as shown in figure K.
At such times tlie}^ are very easil}' detached from the wall of
the atrium ; and I was unaware of their existence until I found
a specimen in which the}' had reached the acme of develop-
ment ; after which, on searching in other specimens more
carefully, I have always found them occupying precisely the
same position as the corresponding organs of V. pyrenaicay
which vary in size much more than the rest of the apparatus
does, but are never difficult to find, judging from the ten
specimens that I have seen ; although even in V. pyrenaica
the}' are very easily detached from the atrium. They should
be compared with the corresponding parts of that very in-
teresting species, Agriolimax agrcstis, in the anatom\' of which
there are several points of unique interest. In Vitrina the
flagellum may be always demonstrated in sections, even when

1908. Bo WELL. — 0)1 the Anatomy of Vitrina pyrenaica. 97

it is shrunk to very exiguous proportions ; and either in sections
orin dissections itspresence is at once indicated b3'staining with
dilute carbolthionin, which will of course colour everything
else in time, but goes first for the cells of which the peculiar
glandular structure of the flagellum is made up, just as borax
carmine serves as a histological test for the cells of the neph-
ridium, and may indeed on that account be turned to practical
use, since there are structures in the Neomeniidse concerning
which opinions differ as to whether the}^ are or are not neph-
ridia. I have observed the occasional atroph}' of the phallic
organs in other species ; for example, in Pyramidula 7upestris.
In this snail, according to my observations, the eggs seem to
be always retained in the body of the parent; and the young
snails do not come out until the parental structures are " de-
fecated to a pure transparency." This is the reason why so
man}^ vSpecimens of/*, ricpestris are found adhering to the rocks
on which they live, in a dried-up condition, and with their
periostracum rapidh' vanishing. On examining these speci-
mens I find them to contain eggs, or more commonly ^%'g
shells and j^oung snails ; the chief organs of the parent being
reduced to thin transparent membranes, the original functions
of which can, however, easil}^ be discerned; the radula of
course is in perfect condition. Being curious to know which
of the organs first suffered degeneration, I have looked care-
fully at others in which this process of encystment, if one may
be permitted to use the term, was apparently only beginning.
The glands of the digestive system appear shrunk, and the
male part of the genital apparatus is in an evanescent condi-
tion ; but the female epididymis and the albuminiparous glands
are well developed. The morphological interpretation of this
might be that in hermaphrodite Gastropods the male part of
the apparatus is secondary to the female part, an idea which
I find supported by such embr3'ological and developmental
facts as have come under my notice. I have some reason to
believe that the curious nidamental gland (a development of
the female epididymis) in lyimnoea is correlated with at? occa-
sional atavistic habit in gestation. I have found this gland
very large in large ovate specimens of Z,. pereggr ox vulgaris,
which occur .sparingl}^, in some seasons, in ponds where the
prevailing form is small and high-spired. I mention these

98 The Irish Naturalist. i^iay,

matters in order to invite further research ; but certainly this
curious phenomenon of phallic decrescence in a well-known
form like Vitrina seems worthy of special notice. It may
assist us to estimate what at first sight seems to be discrepant
evidence given b}' several distinguished anatomists concerning
the construction of Geomalacus. I ought also to mention that
in one specimen of V. pyrenaica (the largest of the ten) the
intromittent organ was found turned upwards in the direction
of the vagina ; on careful observation I was unable to satisfy
myself that the appearance was artefact.

The maxilla is figured at J ; the size and direction of the
striae is as shown. There is no indication of bilateral origin.
The actual length (width) of this object is 0*6 mm. The radula
is shown in the remaining figures (Iv, M, N). The basal plates
are foot-vShaped in the larger marginals, graduall)^ becoming
rhomboid towards the outer edge , even those under the
centrals and laterals are distinguished for the concavity of
their sides. This is indeed a generic characteristic. But the
greater number of laterals, greater length of mesocones,
presence of distinct endocones on laterals,^ great shortening
of the ectocones of the marginals (so that the marginals no
longer have the shape of a little hand with fingers together
and thumb erect b}* itself, as in V. pelliicida), and the absence
of external serration to the marginals ; all these points com-
bine to make the radula easil}^ recognisable. The scale of
figures L, M, and N, can be ascertained by reference o the
micrometer divisions (each representing 10 /z, ten micra) traced
below them.

In conclusion, I must tender my heartiest thanks to Messrs.
A. S. Kennard, P. H. Grierson, and R. A. Phillips, whose
kind assistance has provided me with the material described
above.

Pensliurst, Kent.

^ I have a Herefordshire Vitrina radula ^iiich shows these distinctl}',
and has marginals not nnich unlike those of K pyrenaica. Specimens of
V. pelhicida that I have taken in the South of Kngland show no variation
in these matters. The Herefordshire form just mentioned is, however,
distinctly not V.pyrcnaua.

1908. 99

THE OCCURRENCE OF HIGH-I,EVEE SHELLY DRIFT
IN THE KILLAKEE VALLEY, COUNTY DUBLIN.

BY J. DE W. HINCH.
[Read before the Dabliu Naturalists' Field Club, February 18, 1908.]

The position of the section of shelly drift which I wish to
deal with is situated on the Militar}^ Road, running from the
Killakee valley to Glencree. On this road a point is reached
where the road is joined b}^ that coming from Glendhu, and
it is in the right angle that the road makes here that the
section occurs. The height above sea-level can be stated
with more than usual definiteness^ for the 1,273 f^^t bench-
mark of the Ordnance Survey is placed on the road a few feet
to the south, and the 1,250 contour line enters the angle
mentioned, and runs a few feet from the eastern and northern
^dge. The drift is of a very mixed type, but four kinds may
be seen — (i) Boulder-clay, containing man}' erratics of lime-
stone and grit, and some granite ; (2) claye}^ sand ; (3) clean
fine sand ; (4) a series of w^isps and pockets of rather coarse,
gravelly sand. It is in the last of these that the shell frag-
ments occur. The pit is an extremely shallow one, not
more than six or seven feet at its deepest part, and as a col-
lecting ground for shell fragments most unsatisfactory ;
indeed, after four visits, I was only able to reckon 27 frag-
ments altogether. These are of the usual type of shells
collected from gravell}" sand, and so fragmentary that, with
three exceptions, it was quite impossible to identify either
species or genera— -the exceptions being a rather large (15 mm.
long) fragment of Mytilus, an incomplete Tellina balthica^ and
a complete valve of Asiarte compressa — the most ubiquitous of
the Glacial mollusca. On the road outside are heaps of the
pit material awaiting removal, and on the heaps I collected
over fifty shell-fragments. These, strictly speaking, should
not be used as records, but as the material is from the pit, and
as they include Cardiicm edtile 2i\\d Cyprina islandica, I mention
them. The erratics in the drift are numerous (the pit is
being worked for road metal), and include the following : —
Carboniferous limestone in large quantities, granite, chalk

lOO The Irish Naturalist. May,

and chalk-flints, grits, red sandstone, chert, slate, and a
basaltic andesite. The chief interest of the section is that it
is one of the highest sections — if not the highest — of shelly
boulder-clay which has up to the present been recorded on
the Dublin hills.

Dubhu.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Ranunculus Lingua — An Erroneous Record.

I have just heard that Mr. Praeger has recorded Ranunculus Lingua
from County Donegal, He was not asked to do so, and the record is an
error. I presume he never saw the specimens, which were merely an
elongated lacustrine form of R. Flanimula. Mackay made the same mis-
take long ago in this count}- (Lough Kske), and it is very tiresome to
have it repeated. Perhaps Mr. Praeger found the record useful for his
maps of distribution of Irish plants, published some years ago (which
are very unfortunate as regards Donegal), and was in a hurry to seize
it.

H. C. Hart.

Carrablagh, Co. Donegal. ^

I thank Mr. Hart for his note. The recording of Ranunculus Lingua
from Donegal was, as he says, an error, and it would in the ordinary
course have been withdrawn in my next annual summary of new
records, &c. The find was reported to me in writing on excellent
authority, but was verbally withdrawn some months later ; by my own
inadvertence the written record remained uncancelled among the topo-
graphical additions of the year. I have not succeeded in grasping the
argiunent in the latter part of the note ; but it is surely evident to any
student of geographical distribution that the range of this plant is such
as to render its occurrence in Donegal unlikely ; and that far from being
useful for my maps of distribution (whatever that may mean), the
record would be distinctly inconvenient ! I am sorry that Mr. Hart
should think that my maps do not do justice to Co. Donegal ; but he
made the same complaint of " Cybele Hibernica,' so I sin in good com-
pany.

R. Li^. Praegkr.

J9o8. Notes. loi

ZOOLOGY.

Supposed Occurrence of the Spoonbill.

The following may be of interest : — Whilst talking to a small local farmer
living on the estuary of the Shannon near Foynes, Co. Limerick, the
other day, about birds, he said to me (I give his words as well as I can
recollect them) — " Please, sir, what would this bird be ? I shot it here on
the mud in the hard frost of 1905. It was all white, and had legs long
like the Crane (of course he meant Heron), and had a bill what got
bigger as it got out, and flat like." Surely this can only be an unrecorded
occurrence of the Spoonbill.

It may also be of interest to some that during the last two winters I
have found Gadwalls to be not at all uncommon on Lough Key, Co.
Roscommon. The winter i9o6-'o7 we killed two males, and this last
winter four males and three females. These I identified, but very pro-
bably more were shot when I was not present. They seemed to be as a
rule by themselves, and usually in the most seel ided and reedy bays of
the lake, in pairs.

This seems to me to indicate that they are now visiting Ireland more
frequently than in previous years

Henry G. O. Kridgeman.

Royal Hospital, Dublin.

IRISH SOCIETIES.

EOYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include a Badger from Mr. C. A. M. Alexander, a Mute
Swan from the Countess of Kilmorey, a Black Swan from Mr. J. W.
Turner, two Gulls fiom Mrs. Gordon, a Macacque Monkey from Dr. R.
Martin, sixteen Variegated Mice and a Sparrow Hawk from Mr. John
Cliper, an Egyptian Flat-tailed Field-Mouse from Capt. J. W. Gippings,
a number of native birds from Mr. W. W. Despard, a Ferret from Mr. M.
M'Murdo, and a White Ferret from Mr. W. Bnnis. Among the recent
births in the Gardens are a Black-striped Wallaby, a Great Wallaroo, and
a Brown Lemur. Noteworth}- acquisitions by purchase are two Vervet
Monkeys, a Brown Mouse Lemur, a Black Lemur, six Rheas, two hybrid
Golden-Amberit Pheasants, two Welka Rails, and an American White-
headed Eagle

A portion of the open-air rockery is now used for the display of several
large vultures, which show admirably in such comparative freedom.
The pair of 3'oung Chimpanzees — " Barney " and "Jenny" — continue to
attract much attention from visitors. " Barney' " was attacked in March
by a serious bronchial complaint, but, thanks to the care of the superin-
tendent and keeper, he has made a perfect recovery, and the two apes
are now as lively and playful as possible.

£02 The Irish Naturalist i May,

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

March ii. — The Club met at Leinster House, Dr. G. H. Pethybridge
(Vice-President) in the chair. He exliibited potato tubers affected with
the disease known as Black Scab, Wart}- Disease, Potato Rosette, &c.,
due to a fungus in all probability identical with that described b}'
Schilberszky in the Ber. d. dent. bof. Ges. xiv., 1896, as occurring in
Hungar}', to which the name Chrysoplydis endohiotica was given. The
tubers exhibited had been obtained from England, inasmuch as the
disease has so far not been reported in Ireland, and it is to be hoped that
it will not appear here. The disease has been known in England for
some twenty years, but it is only some eight years or so since scientific
investigation was brought to bear on it. In 1899 Dr. W. G. Smith, of
Leeds, investigated it, but did not identify the cause ; in 1902 it was re-
ported on from Kew, but a mistake was made in identifying the fungus,
and the first correct account of the fungus seems to have been given by
Professor Potter in that year. The disease, which has become widely
spread in Great Britain during recent years, is much more destructive
than ordinary potato scab, and exceedingly difficult to eradicate when
once established. Sections of the diseased tissues were exhibited under
the microscope, which showed the thick-walled, resistant, resting spores
of the fungus, each occupying a single cell of the potato tissue. The
germination of these spores (or sporangia — for possibly they may be such)
has not yet been observed. An illustrated leaflet on this disease has
recently been issued by the Department of Agriculture and Technical
Instruction for Ireland, and a sharp look-out should be kept by everyone
growing potatoes, whether in a large or small way, so that, if it should
appear in Ireland, means may be immediately taken to stamp it out.

R. Southern, B.Sc, exhibited specimens of the rhabdocoele Turbel-
larian Alacrorhytuhns croceus, P'abr. Several individuals were obtained
from seaweeds in rock-pools at Malahide, in February of this year, when
they were quite mature. The specimen exhibited was mounted in a
mixture of glycerine and acetic acid, which, though of no value for per-
manent preparations, is useful for temporary mounts. The worms
contained large egg-capsules, lying in front of the characteristic chitinous
penis-sheath. This species has been recorded from Valencia Harbour,
by Gamble ; from several localities in Great] Britain ; and from various
parts of the North P)uropean shores.

F. W. Moore, M.R.I. A , exhibited a plant of the curious and rare little
orchid Kestrepia xanthothalma, from Guatemala. The small flowers are
borne at the back of the leaves and face downwards. He also exhibited
the labellum under the microscope, to show the peculiar manner in which
the blotches of colour, due to coloured cell sap, were distributed through
the tissues.

J. N. Hai.berT, IVI.R.I.A., exhibited a rare neuropterous insect, Psectra
diptera, Burmeister, which he found amongst bushes on the banks of the
River Slaney near Wexford, in July. 1900. The insect is chiefly remark-
able for the rudimentary condition of the second pair of wings in th^

190S. Proceedijigs of Irish S ode lies. 103

male, and also tor its small size and extreme rarity. The first British
specimen was found on hazel in Somersetshire by Mr. J. C. Dale more
than sixty years ago, and at the time of its discovery near Wexford it
had not since then been noticed in any other locality in Britain. The
species has recently (1903) been taken on the banks of the Nith, in Dum-
frieshire, this being the third recorded locality in the Britannic area.
Though widely distributed, it is said to be an excessively rare insect in
Europe, and but few examples are known in collections.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

March 14. — Excursion to Greex H11.1.3 Esker, Balrothery.—
Twenty members and visitors left Terenure by the 2.45 tram, and on
arrival at Balrothery proceeded to study the eskers which are so well
developed in that localit}-. The conductor, J. Swain, B.A., gave a general
account of the method of formation, and then the party moved along the
crest of the esker-ridge in the direction of Clondalkin. On the way a
large number of sections in the eskers were examined. The party
returned to Dublin through Dolphin's Barn.

March 17. — The fourth business meeting of the session was held in
the Royal Irish Academy House, the President in the chair. J. Bayi^EY
Butler, M.A., gave an account of the methods used in modern marine
research, dealing with thermometers for recording temperatures of great
depths, with methods for collecting and preserving specimens. The
paper was illustrated by a large collection of lantern slides. J. de W.
Hindi spoke on the paper.

Aprii. II.— Excursion to the Dodder and Friarstown Gi.en.--
The closing winter excursion was attended by thirty members and
visitors, who left Terenure by the 1.30 steam tram for Tallaght.
From here the party, under the conductorship of W. B. Bruce, walked
up the western bank of the Dodder in the direction of Bohernabreena,
observing such plants as the present late season afforded. A heavy
shower stopped work for some time, but afterwards a section visited
Friarstown Glen, afterwards returning to Tallaght across the fields in
time for the 7 tram to town,

ApriIv 14. — The concluding meeting of the winter session was held in
the Royal Irish Academy House. The President in the chair. Prof G.
H. Carpenter, B.vSc, gave a paper illustrated by lantern slides on Irish
Springtails, with an account of two new species, new to the Britannic
fauna. The paper, which will shortly be published in the Irish Naturalist,
was discussed by F, Neale, R. LI. Praeger, and the President. The Presi-
dent then proposed that the summer excursions of the year 1908 should
be devoted to a geological and biological examination of the North
Bull or some other defined district. The matter was discussed and
referred to the committee. J. H. Ivloyd was proposed as a member, and
Messrs. J. Johnson and T. Harford were proposed as Associate Members.

I04 The Irish Naturalist. May, 1907.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

January 29. — Botantcai. vSection.— Ai^exander Mii^ligen read a
paper on " The Lo\\er Forms of Plant Life, and the Phenomena of Repro-
duction." The lecturer drew attention to the remarkable progress that
had been made in our knowledge of the so-called "lower" forms of plant
life. He directed attention to the various phases of the reproductory
process, (a) by simple cell division, {b) by sexual spores, and (r) by various
modes of the sexual method. A distinguished member of the Bristol
Naturalists' Society, Mr. James W. White, F.L S , was present as a visitor,
and took part in the discussion.

February 12. — Arch^oi^ogicai. Section. — Miss B. Andrews read
a paper on " Folk Lore connected with the Ulster Raths and Souterrains."
There was a large attendance of members of the section, with the Presi-
dent in the chair.

February 18. — The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.S) in the chair,
Mr. Thomas Dewhurst, A.R.C.Sc. (Lond.) read a paper on "Volcanoes
and Volcanic Action."' Before calling on the lecturer, the President re-
ferred to the loss the Club had sustained by the death of Mr. Richard
Hanna, an old member, who had been very active in the Botanical Sec-
tion. He also referred to the success which had attended Mr. Nevin H.
Foster's investigations into land isopods, he having recently discovered
a species new to Ireland. Mr. Dewhvirst gave a most interesting account
of celebrated volcanic outbursts of recent years, illustrated with numerous
lantern slides. The portion of the lecture dealing with intrusive masses
of lava was illustrated by slides showing these features at Cave Hill,
Scrabo Hill, and other localities near Belfast. The following members
took part in the discussion :— The President, R. Welch, M.R.I. A., Thomas
Anderson, and William Gray, M.R.I. A.

February 26.— Zooi.ogicai, Section. — The Vice-President (N. H.
Foster, M.B.O.U.)in the chair. Robert Patterson, F.L.S. , read a short
paper on " The Markings of Nestling Birds." After dealing fully with
the various types of nestling birds and describing the curious tongue-
marks that are found in many species, the lecturer asked the members
to assist in the investigations that were going to be carried on in the
coming season. Very careful notes should be taken of the kind of bird,
the nature of the nesting site, and the relative amount of light which
reached the interior of the nest. The paper was illustrated by specimens
of young Coots just out of the &gg, and by a drawing of the tongue-marks
of nestling birds. The following members spoke to the paper at the
close :— N. H. Foster, R. Welch, W. J. Fennell, William Carson, and
William Gray.

March 4.— Arch^oi.oGicai, Section.— Three papers were read—
"Notes on Palaeolithic Deposits," by RobrrT Bei^L ; "Conjectures
regarding recent Sand-dune Finds at Dundrum," by ROBERT May; and
"Colours and Superficial Appearances of Flint Implements," by James
Strachan. The papers gave rise to a spirited discussion, in which Mrs.
Hobson, William Gray, W. A. Green, Miss Andrews, A. Milligan, J.
Carson, and H. L- Orr took part.

June, 1908. The Irish Naturalist, 105

DUBLIN MARINE BIOLOGICAL COMMITTEE.

GENERAL ACCOUNT OF DREDGING OPERATIONvS, 1907.

With Spkcial Notks on the Mollusca.
by nathaniel colo an, mr. i. a.

The Dublin Marine Biological Committee was formed in the
Spring of 1907 at the instance of Mr. J. Bayley Butler, v/ith
the object of promoting further exploration of the County
Dublin sea-fauna. In addition to Mr. Butler and the writer
of the present report, who were appointed respectively Secre-
tary' and Treasurer, the Committee was made up of the
following members : — Miss M. C. Knowles, Miss J. Stephens,
Dr. Scharff, Professor Carpenter, Messrs. J. Adams, J. A.
Clarke, J. N. Halbert, J. de W. Hinch, A. R. Nichols, and
R. Southern. A small grant was obtained from the Royal
Irish Academy Fauna and Flora Committee, and with this
the Marine Committee began its operations in May, 1907.
Eight dredging trips were made in the course of the j-ear, the
field of exploration stretching from Lambay in the north to
Killiney Bay in the south. With the exception of a couple
of scrapes made off Lambay Head, the dredgings were strictly
confined within a limit of three miles from the shores of the
county mainland, and within a maximum depth-limit of 20
fathoms. A considerable mass of material selected from the
various dredgings has been preserved, and, it is hoped, will
yield on examination some interesting results in departments
of marine zoology which have hitherto been insufficiently ex-
plored. The marine Mollusca were allotted to the Treasurer
as his special department, and as it has been possible for him
to examine his material as, or at all events, soon after, it was
collected, it seems best to place the more interesting results
on record here without further delay, and, at the same time^
to give a general account of the dredgings made b}^ the Com-
mittee.

May 25.— The Secretary and Mr. Adams opened the year's
work by a short dredging trip by row-boat in the neighbour-
hood of the Muglins, east of Dalkey Island. An unfortunate
accident to the dredging geai brought the day's operations to

A

io6 The Irish Nahualist, June,

a premature close after one scrape had been accomplislied in
17 fathoms. The scanty material handed over to me for
examination was found to include, amongst many commoner
species, the following, which, except where otherwise stated,
were dead, and represented by single examples only : —

Trochusgramilatus, 2. Astarte triangularis (2 Hving).

Odostomia spiraHs. Pecten striatus, i valve.

O. insculpta. Pectunculus glycimeris, 3 valves.

Rissoa costata. Tellina crassa, 2 valves.

Astarte sulcata. Solen pellucidus.

One of these, Pecten sttiattis is new for Dublin, the only
record for the Irish east coast, so far as I can discover, being
the very vague and unsatisfactory one, *' East of Ireland,"
given in vol. ii. of Jeffreys' " British Conchology."

July 13. — Messrs. Butler, Colgan, and Southern started
from Kingstown, at 8 a.m., in the fishing smack, *' Emma
Mary." Though a very good sailer, and equipped with a ser-
viceable otter trawl, the '*Emma Mary" proved sadly
deficient in the free deck-space without which the sorting of
weighty dredgings is a weariness of the flesh. A fresh breeze
carried us out to the North Burford buoy in threequarters of
an hour from the harbour mouth. Here the trawl was shot,
and we stood in for the Bailey Eight, a little north of which
our catch was brought on board about 1 1 o'clock. This haul
gave us, from about 14 fathoms, one fine specimen of
Solaster tndeca \ some twenty specimens of ^olis tricolor,
Aid. & Hanc, a handsome nudibranch new to Co. Dublin
and to East Ireland ; and single examples of three other nudi-
branchs, De?id?'07iotus arboresce?is, Doris bilamellata,, and Doto
coronata. Most of the specimens of ^olis tficolor were
damaged by pressure of the miscellaneous contents of the
trawl net, yet a few specimens were in fine condition, and
transferred to a jar of fresh salt water displayed their delicate
colouring to perfection. Whitish towards the base, the large
flattened papillae were tinted above with faint violet, and
tipped with opaque yellow. In addition to these interesting
nudibranchs, this haul gave us many unexpected and un-
welcome objects of art, including a navvy's shovel encrusted
with Balanus, some scrap-iron, several old boots, and a rusty
bucket.

igoS. CoLGAN. — Dublin I\Ia7ine Biological Committee. 107

A few scrapes of the dredge were made along the northern
shores of Howth Head, from the Bailey to the Nose, in water
ranging in depth from 12 to 15 fathoms. Here, too, the
ground proved to be extremel}^ foul, in the usual, not the
nautical sense of the adjective, and was almost destitute of
the marine life which the known depth and the assumed
cleanness of the bottom had led us to expect. The foul
ground here is evidently formed of drifted matter from the
Corporation hopper barge, which for 3'ears past has discharged
daily at a considerable distance off the Howth promontor}' all
the rubbish of Dublin City.

Greatly disappointed with our trawling here, we put about
after mid-day and tacked southward across the Bay till we
reached 15 fathom ground off the Muglins. About here several
scrapes of the dredge were made. In one of these the dredge
bag came up filled, and indeed overflowing with a writhing mass
of creepers," Ophiocoma rosula, a species which so pullulates
in parts of Dublin Bay as sometimes to fill and break the trawl
nets of the fishermen. Other scrapes about here gave us a
fair variety of MoUusca, including living examples of the fol-
lowing : — Leda minuta, 3, Cardiiun fasciatum^ 4, and C 7iodosum,
2. Along with these were the common Phasianella pzdltis,
Nucula 7iucletcs, and Scrobicttlaria alba, all three of which were
brought up living in large numbers.

Jui.Y 20. — The same three members of the Committee
as in the preceding trip made an early start from Kingstown
in the " Emma Mary." It was a perfect morning from a lands-
man's point of view, but most execrable sailing weather. Only
the lightest airs stole over the surface of the harbour, so that,
with all sail set, it took us fully twenty minutes to clear the
mouth. Outside, the weather improved slightly, and we crept
slowly across the bay towards the Howth promontory, the way
on the boat being for short spells sufficient to drag the tow-
net, which, together with a small beam-trawl, now formed part
of our equipment. When first brought on board the tow net
yielded us an abundance of the beautiful Cydippe pomiformis.
The contents of the pocket were thrown into a white glazed
milk-pan half filled with sea water, and while the smack
lounged across the Bay in a lazy roll, the Committee amused
itself in attempts to seize and transfer to glass tubes a few

A 2

loS The Irish Nahiralist. June,

specimens of the translucent and almost invisible C3-dippe.
We soon found that the only way to work on board the " Emma
Mary " with any approach to comfort was to stand in the
hold, and, with half the hatches off, explore the jars and
pans placed on the deck. In weather such as we had this day
it was easier to take in a sleeve full of water from the rolling
milk-pan than to catch one of its elusive population of
Cydippes.

Jell3'-fisli large and small frequently wobbled past our boat.
We caught a few and found them to be Pilevia octopus^ a species
very common in Dublin waters. All the larger examples
captured carried in their pouches that well-known commensal
amphipod, the green-eyed Hyperia galba. A scrape of the
dredge in about six fathoms a mile north by east of Kingstown
Harbour gave us many large living specimens of Scaphander
lignarmSj with abundance of living Nucula nitida, and three
live specimens each of Lacima crassior and Odostomia rufa.
Along with these were dead ^yid.\\v^\^soi Montacuta ferruginosa
and M. bidentata.

Failing to work across the bay to Howth Head, we put about
and crept down towards Dalkey Island. A slight freshening
of the breeze enabled us to make a couple of runs of the beam
trawl, and these yielded one specimen of Sepiola atlantica and
two of ^olis tricolor^ the nudibranch we had added to the
Dublin marine fauna on our previous trip. From a depth of
eight fathoms off Bullock the dredge brought up a large spray
of Ante7imdaria raviosa bearing numerous spawn coils of a
nudibranch, and close examination of the hydroid was re-
warded by the capture amongst its roots of eight live specimens
of Doto coronata harmonizing perfectly in colour with their
host.

Jui^Y 31. —Starting from Bullock Harbour in a row boat,
Messrs. Butler and Colgan did some shore-collecting at low
water between Dalkey Island and the adjacent islet known as
the Lamb, and then dredged along Dalkey Sound and out into
Killiney Ba3^ The shore-collecting yielded little of interest
beyond one large specimen each oi ^olis papulosa and Doris
tuberc7ilata. Two scrapes of the dredge in nine fathoms
between Bullock and the northern end of the Sound gave us
53 species of Mollusca, amongst them the following; —

1908. COI.GAN. — Dublin Marine Biological Co?nmitiee. 109

Emargiuula fissura, 5.
Fissurella grseca, 5.
Trochus Montacuti, 32, many

living.
Rissoa proxima, i.
Adeorbis subcarinatus, 2.
Defrancia linearis, 9.
Pleurotoma rufa, r.
Utriculus truncatulus, 3.
Cylichna cylindracea, 3.
Dentalium entails, 2.

Leda miuuta, 2 living,
Astarte triangularis, 13 living.
Venus ovata, 27
Cardium fasciatum, 2
C. nodosum, 6
Psammobia tellinella, 3 „
Pecten tigrinus, 4 valves.
Tellina crassa, 4 ,,
T. donacina, 8 ,,

Thracia papyracea, 10 valves.

»»

»»

Another scrape in 15 fathoms about a quarter of a mile S.E.
of Dalkey Island gave 43 species, the most interesting of these
being —

Trochus Montacuti. 37.
Rissoa costata, i.
R. semistriata, 6.
R. punctura, 6.
R. reticulata, 2.
Velutina laevigata, 2 living.
Troplion muricatus, 8.
Odostomia spiralis, 2.

Cerithium perversum, 2.
Eulima distorta, i.
Leda minuta, 2 living, 7 valves.
Cardium fasciatum, 15 living, 1 1 valves
C. nodosum, 5 „ 18 „

Psammobia tellinella, 4 „ 11
Lima Loscombi, i valve.
Thracia distorta, i

)>

}>

The dredgings made in Killiney Bay from the Sound to near
Shanganagh river yielded no species of interest.

August 24. — Messrs. Butler, Colgan, and Hinch spent a
half day in dredging at Malahide, chiefly in the shallow water
of the River, as the channel is called by which the great creek
or lagoon of Malahide is filled and emptied by each flow and
ebb of the tide. A few scrapes were made in the open sea
outside of the bar, but the sandy ground gave us no results of
interest. In the river itself, however, we were more success-
ful. This is the locus classicus of two nudibranch species,
Proctonotns rnncroniferus and ^olis Farrani^ discovered here
more than 50 years ago by Messrs. Alder and Hancock in
company with Dr. Farran. The whole of the river from the
bar to the railway bridge was dredged by us rather thoroughly,
partly by rowing and partly by towing the boat and dredge
from the sandy banks of the channel. The best reach of the
river was found to lie above the wooden landing stage of the
Island ferry in low water soundings of not more than two
fathoms.

I TO The Irish Naturalist. June,

In this part of the river we found the common sponge,
Halichondria panicea^ in great abundance and luxuriance, just
as it was in September, 1843, when Alder and Hancock worked
over this ground. Our dredge came up filled with it, clinging
in large 3'ellow masses to seaweeds, especiall}' Halidjys sili-
qiiosa. A fine specimen of Doris pilosa was captured here,
measuring fully li-inch by i-inch, along with three specimens
of Goniodoiis nodosa from J-inch downward, and three of
Lamellaria perspicua, the largest ^-inch, and all dirty yellow
in colour with small black points. Along with these were two
live specimens oi Lacuna crassior.

A jarful of sponges and zoophytes was carried home, and
examination of these yielded me two opisthobranch mollusca
new to Dublin and to East Ireland, Elysia viridis and ^olis
ccsrulca. Both of these came from quite shallow water, not
more than two fathoms. The Klysia was yVi^ch long and
the ^olis 1 i-inch when in motion. The coloration of the
^olis was strikingly beautiful. The cylindrical papillae, dis-
posed in about seven rows transverse to the bod}^ were indigo
black below, brilliant blue in the centre^ and bright orange
red at the tips. The black ej^es were conspicuous, the body
was translucent, displa3dng the dark viscera within, and the
rhythmic beating of the heart was distinctly visible behind
the dorsal tentacles. The onl}- previous record I can discover
for this species is one for Valentia Island. ^

September 7. — Five members of the committee, Messrs.
Buller, Colgan, Halbert, Hinch, and Southern, set sail from
Kingstown in the "Kmma Mary" at 9 a.m. for a two-daj^s'
cruise to the northward. Our plans were ambitious. We
hoped to run straight for Lambay Deep, a long trough-like
depression in the sea-floor Ij-ing some eight miles eastward of
Lambay, and giving soundings of from 40 to 70 fathoms.
Here we were to make a few scrapes before sunset, and then
standing in to Lambay Sound, anchor there for the night and
dredge the deep water to the east of the island on the follow-
ing da3\ But once again we were baffled by the failure of the
wind. It was 11.45 before we found ourselves off the Bailey
I,ight ; it was half-past two when we got full}^ round it, and

' Irish Xaiuralist, vol. v., 1896. p, 135.

1908. Coi<GAN. — Dublin Marine Biological Committee, 11 1

long before that all hope of reaching Lambay Deep was
abandoned. A couple of scrapes made in about eight fathoms
while crossing the bay gave us one living specimen each of
Sepiola atlantica^ Polycera Lessonii, Pleurotoma ^tebula^ and
Odostomia rufa.

Having rounded the Bailey we tried the beam trawl and the
dredges several times in the deep water off the northern
shores of the Howth promontory, and as on our previous trip
of the 13th Jul}^ we brought up a large quantity of rubbish,
tin cans, clinkers, cabbage stalks, and old boots. Many of
the old boot-soles were thickl}^ studded with Doris bilamellata^
the commonest of all the County Dublin nudibranchs,
grouped in threes or fours, and some of large size up to three-
quarters of an inch. One scrape in about thirteen fathoms
between the Baile}' and the Nose gave us two very fine speci-
mens of Aplysia hybrida fully five inches long when in motion,
one a uniform dull dark brown (var. depilayis), the other light
brown mottled with sage green, but the results of our dredg-
ings in this deep-water area were extremely meagre in all
departments of marine life.

It was fully half-past seven that evening, about ten hours out
from Kingstown, when we made Lambay Sound and sat down
to dinner on deck by the dim light of a swinging lamp. That
dinner was the committee's most suceessful operation of the
day. The lamp w^e all agreed cast quite as much shade as
light ; the free deck space w^as nowhere large enough to
accommodate an Irish jig dancer, and the " Kmma Mar3'\s "
bulwarks were hardly six inches high, yet none of us fell
overboard or into the hold, and only one of the five
was heard to complain that his after-dinner tea had been
** sweetened with salt."

We slept on deck that night. A very broken sleep it was,
short snatches of dozing alternating with long spells of gazing
at the Pleiades overhead or listening to the rush of the tide
against our bow^s, and we rose stiff and unrefreshed before
dawn next morning. By half-past five, just as the sun's
rim had cleared the sea margin, the anchor was up
and we were running eastward under the northern cliffs of
Lambay. Another hour took us to Lambay Head. Here the
dredge was shot in about fifteen fathoms, and the '' E)mma

112 The Irish Nahiralisi, June,

Mary " was brought to and suffered to drift in a very nasty
cross sea. For the next hour, supported only by a strong
sense of duty, we allowed our craft to drift with a hideous
motion compounded of pitch and roll. Meanwhile two scrapes
were made, the dredge being brought on board each time with
great difficulty and some risk ; but the results of both were
almost nil. A stone or so of sand with dead and broken shells
of the commonest species was all we got for our labour. A
third time the dredge was shot in about i6 fathoms, but no
sooner had it begun to scrape than a sudden tension of the line
showed that we had fouled on a rock. There v;as little rope to
spare, so the end was " belaj-ed " and a frantic effort made to
get w^ay on the boat. But it was too late. The "Emma Mary"
lifted herself on the crest of a wave, and as it passed, threw her
whole weight viciously on the stout rope and snapped it like
pack thread. And so our deep water explorations off Lamba^'
Head were brought to an untimeh' end with the loss of one of
our dredges and some 30 fathoms of rope

We retreated to the smooth waters of the Sound, w^here we
lay almost becalmed until midday, the waj' on the boat being
just enough to permit of our making a few feeble scrapes of
the dredge in shallow water with no better yield than a solitary
specimen ot Dendrojiotus arboresceiis. Two o'clock found us off
Ireland's Eye, where the dredge was shot for the last time that
day in about 12 fathoms and brought up a single example of
the rather rare Sucker-fish, Lepadogaster biiuanilaUis. Soon
after 5 o'clock we made Kingstown Harbour and our fruitless
two days' cruise came to an end.

October 26 and Novemijer 2.— Some shore-collecting
was done on these da3^s at low water near Bullock Harbour b}-
the writer of this report, who was fortunate enough on both
occasions to find there Adcsonia corriigata, an opisthobranch
new to Dublin and to east Ireland. It occurred on corallines
and dwarf sea-weeds, four specimens on the first date and
six on the second, the largest being one-eleventh inch in
length. Along with the Actseonia on the 2nd November were
found nine specimens of Rimcuia Hancocki^ the largest \ inch
long.

No\':ember 16. — Messrs. Butler and Colgan made a second
lialf-day excursion to the Malahide River. Operations by row-

190S. CoivGAN. — Dublin ^larine Biological Committee. it^

boat were confined to the upper reaches of the River from the
ferr}'- stage to the railway bridge, and, as before, Halichondria
panicea was brought up in large masses. On stones from about
two fathoms low water two species of Chiton were found, both
rare for County Dublin, C 7'uber and C. Jascieularis, but only
one specimen of each was obtained. Oi Lamellaria perspiaia^
four living specimens were taken here, all of the same dirty
yellow hue as those previously dredged by us from the same
ground. A few samples of the sponges and zoophytes were
brought home in a jar of sea water, and these on careful exami-
nation yielded me the following interesting Opisthobranchs ; —

Runcina Hancocki, 2. Goniodoris castanea, I.

-4igires punctilucens, i. G. nodosa, 2.

Of these, Goniodoris castanea is new for Co. Dublin and for
east Ireland, and appears to have been only twice previously
recorded for the Irish coasts, the first time from Dursey
Sound, the second from Ballinakill Harbour. The Malahide
specimen agreed perfectly in coloration with the plate in
Alder and Hancock's "Monograph." For ^gires there is
only one previous Co. Dublin record. The occurrence of
Runcina here and at Bullock, some 12 miles south of Lambay,
where it was added to the Dublin marine fauna by Mr. Wol-
leston in 1906, shows that the species is widely distributed in
the county.

December 14.^ — The Committee's last dredging trip for the
year was made on this day, the ground selected being Dalkey
Sound and its approaches. The Treasurer was the only re-
presentative of the Committee present, and operations were
carried on from a row-boat, manned by two Bullock fisher-
men well acquainted with the soundings and the nature of
the bottom. Only four scrapes were made altogether, two in
10 fathoms a little south of Bullock Harbour, one in mid-
Sound in about 8 fathoms, and a fourth in 15 fathoms^ about
a quarter of a mile south-east of the Battery on Dalkey
Island. Amongst the results of the first two scrapes, the
following are of interest : —

Living. Dead.

Polycera Lessonii, 3. Odostomia rufa, i.

^gires punctilucens, i. DeutaUum tarentinum, 2 frao^s.

Tritonia Hombergii, i. Venus casina, i valve.

Leda minuta, 2. Tellina crassa, valves frequent.

A 3

li^ The Irish Naluratisi. June,

The Polyceras were all of the typical form ciirina, warm
orange brown iu colour, and the Tritonia was quite immature,
only |-inch long, and in colour translucent white.

The third scrape in the Sound yielded one living specimen
each of Doris aspera and Aplysia hybrida, and the fourth, in
15 fathoms, brought up a quantity of very fine clean gravel,
which produced, along with abundance of dead and living
examples of Astarle tria7igjiiaris, dead examples of the fol-
lowing interesting species : —

Rissoa violacea, i. Pecten similis, 2 valves.

Dentahum tareutiuum, 2 frags. Scrobicularia prismatica, 20 valves.
Lima lyOscombi, i frag. Telliua pusilla, 5 valves.

Of these, Pcdcn similis is new for Dublin and for East Ire-
land, and Tellijia ptistlla quite rare.

To sum up — the results of the Committee's operations for
1907 cannot be regarded as disappointing, at least in the
department of Mollusca, which, for fully a century, has en-
gaged the attention of a series of competent workers. During
the 3'ear seven species have been added to the list of Dublin
marine mollusca — i.e., Elysia viridis, Actceonia corrugata^
JEolis ccErulaiy ^. tyieolor^ Goniodoris casianca, Pecieji siriatvs^
and p. similis. At the same time, some valuable experience
has been gained, along with a general knowledge of the
nature and capacit}^ of the various dredging grounds of the
county, which may be of service in directing future opera-
tions.

Saudycove, Co. Dublin,

1908, 115

THE SHELVBHARING DRIFTS OF CO. DUBLIN

BY J. R. KII,ROR.

Most readers ot the /risk Nahira/is^ are familiar with questions
relating to the origin of the drift deposits of the region around
Dublin. Interest in the subject was much enhanced by the
discovery of shells in these deposits, of northern species; and
the account which Scouler gave of his discover}^ in the early
part of last centurj^ introduced, as we may say, amid calms,
a theme destined to gather round it an unwonted amount of
interesting scientific debate. The apparentl}* obvious hypo-
thesis of submergence of the land became (to follow the
metaphor) overcast with perplexing elements in the seventies,
when the shell-bearing gravels were found at high levels on
the Dublin mountains ; and, a little later, perplexity was fol-
lowed by somewhat stormy controversies when such large
demands were made upon the generally accepted hypothesis.
The controversies have at length subsided, and we have
happily reached the post-cyclonic stage of debate, enjoying a
cleared atmosphere and a more detailed and extended per-
spective.

As long ago as 1838 John Scouler^ gave lists of shells which
he had collected in the gravels of Howth and Bray Head.
Those from the former place are included in the more com-
prehensive list of A. Bell. 2 This list is given in the subjoined
table under Howth, the species reported by Scouler not men-
tioned by Bell being Ttirbo littoreus and Nerita littoralis. Those
which Scouler reported from Bray Head were Cyprina
isla7idica, Tiinitclla terebra and Dentalium.

Shells from the drifts of other low level localities were sub-
sequently reported by J. R. Kinahan^ and others, in connection
with which, while the glacial origin of the containing deposits
was not questioned, the marine agency of transport was
naturally inferred. The publication of Rev. Maxwell Close's*
paper, " The Elevated Shell-bearing Gravels near Dublin "

^ Joiirn. Geo/. Soc. Dublin, \o\.\., pp. 266-276.
* Report Brit. Assoc. 1S90, p. 411.
"^ /ottrn. Geol. Soc. Dublin ^ vol. viii., pp. 87-60.
^ [ourn. Roy. Geol. Ireland, vol. iv., p. 36-40.

ii6

The Irish NaiMralist,

Juue,

(1874), gave inquiry into the origin of the drifts an important
impetus, for he showed that these deposits occur at a level
somewhat higher than 1,200 feet atCaldbeck Castle, and at 1,000
feet at Ballyedmonduff on the Dublin mountains ; and ex-
pressed his conviction that the " upper limits of these gravels
are clearly not raised beaches."

Since 1874 the shell-bearing deposits have been met with
at considerably higher levels than 1,200; and drift-gravels
occur on Kilmashogue Mountain at 1,300 feet, rivalling in
height those at Moel Tryfaen on the oj^posite coast of Wales.

An exhaustive account of the drifts is given in the Memoir
accompanying the Geological Survey Drift Map of the Dublin
area. The subjoined table is a summary of the lists given in
the Memoir and other papers. No attempt has been made to
revise the naming of the species or to bring it up to any
particular standard.

TaBIvK of SHEI.I.S FOUND IN THF DRIFTS AROUND DUBUN.

4)

d

4J

fi

,

o

•*-»

rt

cj

•

t3 .

CO

Species

3

1

<u

>>

t

H
u

1— «

s

0

«

1

0

1

Palmerston.

0

1

0

•♦J

Corrigeen
(Glenasmole)

Gleudoo Roa
(Glenasmole)

a

.a
a
a
S3

m

■i

IvAMEI«I.IBRANCHIATA.

i

Artemis exoleta, Linn.^

X

X

A. hucta,

X

A ?

X

Astarte borealis, Chem. , .

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

A, compressa, Mont.

X

X

X

X

X

var. striata, .

X

X

A. sulcata, Da Costa,

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

var. elHptica, Brown,

X

X

X

Cardium echinatum,

X

X

X

X

X

X

?

Linn.

C. edule, Linn., .

X

X

X

X

X

C. norvegicum, 5/^'«^., .

X

X

C. tuberculatum, Linn., .

?

X

C sp. . . .

X

Corbula gibba, Olivi,

X

X

Cyprina islandica, Linn.,

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Donax vittatus, Da Costa,

"^

Glycimeris (Panopoea)

X

uorvegica, Speng.

-"■ r~—

1908. KII.ROK. — Shell-bearing Drifts of Co. Dublin.

II'

•
it)

■ ^

1 V

1

i

Species.

1

PQ

. 53

0

0

u

0

1

1
1

g

tn

1

0
is

0

0

a

1

1"

:3

0

0)

si

Glendoo Road
(Glenasmole),

1 •

1
1

1

a
t ►->

1 1

Ledapernula, O.F.Mullei\

X

X

IJma subaiiriculata, Linn.

X

Lucina borealis, .

X

Lutraria elliptica,

X

Mactra elliptica, Brown,

X

M. .solida, Linn., .

X

X

M. stiiltorum,

X

X

M. subtruncata, Da Costa,

X

M. sp..

X

?

Mya arenaria, Linn.,

X

M. truncata, Linn.,

X

'J

X

X

?x

Mytilus edulis, Linn.,

X

^l. modiolus, LJnn.,

X

X

M. sp.,

X

X

Nucula nucleus, LJnn., .

p

Nucularia (Leda)pernula,

X

X

X

X

0. F. M It Her.

Ostrea edulis, Linn.,

X

X

?

.

X

Pecten niaxinius, Linn.,

X

X

P. opercularis, Linn.,

X

X

X

X

X

X

P. varius, Linn., .

X

X

P. sp..

X

Pectunculus glycimeris,

X

Linn.

Pauopcea uorvegica,

X

Speng.

Pholas crispata, Linn., .

X

X

P.sp.,

X

Psammobia, sp., .

X

Saxicava rugosa, L.inn.,

x

Solen siliqua, Linn.,

X

X

X

Tapes aureus, Gniel.,

X

T. virgineus, LJnn.,

X

Tel Una balthica, Linn., .

X

T. solida [balthicaj,

X

X

X

X

X

T. jr/.,

X

Venus casina, Z/«;/., . .

X

X

V. striata.

X

J ?

X

p

X

V. striatula,

X

V. verrucosa, Linn.,

X

X

V.sp., .

X

i

Gasteropoda.

Aporrhais pes-pelicani.

X

Linn.

Buccinum undatuui,

X

X

Linn.

ii8

The hish Naturalist.

June,

Species.

♦J
I

•a

a
o

a

4>

l/l
rs
U

o
u

2

^a
«

u

I

"o

I

a

a
o

S

O
73

O

I

•a

C!

o

e

W

Ceritbiuui recticulatum,

Z)<z Costa.
Chrysodomus (Fusiis)

coutrarius, Linn.
Dentalium entalis, Umi
Fusus antiqiius, Linn.,
F. gracilis, Da Costa,
F. ? islandicus, .
Littorina littorea, Z?«/7.
L. obtusata, Zz>/// ,
h. rudis, A/atou, .

ly. S/> .

Murex erinaceus, Linn.
Nassa iucrassata, Mtiller
N. reticulata, Linn.,
"S. s/> ,

Natica Alderi, Forbes,
N. catena, Da Costa,
Patella vulgata, Linn.,
Pleurotoma costata

Donovan.
V. rufa, ,
P. turricula, Brocchi,
Purpura lapillus, Linn.,
Trochus cinerarius

Linn.
T. magus, LJnn., .
Trophon clathratus

Li fin.
T. Bamffius, Donovan,
T. inuricatus,
Turritella communis,
T. terebra, Linn.^

Annelida.
Serpula, sp.,

CiRRIPEDIA.
Balanus balanoides,
B. Hameri, Ascaniits,
B. tulipa-alba.
B. porcatus, Da Costa,
B. 5/ ,

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X
X

X

X
X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X X

X

X
X

X

X

X
X
X

X

I X

I

i X

X

X
X

o

Si
.li

■%-■

O 1>

Di5 o

a

u

XJ

ID

X>

X

X

X

X

X

Ivias Fossils obtained from Kill-o'-tbe-Grange Boulder-clay (Sollas and Praeger).

Upper Lias, Harpoceras bifrous, Brng. Lower Lias, Cardinia Listen, Stritih.
Mtddi^e „ Lytoceras fimbriatum, 5^w. ,, „ Grypbcea incurva, i'^jw;.

„ ,. Belem nites breviformis, r^//s. „ „ Lima gigantea, 5£77f.

Lower Lias, Gigoceras Portlockii, Wrighii. ,. „ Scblotheimia angulata,

Si/f/ot/i.
Geological Survey, Dublin.

igoS. iig

WILD BIRD PROTECTION IN CO. DUBLIN.

BY AI.EXANDER WILLIAMS, K.H.A.

Much might be written concerning the good effects that have
resulted from recent legislation passed for the preservation of
our Irish birds. It is not so very many years since the
poulterers' shops in the City of Dublin often contained in the
last week of April numbers of Golden Plover in the handsome
black, white and yellow full summer plumage, together with
specimens of the fine White-fronted Goose, a sight that
often grieved humane bird lovers. The law which fixed the
end of the killing season nearly two months earlier has saved
the lives of a great many more of our beautiful shore birds
and put a stop at the same time to what was a crying evil, the
constant Sunday shooting that was carried on at Clontarf,
Dollymount, Sutton, Baldoyle and different parts of the bay of
Dublin.

Owing to this protection one species, the Herring Gull, has
increased enormously in numbers, and has become remarkably
tame, especially along the course of the Liffe5^ Their great
depot is in the vicinity of the South Wall beyond the Pigeon
House Fort, where the Rathmines sewage is discharged at
ebbing tide into the Liffey ; here they gather in great flocks.
In the Custom House Docks they may be seen in hundreds
lined along the ridge tiles of the roofs of the warehouses, on
the gunwales of the boats, and the mooring buoys, and follow-
ing the course of the river up to the Phoenix Park. Frequently
they congregate on the roofs of the houses about Orniond-
quay, and a very favourite spot is the top of the Presbyterian
church, where they select the points of the stone pinnacles of
the building. They may often be noticed now frequenting
roofs of public buildings and private houses some distance
from the river, and also ploughed fields and meadows in the
suburbs, where they must be most useful to the farmer in
clearing the land of insect pests.

The Green Plover, " Peewit " or " Lapwing " are rigidly
preserved on the Golf Links of Portmarnock, nesting there in
great numbers, and they are, I might say, absurdly tame for
birds which at other times are so very difficult of approach.

I20 The I nsh Naturalist. June,

But perhaps the most striking instance of the direct effect
of protection is afforded by a visit to the nesting place of the
Common and Arctic Terns at Malahide Island. A long strip
of sandbank runs parallel to the Golf I^inks shore, from which
it is separated at high tides. This bank is said to have been
first formed by drifting sand collecting round a seaman's straw
niattrass which floated on to the shore. It is now some
hundreds of yards long, partly covered with grass, and at the
sea end numbers of sand}" hillocks have been formed, and bear
a covering of bent grass and weeds. A few years ago my
brother the late Edward Williams found a couple of pairs of the
Common Tern nesting here, and latterly both species have
bred here and on one of the islands at Skerries, County Dublin^
But the thanks of everyone interested in bird life are due to
the Irish Society for the Protection of Birds, who some
time ago appointed a watcher w^hose duty it is to see tliat
visitors do not molest the birds or take their eggs. It gave
myself and my brother, W. J. Williams, the keenest pleasure
to pay a \isit to this ideal spot on the 7th of July last year, a
beautifully fine da}'. Some egg-collecting boys provided with
pill boxes had just come over for a raid on the nests and the
watcher had been doing his duty, greatly to the disappoint-
ment of the young naturalists. As we approached the colony
the birds collected in a great white flock and w^e found it im-
possible to calculate their numbers. They kept hovering over
the bank for a little and then took themselves higher up in the
air, crossing and recrossing and keeping" up their incessant
screaming of ski-r-r-r.

We soon found nests in plenty scattered about where the
vegetation was thin and small patches of sand showing, and
we found them often placed close to a Sea Holly or other fairly
large plant. Some were on the sandy slopes among the bent
grass, and as we walked toward the widest part of the breeding
ground, which is here about 40 yards across, the number in-
creased until we counted nine nests in sight of where we
stood. There was great variety in the colouring of the eggs ;
some had a pale green ground, whilst in others the tone was
brownish-olive, and one beautiful clutch of three eggs had a
vStrong greenish colour with only a few markings at the small
end and a closely dotted ring of very dark spots and blotches

1908. WII.I.1AMS. — Wild Bird Protection 171 Co» Dtiblin, 121

at the other. Some were remarkably dark and rich in both
ground colour and markings.

We picked up three dead birds, one young Arctic and two
young Common Terns. One appeared to have been killed by
a peck on the side of its head.

It was ver}^ pleasant to notice the confidence with which the
birds as we passed hovered in dozens with outstretched white
wings and settled down again on their nests about twent5^-five
yards from us. One curious habit we remarked, all would
suddenly rise off the ground, flying in a long white wave, and
would cease to make au}^ noise for a few moments, then the
screaming recommenced. This movement was repeated several
times. After passing through the nests we turned out on the
bare sandy shore and close to high water mark a colonj^of the
I^esser Terns had placed their nests on the bare sand without
concealment of any kind whatever, depending altogether on
the protective colouring of their eggs with their surroundings,
to avoid discover}^ Here we examined about twenty nests,
but those beautiful little birds nested in other different parts
of the sandbank, for on walking across a low-ljing part of the
shore to where an unusuall}^ high tide had left a fringe of
debris, we found about a dozen eggs of the Lesser and Common
Terns, where thej^ had been washed up by the tide and driven
into a bend of the shore. In another place, half covered in
sand, we got some more as well as eggs of the Ringed Plover.
Probably the recent very heavy rain had the effect in conjunc-
tion with an unusually high tide of raising the water over
some low- lying sandbanks where the birds had incautiousl}^
placed their nests. We were unable to distinguish between
the Common and Arctic Terns owing to the birds keeping so
much between us and the sun. I roughly jotted down the
contents of each nest that came under observation, but I am
sure we missed many.

Nests of the Common and Arctic Terns, . 211

Number of eggs examined, . . . 338

Young birds observed, . . • .28

Dead birds found, . . . • • 3

Some of the nests contained one ^g'g and one young bird,

and in some cases we found young birds that had just left the

^%Z, their down matted together with red yolk, and we were

puzzled as to how the tiny creatures got rid of this sticky matter.

122 The Irish Naturalist. June,.

Several pairs of young we found near empty nests, concealed
and motionless under the leaves of weeds ; these were sturdy
little fellows, well covered in thick down, and just started on
the first survey of their surroundings. Thirt5'-one of the nests
contained three eggs each, and four nests had four eggs in
each. It is to be hoped that the success attending the efforts
of the Irish Society for the Protection of Birds may be
imitated in other parts of the country, and that it ma}^ be
the means of inducing the Roseate Tern, which formerlj^ bred
abundantly at Rockabill and which still yearly breeds on the
Welsh coast, to become once more a summer resident.

Dubhn.

REVIEWS.

POPULAR ENTOMOLOGY.

The Insect Book. By W. Percivai, WrsteUo F.L.S. Illustrated
with Photographs by R. P. Misson. Londou : John Lane, 1908.
Price 3^. net.

This little volume is the latest addition to the " County Handbook "
series, and the first in the series treating of insect life. In the preface
the author points out that " The Insect Book " is intended for the use
of beginners in the study of entomology, and to encourage " those
willing to learn something of the ways of the insect creation." The
author adopts the faunistic method in the arrangement of his subject, a
method which has some advantages in a popular work of this kind, as
its readers may be supposed to have no knowledge of the classification
of insects. After an introductor}- chapter on the wonderful variety of
structure and habits of insects, the author describes some of the common
and more interesting forms of insect life of the garden, the water-side,
the woodland, &c., and a chapter on household insects concludes the
book.

In the chapter on garden insects some well-known, useful, and
injurious insects are described. A reference on page 37 to the Great
Water-beetle, Dyliscus marginalis, and its allies, is likely to convey a
wrong impression, as the reader is warned against the chance of
confusing the " two kinds of these beetles to be found by the water
side." AVe presume the second kind, referred to as the Great Brown
Water Beetle, is the common Colynibctes fusctis. The chapter on house-
hold insects is mostly given up to an account of the Common House-fly.
" The Insect Book " may be recommended to beginners in the nature-
study of insect life, as it contains a large amount of trustworthy infor-
mation conveyed in a pleasant manner. The book is well printed, and
the great majority of the insects dsalt with are excellently illustrated.

J. N. H.

igo^. Revietvs* ' 123

AQUATIC BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY.

Ornamental Water-fowl : A Practical Manual of the Acclimatiza-
tion of Swimming Birds. By Hon. ROSE Hubbard. Second edition.
Walsall and London : Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co.
1907. Pp. 24S + xvi.
This manual is written for amateurs, and appeals particularly to those
who possess a lake and grounds suitable for the introduction of foreign
waterfowl. We are already amply supplied with works on poultrj^,
pigeons and cage birds, and there are also man)- dealing with ornitho-
logy from a purely zoological point of view. Books of the latter kind are
mostly expensive, and contain more information than is required by
those who simply wish to obtain some knowledge as to the breeding and
management of the various kinds of ducks, geese and swans generally
kept on ornamental lakes. That a work of this nature really fulfils a
want is evidenced by the fact that it now appears in its second edition.
And we may say that the task of writing it has been thoroughly well
done by its authoress. Not only are the descriptions of the couple of
hundred species couched in plain language Avhich can be easily under-
stood by the non-scientific reader, there are chapters on the <;lisea.sesand
accidents liable to occur among birds, and on pinioning waterfowl while
a glossary of terms and a good index concludes this useful little book.

R. F. S.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Irish Plants.

To the /ournal of Bo/any for May, Rev. C. H. Waddell contributes notes
on Rubi, among which are a few collected in Limerick and Down ; he
also contributes a note on Orthotrichjint dia^//ai:7n?i,Schra(\.y\i{r. aqjiaticufn
Davie.s which he has found at Magheralin, Co. Down.

Peziza Adse in Co. Antrim.

On March 12 several speciniens of this pretty fungus were observed
growing at Ballyclare, within a few feet of the place where it was found
more than two years ago (vide Irish Naturalist, vol. xiv., pp. 185-7). The
conditions of growth seem to indicate, as on the previous occasion, that
the presence of lime, organic matter, and excess of moisture are exceed-
ingly favourable to the development of this fungus. A rather interest-
ing point is the abnormally large size of most of the Irish specimens of
P. Ada. The normal maximum of British specimens is 25 cm., but
several of the Co, Antrim specimens found in 1905 were over 6 cm. in
diameter, while the largest of those found lately measured 7-5 cm.

James Strachan,
Ballyclare, Co. Antrim,

124 The I? ish Naturalist. Jnne,

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include Rabbits from Miss Dorothy Townseud and Mrs.
Newman, some River Lampreys from Mr. W. W. Despard, a Sparrow
Hawk from Mr. K. Gal way, a pair of Grey-breasted Parakeets from Mr.
A. E. Goodbody, a pair of Swans from Mrs. Bolton, and a pair of Peruvian
Guinea-pigs from Mrs. Brock. Three Black-footed Penguins, two Naked-
eyed Pigeons, and ten Saffron Finches have been purchased. Two Golden
Agoutis have been born, and a clutch of Chinese Goose-eggs have been
hatched in the Gardens. The new Seal pond, in which Penguins and
Seals may now be seen disporting themselves, is a great addition to the
Gardens. A couple of young Sea Lions have been obtained and placed
in one of the divisions of the pond.

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

April 8. — The Club met at Leinster House, Prof. G. H. Carpenter,
President, in the Chair. He showed specimens of a new genus and
species of CoUembola, brought from South Victoria Land by the National
Antarctic (" Discovery ") Expedition. The insect will be shortly described
and figured in the volumes of " Results " in course of publication by the
British Museum.

J. N. Hai^berT exhibited a Stone-fly Capnia atra, Morton (previously
unrecorded from Ireland), both sexes of which were found under stones
on the shore of the Devil's Punch-bowl, on Mangerton Mountain, in
June, 1905. The male of this species first came under Mr.Morton's notice
from Finnish Lapland, when he pointed out its specific distinctness
from the commoner Capnia nigra, Pictet {Trans. Entotn. Soc. London, 1896).
The species has vsince been found in various localities in Northern
Britain.

Dr. R. F. ScHARFF exhibited a specimen of the Woodlouse Arnia-
dillidinm piciiim, taken by Mr. H. N. Foster in a greenhouse at Holywood,
Co. Down. He demonstrated the salient features of distinction in the
antennae and tail-appendages between it and Arniadillidiiim pnlchellum,
which was already known as an Irish species. He also showed specimens
of the latter collected by Mr. J. N. Halbert at Carrickmines in Co.
Dublin, being the first record for the east of Ireland.

R. Southern, B.Sc, showed specimens of the Nematode worm,
Tylcncholainiits ntinimns, De Man, belonging to the family Auguillulidae
These worms, in company with two other species, were found under the
epidermis of roots of Sweet Pea from Donnybrook. Some of the plants
were diseased, whilst others, which also harboured these worms, were
apparently uninjured; so that the question as to the disease being
caused by these nematodes is still unanswered. They were hardl}- present
in sufficient numbers to have a directly injurious effect. Possibly the

T9o8. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 125

apertures which they make in the epidermis of the root facilitate the
entrance of injurious bacteria. This species has only hitherto been
recorded from Holland, and, as in the present instance, only females
were found. It is figured and described by De Man in his monograph
on "Die freilebendeu Nematodeu der Nied. Fauna," 1884, p. 134.

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL

SOCIETY.

March 18. — Joseph Wright, F.G.S , read a paper on *' Foraminifera
from the Gravel Pit, I^onghurst, Duumurry, and other localities in the
vicinity of Belfast, with a reference to Malone Sands." He said, in April,
1906, he received from Mr. John Brown, F.R.S., a ball of rolled clay from
lyonghurst. The ball weighed seven and a half pounds, and yielded a
large quantity of foraminifera — about 1,500 specimens. Three other balls
were examined later, and they also contained specimens in abundance.
They were also found in situ but in lesser numbers in the finer sands, and
in a bed of clay at the bottom of the pit they occurred in great profu-
sion. Subsequently he visited the gravel pits at Armagh, Lisburn, and
Dundonald, and the fine sands at all those places yielded foraminifera.
At the last locality they were very abundant in a bed of clay, 1,000 speci-
mens being obtained from a sample of one and a half pounds weight. In
the Malone sands also specimens were found. As some of the fine sands
in the other pits closely resembled Malone sands, and as they all con-
tained foraminifera, INIr. Wright thought it probable that these, as well
as the eskers, represented a great series of gravels, sands, and clays
deposited off the coast when the land was at a lower level, the eskers
being tilted up by currents running in opposite directions ; and to the
same cause, he said, they might attribute the formation of sandbanks
now lying off the coast, such as the Nymph Bank off Dublin, the Bray
Bank, the Arklow Bank, and others.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

March 17. — The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.vS.) in the chair.
Mrs. HOBSON submitted her report as delegate to the Corresponding
Societies of the British Association, I^eicester jNIeeting, 1907. She
described in detail the various meetings and arrangements made, in a
racy and interesting manner, and by means of lantern slides the scenery
and antiquities of Leicester were brought vividly before the meeting
The President, R. Welch, William Gray, and C. M. Cunningham, spoke
favourably of the report at the close. At the Science Gossip half-hour
which preceded the paper, R, Welch exhibited a new Irish land shell.
Vertigo vioulinsiana, discovered in Co. Carlow by Mr» R. A, Phillips.

126 The hish Naturalist. June,

March iS. — Arch/EOI.ogicai. vSkction — .The President in the chair.
A paper on "Notes on Early Christian Ornament in Italian Churches"
was read by Miss Lamb, illustrated by lantern slides. The paper was
spoken to by Mrs. Hobson, K. J. M'Kean, R. May, and T. Dewhurst.

March 25.— Geoi.ogicai. Section. — W. J. C, Tomlinson in the chair.
The first paper was by RocERT BEiyiv, on the newly-recognised mineral
Bcekite. It general!}' occurs on fossil sponges, corals, and shells
mainly from Cretaceous rocks. In chemical constitution it is a form of
chalcedony. Our local Cretaceous deposits have now been proved to
yield it. Colin Glen, the slopes of the Black Mountain, and Hillsport have
all yielded excellent specimens of the mineral from both the Greensaud
and Chalk rocks. The second paper was by James Strachan on the
"Origin and Formation of Zeolites in Basalt." It is to be published in
full in the Clubs Proceedings. An animated discussion ensued regarding
the theories advanced, in which the chairman and T. Dewhurst, H. L.
Orr and W. Gray took part.

Aprii, 8.— The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.S.) in the chair. The
Curator of the City Museum, Arthur Deane, read a paper on "The
Dispersal of Seeds." The mechanism for the dispersal of seeds was
spoken to under four heads — i, ejection by the plant ; 2, transport by
air ; 3, transport by water; 4, transport by animals. Mr. Deane referred
in detail to these four divisions, and gave a most interesting and in-
structive account of the ways by which plants ensure the dispersal of
their seeds. The paper was illustrated by diagrams and a large number
of specimens, and it was discussed by the President, F. Balfour Browne,
M.A. ; W. J. C. Tomlinson, WiUiam Gray, M.R.I.A., and Dr. Clarke
Robinson.

Aprii, 14. — Annuai. Meeting.— The forty-fifth annual meeting w^is
held, the President (Robert Patterson, F-LS.) in the chair. W. H.
Gai,i,\vay, Hon. Secretary, read the annual report, which stated that
during the year fifty-one new members were elected, of whom forty-six
(jualificd by paying their fees. There were seven deaths and eighteen
resignations. On ist April, 1907, the membership was 418; on the cor-
responding date this j-ear it is 439, leaving a net increase of 21 new
members. Two new sections — the archaeological and zoological — were
formed at the beginning of the present session, and, with those of the
botanical and geological, have proved successful, the papers read at the
meetings being valuable contribuiions to science, and many of them the
result of original research. Eight successful excursions were carried out
to different places of interest, the average number present being 50, and
the largest attendance at any one excursion being no.

The Committee desire to thank the F^rratic Blocks Committee of the
British Association, through Professor Percy V. Kendall, for the grant of
^■4 for the purchase of maps and memoirs on glaciation. The Treasurer
submitted his statement of accounts. Last year the deficit was ^^3 9^. id.
This year shows a balance to the credit of the Club of ;^i6 17.V. \d., all
accounts having been paid. The Librarian's report and the reports of

igoS. Proceedhigs of Irish Societies. 127

the botauical, geological, zoological, and arclieeological sections were
submitted.

The adoption of the several reports was moved by the President,
seconded by F. Balfour Browne, siipported b}- William Gray, and passed.

The following were elected officers for the ensuing year; — President,
Robert Patterson, F.L.S. ; Vice-President, W. H. Gallway ; Treasurer, W.
H. Phillips; Librarian, J. L. S. Jackson; Hon. Secretaries, R. Welch,
Miss Jean Agnew ; Committee, N. H. Foster, Robert Bell, N. Carrothers,
\V. J. Fennel], W. A. Green. H. C. Marshall, H. L. Orr, W. J. C. Tomlin-
son, F. Balfour- Browne, and Arthur Deane.

N. H. Foster, M.B.O.U., moved to add to Rule.5— "That, in the event
of a vacancy occurring among the officers, the Committee may co-opt a
member of the Club to fill the vacancy." The motion was carried.

There were three competitors for the prizes of ^^i each offiered by the
Club— Mrs. Green, collection of Liassic fossils ; W. A. Green, collection of
Carboniferous fossils; and George Donaldson, collection of marine shells.
These collections were of great merit, and were neatly mounted and
named. James Strachan carried off the prize of one guinea offered by
William Swanston, F.G.S., for six photographs from nature illustrative
of geology, contributed to the Club's album, to which they will become
a valuable addition. The judges— Robert Patterson, N. H. Foster, and
W. J. C. Tomlinsou — had no hesitation in awiirding the prizes to the
above members.

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

April 23.— vSixteenth Annuai, Meeting.— The President (T. Far-
rington, M.A.) in the chair. The reports of the Hon. Secretary and
Hon. Treasurer were read and adopted. The Treasurer's report showed
a good balance to the credit of the Club, and the subscriptions well
maintained. The Secretary's report was as follows : — The membership
of the Club has been well maintained during the past season. P'our of
our members on leaving Cork resigned, viz., Miss Martin. Mr. and Mrs.
Copeman, and Mr. Humphreys, against which we have five new
members, making a total of 47 now on the roll. We regret the depar-
ture of all the above from our midst, as they always had the best
interests of the Club at heart, and were enthusiastic members. Mr.
Copeman, in particular, being the founder of the Club over seventeen
years ago, and officer for many years. During the summer only two
excursions were held, one to Brown Island and the other to Carrigiwo-
hill and district. This is accounted for by the fact that the Irish Field
Club Union made Cork its headquarters for the Fifth Triennial Con-
ference last summer, which took place on July nth and lasted till the
17th. We are indebted to Professor Hartog, M.A,, for his interesting
and instructive lecture delivered last month, on "The Woik of the

128 The Irish Naturalist. June, 1908.

Naturalists' Field Club." Trofessor Hartog gave a detailed account of
the work of the Club, its aims, excursions, &c., illustrated b}' limelight
views. The outgoing officers were re-elected for the next session.

At the conclusion of the general meeting a lecture was delivered by
F. R. ROHU, entitled, "Thirteen AVeeks of Natural Study." The lec-
turer dealt with the botan}^ entomology, and ornithology of the various
weeks from April to June, all the subjects being chosen with a view to
their special seasons. All the illustrations were taken from life.

NEWS GLEANINGS.

Proposed Survey of Clare Island.

A meeting, convened by circular, was held in Dr. Scbarffs room in the
Dublin Museum, on the afternoon of April 23, to consider the question of
instituting a complete natural history survey of one of the islands off the
west coast of Ireland. Dr. Scharff was moved into the chair. Also
present: — R. M. Barrington, Major Barrett-Hamilton, Prof. Carpenter,
Prof. Cole, Nathaniel Colgan, O. P. Farran, J. de W. Hinch, S. W. Kemp,
Rev. Canon Lett, C. B. Moffat, A. R. Nichols, R. Lloyd Praeger. Letters
regretting inability to attend, or making suggestions, were read from
J. Adams, F. Balfour Browne, D. C. Campbell, H. K. G. Cuthbert, N. H.
Foster, Charles Green, P. H. Grierson, J. N. Halbert, Prof. H. Lyster
Jameson, Rev. W. F\ Johnson, J. R. Kilroe, D. M'Ardle, Robert Patterson,
G. H. Pethybridge, R. A. Phillips, R. J. Ussher, Rev. C. H. Waddell,
R. Warren. Dr. Scharff, in an opening statement, emphasized the
importance of the careful study of island floras and faunas, and cited the
case of the recent survey of Lambay, concerning which he had received
favourable comments from both European and American naturalists.
He called on R. Lloyd Praeger, who reviewed the various islands, from
Tory to the Blaskets, which invited exploration, both from the point of
scientific desirability and the practical one of expenditure of time and
money in travelling and sustenance. An interesting discussion ensued,
in the course of which Mr. Barrington strongly urged the claims of the
Blaskets. Eventually Clare Island was selected, on the motion of
Canon Lett, seconded by C. B. Moffat. The following were appointed
an executive committee to approach the British Association with a view
of obtaining a grant of mone}-, and to carry out the necessary arrange-
ments for the work:— R. M. Barrington, Nathaniel Colgan, Prof. Cole,
Rev. Canon lyctt, Dr. Scharff, and R. Lloyd Praeger (Secretary). It was
intimated that on account of the forthcoming meeting of the British
Association in Dublin it would not be possible to get much work done
on the island this year, but that investigations would be vigorously
begun next season. ^^

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July, 1908. The Irish N'a her a list. 129

THE OCCURRENCE OF PAROMOLA CUVIERI

IN IRISH WATERS.

BY J. N. HAI^BERT, M.R.I.A
[Platk 5-]

On the 17th of February last a fine specimen of the crab
Parojywla Ctivicri (Risso), was captured alive by Mr. J.
O'Driscoll in a small shore pool, about two feet in depth, near
the mouth of Courtmacsherry Harbour, on the Cork coast.
As it was quite unknown to the captor, he promptly forwarded
the specimen to the National Museum, Dublin, where it was
received in a perfectly fresh condition.

The capture of this rare species on our coast proves to be a
most interesting occurrence, for although it has recently been
found in deep water off the Irish coast, and a Scotch specimen,
of which particulars will be given, is preserved in the British
Museum, j^et the species seems to be unrecorded from the
British and Irish marine area.

The Cork specimen is a fine male of most striking appear-
ance, due largely to the enormous size of the first pair of legs
(chelipeds), the spiny and brightly coloured bod}^ and in part
also to the presence of numerous marine organisms which
have taken up permanent quarters on the general surface of
the crab. In the fresh condition the colour of the carapace
was a 3''ellowish brown, with irregular reddish markings. The
four last pairs of legs, especially the flattened terminal seg-
ments, were much suffused with a fine dark red. Even in the
dried condition, in which the crab is preserved, sufficient of
the original colouring remains to give a good idea of the
appearance of the animal during life. In the natural walking
position, with flexed legs, as shown in the plate, the creature
spans some 29 inches. The following measurements maj- be
useful for comparison with future captures of this species : — •

Length of carapace (including rostral spine), 6-| inches.

Breadth of carapace, _ . .

Length of abdomen,

Length of right cheliped, about,

Average length of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th legs,

Length of fifth pair,

5i

6

22

17

9

A

130 The hish Naturalist. July,

That the species reaches a greater size than is here indicated
is evident, as, according to Professor Cams, the Mediterranean
specimens range to 22 centimetres, or about 8j inches in
length.^ In spite of their size, the limbs of this crab are
comparativel}' fragile, breaking off quite readil}' between the
second and third segments.

As alread}' mentioned, the Cork specimen is decorated with
the various external " messmates" so commonly found on the
larger kinds of crabs. It is abundantl}^ studded with young
individuals of the bivalve shell Anomia, especially amongst
the spines on the sides of the carapace, while on the legs are
numbers of worm tubes (Serpula) in various stages of growth ;
both of these can be seen distinctly in the plate. Less obvious
tenants are various kinds of Polyzoa, some of which are very
minute. Mr. A. R. Nichols has examined these, and finds
the following species represented : — Me??ib7-a7i7p07'a cate7iula7ia,
M. Fle7)ii7ig77, Bicella7ia a'liata, Micropore! la ciliata, and
3f7(cro7ieIla Peachii, all more or less common forms. As well
as these there are several colonies of a prettj^ Hydroid, which
Miss Stephens has identified as Sert7darella Gayi (Lamouroux),
a species found in fairly deep w^ater off the Irish coast.

So far as I can ascertain there are no published records of
the occurrence of Pa7'077iola Cuvie7i in British waters. That
it is an indigenous species in the souih-western part of the
Irish marine area has been recently proved b}^ Mr. S. W.
Kemp and his colleagues of the Fisheries Branch of the
Department of Agriculture,- when they had the good fortune
to capture specimens during dredging operations last Sep-
tember at a depth of from 627 to 728 fathoms. The actual
localit}' is about 68 miles off the south-west coast (L,at. N.,
50^42': Long. W., 11^ 18'), and the crabs were found asso-
ciated with the Tuft-coral {Lophohelia prolifera), a species
indigenous to the deep w^aters of north-western Europe. This
interesting discovery furnishes a record in the bathymetric
distribution of Paro7nola Ciivieri, as the lowest previously

^ Carus, Prodr. Fauna Mtdit., I, p. 499.

^ Mt. E. W. L. Holt has kindly given me permission to make use of
the "Fisheries" observations of this species.

igoS. Hai^berT. — Paroniola Ciivieri in Irish Waters. 131

recorded^ depth appears to be that observed during the voyage
of the " Talisman " (1883), when it was captured in 640
metres (about 350 fathoms).

The " Fisheries " specimens are much smaller than the Cork
individual; the spines and hairs on the carapace are compara-
tivel}' more developed and closer together, causing the crabs
to have a more spin}' appearance.

Dr. W. T. Caiman has kindly supplied some particulars of
a Scotch specimen which has been preserved for many 3^ears
in the British Museum collection. The only definite infor-
mation to be obtained concerning this specimen is a scrap of
paper torn from a letter, unsigned and undated, stating that,
"The crab shell was found on the shore of Ensay, a farm on
the west coast of Mull, belonging to Lord Compton." It con-
sists of a detached carapace, six inches in length, and the two
chelipeds. From the size of the latter Dr. Caiman says it is
no doubt a male. Possibl}' this occurrence has been regarded
as somewhat insufficient for definitely including the species in
the Scotch fauna. In view of the recent captures, however, it
is highly probable that the crab will eventually be found in
deep water off the western coast of Scotland.

The family Homolidae contains comparatively few species,
two forms only occurring in European seas ; these are, Homola
barbata (Fabr.), and Paromola Cuvieri (Risso)." The first is
the commoner form, occurring at both sides of the North
Atlantic, the Azores, and in the Mediterranean, often at con-
siderable depths. Paromola Cuvieri has been most frequentl}"
met with in the western parts of the Mediterranean, where it
has been recorded from various places off the coasts of France,
Italy and Sicily, also, according to Lucas, on the North African
coast. " Cette belle et rare espece a ete prise une seule fois
par les pecheurs dans la rade d' Alger, et m'a ete donnee

^ A. M. Edwards and Bouvier, Travailleur et TaHsman, Crust. Decap,,
pt. I, p. 10.

= Previous to 1891 this species was included in the genus Homola. In
that year Wood Mason proposed and defined the genus Paromola for its
reception {Ann. Mag. Nat. Hisl.., Ser. 6, vii., p. 267). In a recent mono-
graph, Mihie-Rdwards and Bouvier discuss the generic characters and
suggest others. (Travailleur et Talisman, Crust. Decap.).

The synonymy is briefly as follows : — Hippocarcinus hispdiis, Aldrov.
Dorippe Cuvieri^ Risso. Homola Cuvieri, Risso (et auct.). Paromola Cuvieri,
Wood Mason.

A 2

132 The Irish Nahiralist. July,

par M. Deshaj-es. Environs du Cap Matifou, pendant I'ete."^
In the Eastern Mediterranean it is recorded from Morea; and,
according to Heller, it is unknown in the Adriatic, a shallower
and more recent sea.

It was dredged during the "Talisman" voyage (1883) to
the South of Cape Bojador (Lat. N., 25° 39', Long. W., 18° 18'),
off the North-West African coast, and it has also been found
off the Portuguese littoral.

As ma}' be seen from this, all the previous captures of
Paromola Ciivieri have been either in the Mediterranean
or the adjacent ports of the North Atlantic. So that its
known range at present is confined to the Mediterranean,
Lusitanian and Celtic marine provinces, as these are defined by
Dr. Heller.2

The occurrence of an isolated specimen of this species in a
shore pool is perhaps sufficienth^ explained by the assumption
that it was a chance wanderer from deep water. It is just pos-
sible, however, that the specimen ma}' have been captured b}^ a
'trawler' while dredging in fairly deep water off the south-
west coast, and was afterwards returned to the sea at some
point nearer to land. The comparatively perfect condition
of the Cork specimen is, however, rather against the latter ex-
planation.

With regard to the habits of the P. Ciivieri^ little infor-
mation is available. The highest definite range mentioned-'^
for the species is 10 metres, but its occurrence at this slight
depth is possibly as exceptional as in shore pools. In the
Gulf of Eyons M. Paul Gourret found^ it on gravel and mud at
a depth ranging Irom 100 to 200 metres, while, as alread}-
mentioned, the " Talisman " dredged it at 640 metres on a
bottom of sand, mud, corals, and shells. Finall}', the dis-
covery during the Irish Fisheries investigations of its
association with the deep-water coral Lophohelia, at from 627
to 728 fathoms, indicates the nature of its habitat in British
and Irish waters.

^ I_<ucas, Exploration scientifique de I'Algerie, Crustaces, 1849.
= Heller, Crust. Siidl. Europe, p. 311.

3 Doflein, Deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition, Valdivia, 1898, 1S99, P- ^^•
< Gourret, Rev. Crust. Podoph. Golfe de Marseille. Musee d'Histoire
Naturelle de Marseille. Zool., III., 1S8S.

National Museum, Dublin,

1^.

i9oS. 133

THE NEW FLORA OF BURNT GROUND ON
THE HIEE OF HOWTH :

A Study of Plant Dispkrsal.

BY JOHN ADAMS, M.A.

East July, in company with the students attending the
Summer Course in Botan}- at the Royal College of Science,
I went over the burnt ground on Howth summit in order to
observe the colonization of a piece of new ground, quite
devoid of vegetable life This was two years after the fire of
1905, which smouldered for nearly a week, and seems to have
done its work very thoroughl}-. The results are, I think, of
sufficient interest for publication in the columns of the Irish
Naturalist.

In all 31 species of plants were observed, and of these only
two specimens had survived the fire, all the rest having sprung
from seeds and spores. The first was a Bracken, which was
growing out of the mouth of a Rabbit's burrow. The other
was a Whin, which was sprouting from the base of the burnt
stem. All the other Whins observed were seedlings.

The following is the complete list of species found : —

MossKS. — Fu7ia7ia hygrovietrica in fruit, and another species,
apparently a Polytrichum.

Ferns. — Pteris aquilina (from the old stem).

Monocotyledons.— ^^;<?5//5 alba^ Aira prcecox, Antho-
xanthnm odoi'atum. Dactylis gloiucrata, Deschampsia ficxuosa,
Festuca ovina^ Holciis la^iatiis^ Poa amma^ Carex pilulifera.

Dicotyledons. — Ruviex Acctosclla, Cerastitwi vuJgatiim^
Cotyledon Umbiliais, Sediim anglicum^ Rubies fruticosus, Ulcx
europcsus, Epilobitim moiitanum, E. palustre ?, Calluna vul-
garis^ Erica cinerta, Teucriuui, Scorodo7iia, Gali^im saxatile,
Carduus lanccolatiLS, Hypochccris radicata^ Scnecio Jacobcea,
S. sylvatiais, S. zmlgaris^ Soiichzts oleraccus, Taraxaciwi
officinale.

J^

134 The Irish Naturalist, July,

All the species mentioned above grow in the neighbourhood
on Howth Head. It is worthy of note that eight species were
Grasses, and seven species were Composites, these two families
being the most successful in colonizing the earth's surface
generall}'.

The two species of Mosses had their spores carried b}^ wind.
Nineteen species of Seed Plants were also^ doubtless, distributed
in the same waj^, namel}', 8 species of Grasses, i species of
Carex, i species of Rumex, 2 species of Epilobium, and 7
species of Composites.

One species, namely, Ritbus Jfuticosus, doubtless had its
seeds carried b}' the agency of birds.

It is somewhat of an enigma how the seeds of the other seven
species got there. With the exception of Ulex curopceiis and
Icucrium Scorodonia they have verj^ small seeds, which might
conceivably be carried by wind. But this method of transport
could scarcely be applicable in the case of Whin, which has
comparatively^ heavy seeds. Could these by any possibility
have survived the fire ?

It remains to add that the most abundant species on the
area under consideration were Ulex europcsus^ Erica cinerea,
and Senecio sylvaticiis.

An interesting reference to a similar subject will be found
in Treub's paper. ■•

Three years after the eruption he found six species of Blue-
green Algse, two species of Mosses, eleven species of Ferns,
and fifteen species of Seed Plants, four of the last group being
Composites. The nearest land in this case was ten miles
distant.

^ " Oil the New Flora of Krakatoa." Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. iii.,
(6th sen), 1889.

Royal College of vScieiice, Dublin.

Irish Naturalist, Vol XVII. J

[Plate 6.

N. H. Foster, del.

Armadillidium pictum.

To face p. 135.]

i9o8. 135

ARMADILLIDIUM PICTUM, BRANDT.

An Addition to the Britannic Fauna.

BY NEVIN H. FOSTER, M.P.O.U.
[Pirate 6.]

On 28ih March I collected some woodlice in a greenhouse
here,^ and among them found one specimen of Armadillidium,
which, on submitting to Dr. Scharff, he pronounced to be A.
picttcm, Brandt, a species which had not hitherto been recorded
from the British Islands. Since the above date I have taken
several more of this species, all the specimens having been
found among the "drainage crocks" of pots in which plants
of various kinds were growing. As this species is new to the
Britannic fauna, I have made a drawing from one of the speci-
mens, which shows the main specific characters. (Plate 6.)

The genus Armadillidium comprises some thirt}- species, of
which six can now be included as Britannic, viz., A. vulgare —
found in England, Scotland, and Ireland; A. na sahcm diwdi A.
depressum — recorded from several stations in the south of
England; A. album — recently found in Devonshire; A. pul~
chclhivi — discovered in Sligo by Dr. Scharff and by Mr, D. R.
Pack-Beresford in Carlo w,'^ and since found in England ; and
A.pichifu, now recorded, but which was found a few days later
in the Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin, Dublin, by Mr. J. N.
Halbert.

This species appears to have rather a northern distribution,
having been recorded from Sweden, Denmark, Germany,
Belgium, and France. Eike all the species in this genus, it
pOvSsesses the power of rolling itself up into a perfect ball,
though, so far as my experience goes, it accomplishes this in
a much more leisurely fashion than does A. vulgare. The
dorsal surface is very convex, smooth, and shiny, and is

^ Not Holy wood, vide p. 124, ajiie.

"Irish Naturalist, vol. x., p. 109, vol. xvi , p. 250.

136 The Irish Natiualist^ July,

beautifully variegated with 3'ellowisli markings on a brownish-
black ground. There is considerable variation in the
colour-arrangement of the specimens I have taken ; some have
a broad dark median band running down the dorsal surface,
as illustrated in Sars' figure, but the majority have this band
divided by a narrow central yellowish line, as shown in the
accompanying plate. Most of mj^ specimens measure about
8 mm. in length, but one specimen only attains to 6 mm., and
one reaches a length of almost 10 mm. This species may
easily be distinguished from A. vulga7'e and A. pidchellurn by
the shape of the last segment of the metasome, which, in the
two species above named, is truncated at the tip, while in A.
pidum it is obtusely pointed. The relative lengths of the
joints of the flagellum in the specimens taken here differ from
those given for this species b}' G. O. Sars. ' In my specimens
the proximal joint measures about three-quarters the length of
the distal joint, whereas Sars states that the distal joint is more
than twice as long as the proximal joint, but Dr. Scharff con.
siders this to be obviously an error.

In the same greenhouses I find that three of our rarer
Woodlice — Inchoniscus roseiis^ Koch ; Pojrcl/io dilalahis,
Brandt ; and Mdoponorthus prtdnosus, Brandt — are numerous.

I have to tender thanks to Dr. Scharff, who kindl}' examined
ni}' specimens and gave me valuable information in respect to
the characteristics and distribution of this species.

Since the above was in type I find that A. pidutii is
exceedingly plentiful in the greenhouses at Bel voir Park,
Co. Down ; in fact 49 out of every 50 Woodlice I saw there
belonged to this species.

'' Crustacea of Nonoay, vol. ii., p. 191.
Hillsborougli, Co. Down.

i9o8. 137

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts iuchide a female Chimpanzee and a female Wart-hog from
Dr. H. C. Tweedy, a Duiker Antelope from Miss F, C. Tate, two Rhesus
Monkeys from Mrs. F. D. Nelson, some Lizards from Miss Mooney, a
Herring Gull from Dr. G. B. Crawford, two Belgian Hares from Mr. G.
P. Beater, and two Canaries from Mrs. L'Estrange.

The new Chimpanzee is a lively young female named " Jane." She
may be seen daily with " Barney " and " Jennj' " in the Ape House, where
the antics of the three prove a great attraction to visitors. The young
female Wart-hog is zoologically a most interesting addition to the col-
lection, and so is the Duiker Antelope— also a West African animal —
which is remarkably tame and friendly ; it is on view in the small paddock
next the Superintendent's house. A young female Indian Elephant has
arrived in the Gardens from Liverpool ; she is now undergoing a course
of training to fit her for carrying children. The new Sea Lions are
lively, tame, and in excellent health.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

May 23. — Excursion to the North Buli..— Over thirty members
and visitors met the conductor, Dr. Geo. H. Pethybridge, at the Coast-
guard Station, at three o'clock. In pursuance of the suggestion recently
made by the President (Dr. Pethybridge) that a definite piece of
natural history work should be undertaken by the Club, it had been
decided to institute a survev of the North Bull, on lines somewhat
similar to those on which the recent work on Lambay was carried out,
and the excursion was organised in order to give members a preliminary
idea of the nature of the locality and of the work it is hoped will be
accomplished. From the Coastguard Station the party walked along
the seaward face of the Bull until the golf links had been cleared, and
then entered the sand-hills, where the rest of the afternoon was spent.
The conductor pointed out the various zones of vegetation, which run
from S.W. to N.E., i.e. parallel to the sea- shore, and members collected a
number of the characteristic plants. A general outline of the work to
be done was given, after which members returned to town.

The survey will include all the branches of Natural History, and it is
particularly desired to enlist the services of members as observers and
collectors of material for a detailed survey. Members willing to co-
operate in the undertaking, who were unable to be present on this
occasion, are earnesth' requested to communicate with the Secretaries,
and t'j indicate the directions in which they are willing to assist. A
special committee will probably be formed later to direct research and
collate results.

138 The Irish Nahiralist. July,

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

June 6.— Geoi.ogicaIv vSkctiox.-Excursion to Irish H11.L. — A
party of ten members travelled by the 1.30 p.m. train to Ballyclare, where
they were met by a local member, ISIr. James vStrachan, under whose
direction the}' visited the bauxite mines. On arrival at Straid Hill
House the geologists were welcomed by the Mining Company's manager,
Mr. Furniss, M'ho verj' courteously conducted them over the principal
workings. They observed the typical Inter-Basaltic Beds, with minerals,
including Lithomarge, Pisolitic Iron Ore, Aluminous Iron Ore, Bauxite,
and Lignite. The Lithomarge is over 40 feet thick ; and the other beds,
varying in thickness from^ 15 inches to 6 feet, overlie the former The
Pisolitic Iron Ore passes gradually into Aluminous Iron Ore, and the
latter graduallv into Bauxite, with which is associated the Lignite, both
as underl3'ing strata, and included lenticular beds.

After tea at Ballyclare the part}' returned to town by the 8 o'clock
train.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Galium Cruciata, Scop, in County Down,

Hitherto only two stations, one in Fermanagh and one in Down, have
been known in Ireland for Galium Cruciata. Five years ago a Scotch
botanical visitor to Belfast collected some specimens somewhere
between the River Lagan and Belvoir Park, inside the Belfast City
boundary, but on the County Down side of the river. He subsequently
called on Mr. vS. A. Stewart, at the Museum, and showed his find, ex-
plaining at the same time as definitely as a stranger could the exact
locality where the plant grew. Several local botanists, connected with
the Naturalists' Field Club, examined the district at Mr. Stewart's sug-
gestion, but failed to locate the plant. This year, however, it was re-
found independently by the Rev. W. P. Carmody, on the 9tli May. On
hearing, through Mr. Praeger, of the discovery, I visited the place on
the 26th Ma} indicated by Mr. Carmody, and had no difficulty in finding
the station. Apparently only one isolated patch, about a yard in dia-
meter, exists in the locality. It is a fine, health} clump, and grows on
a piece of grassy waste ground by the side of a broad laneway leading
from Annadale-avenue to the boggy pastures that abut on the River
Lagan between Annadale lirick Works and Behoir Park. Clearly it
has been in existence here undisturbed for a very long time. That it
was introduced designedly at any time seems out of the question. The
forsaken-looking roadway where it grows was a private one in the

190S. Notes, 139

grounds of Annadale Hall, and it was only in recent years, since the
opening up of Annadale-avenue, that parties in the vicinity were
allowed to use it as a pathway to the Lagan. When the search was
made five >ears ago this lane was not examined, as the station was
supposed to be by a path in the fields below. That it remained so long
unnoticed in this Annadale station is not surprising, as the place was
not one where our local botanists were likely to intrude. Mr. Stewart
for example, tells me that he was never along the lane in question.
The plant is still plentiful on the Rath at Downpatrick. I saw it in
abundance there on the 23rd May. The first record from Downpatrick
was in 1744.

W. J. C. TOMUNSON.

Belfast.

ZOOLOGY.

Migrants at Rockabill.

Rockabill Lighthouse sends three Sedge Warblers, three White-
throats, and one Wheatear (a fine old male), all killed striking May 26.
These species are rarely killed so late in the season at light stations
indeed, the Wheatear is altogether out of date), and their occurrence
on migration at this period would seem to indicate that the remarkable
spell of cold weather over Western Europe at the end of April arrested
the northward movement of many birds considerabh'.

Richard M. Barringtox.

Fassaroe, Bray.

A Disaster on Migration.

On the evening of Sunday, May 10, a remarkable incident occurred.
I was walking along a road with some friends, and on reaching a certain
avenue half of the party went in while the other half retraced their
steps along the same road. About forty yards from where we turned
back we found lying on its back in the middle of the road, quite warm
but quite dead, a Redwing. Not more than two minutes had elapsed
since we had passed that particular spot, and then the Redwing was not
there. A telephone wire crossed the road at this place, and it was
evident that the bird must have struck the wire in its rapid flight, and
been instantaneously killed, because the wire was still vibrating when
I looked up. The curious feature of the incident is that the Redwitig
was flying sufficiently low to strike a telephone wire, while the date is
reniarkabl) late, even for the North of Ireland. It may have been
injured in some way, and was making its wa}- north in easy stages.

Robert Pattersox.
Glenbank, Holvwood, Co. Down.

140 The Irish Nahualist, Julj-,

Fecundity of the Chaffinch.

In the June number of the Irhh Naturalist last year (vol. xvi., p. 207)
I\Ir. Moffat, quoting on the authority of the Rev. Allan Ellison, who has
an extensive acquaintance with the habits of the Chaffinch in Ireland,
states that this species is 20 per cent, less prolific in Ireland than in
Herefordshire, where clutches of six are by no means uncommon, and
clutches under five are unusual. If this is so, and we have no reason to
doubt Mr. Ellison's authorit}-, it opens up a very interesting question.
The cause of the increased fecundity of the Chaffinch in England, as
compared with Ireland, is assigned by Mr. Ellison to its being more
persecuted, in which view I scarcel}- share. I can hardly believe that
the Chaffinch is more persecuted in Herefordshire than Yorkshire, and
yet the average clutch of eggs in this district cannot be more than 4.75.
Six eggs in a nest is an exceptional number in the Bradford district,
and this variation in the fertility of this species in the range of its
distribution owes its origin probably to other and more deep-seated
causes than is accounted for by Mr. Ellison.

E- P. BUTTERFIEI^D.
Bank, House, Wilsdeu.

Supposed Occurrence of a Wild Cat in the West of Cork.

A species of Wild Cat is proved b}' its fossil remains to have inhabited
Ireland at no very remote period, as Dr. vScharff has .'■hown in his ver;-
careful paper (Proc. R. I. Academy, January, 1906), and he also urged
that enquiries should be made as to whether such an animal has been
seen or heard of lately {^Irish Naturalist, 1905, p. 79). Though the specimen
referred to below has unfortunately perished, and conclusive proof of its
species is therefore unattainable, it may be well to record the remarkable
descriptions given me by several members of the Becher family.

In 1881 I made a note of the statement of Mr. E. W. Becher and his
sister to the effect that some years previously their elder brother shot a
Wild Cat at Liss Ard, The O'Donovan's place.

" It had a broad head, short legs, and a short, bristly tail ; the colour
" was brindled, with bars of black on a dark grey, with a dash of tan
" colour."

1 have recently met their elder brother, the Rev. H. Becher, who at
my request has written the following account : —

" Castlehaven Rectory, Skibbereeu, May %th, 1S9S.

"I shot what I took to be a Wild Cat at Liss Ard, vSkibbereen, during
•' the winter of 1873-74, probably in January, 1874. The place was high,
'• rocky ground, on the skirt of a young plantation .1 just got a glimpse
" of it passing through the gorse and brambles, and thought it might be
" a IVIarten Cat. We were beating for Woodcocks. The retriever fetched
* it, and when she came out of the covert the Cat had her by the nose.

j9o8. Notes. 14 T

"The colour of the Cat was grey, the fore legs bent and strong, the tail
"shorter and the head more tiger-like than in the common cat. My
" sister had the skin for years,— H. Becher."

The peculiarity of the tail would seem to agree rather with the existing
Wild Cat of Great Britain than with the African Wild Cat, but it is
impossible to settle the question unless another specimen should be
obtained. Rabbit-trappers frequently kill cats, and this notice might be
of use if it led to enquiries being made through such men in the West of
Ireland.

R. J. USSH^R.

Cappagh, Co. Waterford.

REVIEWS.

INSECT LORE FOR FORESTERS.

Forest Entomology, By A. T. Gii.i,anders, F.E.S. Pp. xxii. +
422, with 351 illustrations. Edinburgh and London : William Black-
wood & Sons. Price i^s. net.

As implied by its title this book appeals both to the student of insects
and to the practical forester. The author is woods-manager to the Duke
of Northumbeiland, and he is at the same time an enthusiastic ento-
mologist. He is thus doubly qualified to write on entomology for the
benefit of foresters, and his book cannot fail to l)e of service both to
naturalists and to " practical " men.

The volume begins with an introduction on the outward and internal
struct'are, and the transformations of insects and the classification of the
Arthropoda. This section is necessarily brief, but it contains many
essential points, clearly stated. The use of " segment," both in its
correct r.ense, and also in the sense of a region of the bod3\ ^S-, the
thorax or abdomen, is however unfortunate, and may mislead the
beginner. Following this introductory chapter comes a S3'stematic treat-
ment of the families, genera and species of insects that injure forest
trees. The chapters on the orders of true insects are preceded by a
good account of the injuries by gall-mites (Eriophyidae). Then two
chapters are devoted to Coleoptera, two to Hymenoptera, one each to
Lepidoptera and Diptera, one to Coccidae, one to Aphidae, and one to
Psyllidae and " Cicadidse." It is hard to understand why these three
last-named chapters— all dealing w4th families of the homopterous sub-
order of the Hemiptera— should have been separately intercolated
between the sections on other orders instead of being brought together.

142 The Irish Naturalist, J"ly>

The two chapters oil the Coleoptera are particularly good. Diagnoses —
taken from Fowler's well-known monograph — of the leading sections,
genera and species are given, and the life histories of the more important
destructive beetles are described at length. RhopaloDiesites Tardyi is
mentioned as " almost exclusively an Irish species," but incidentally a
record of the weevil from the Hastings District is given. Beech onlj- is
mentioned as a food plant ; in most of its Irish localities it also
attacks holl}'. The second of the two chapters is entirely devoted to the
Scolytidae, which are, naturally, full}- dealt with. Not only will the
reader find accounts of such well-known bark-beetles as Hylesimis
fraxini and Hylurgus pinipcrda^ but also references and figures of the
principal species of Hj'lastes, Cryphalus, Dryocsetes and other genera
less familiar to those who are not specialists in the Coleoptera.

One of the chapters on Hymenoptera deals with the Oak-galls — the
other with Saw flies ; the former is illustrated with a selection of excellent
photographs of galls, and in the latter Mr. Gillanders has taken full
advantage of the recent work of Konow and Morice. The chapter on
Diptera deals for the most part with the gall-midges (Cecidomyidae).
Quotation is made from much recent English and foreign economic
work, but there is no reference to Kieffer's important papers. The
chapter on the Coccidae— a famil}- to w^hich the author has paid special
attention— has been made exceptionally interesting and valuable with
acknowledged help from the writings of Newstead. The account of the
Aphidae on the other hand is less satisfactory ; it is surprising to find
no reference to the migrations of Chermes between larch and spruce.

Following the systematic portion of the book, come concluding
chapters on collecting and preserving insects, ou insecticides, and on
beneficial insects, together with a useful list of species arranged under
their food-plants. The illustrations are mostl}' good ; some of the
photographs and man}' of the drawings are excellent, but there are a
considerable number of rather feeble photographs taken from ill-
mounted dead specimens. On the whole, however, the book may be
warmly welcomed as filling worthily a distinct place in English entomo-
logical literature.

G. H. C.

BRITISH BUTTERFLIES.

A Natural History of the British Butterflies : Their
worldwide Variation and Ceogrraphical Distribution.

A Text-book for Students and Collectors. By J. W. TuTT, F.K.S.,
vol. ii. Pp. X. -f 494. Pis. i.-xxviii. London : Elliot Stock, 1907-8.
Price 215. net.

This volume follows— after an interval of little more than twelve
months— the first instalment of Mr. Tutt's work on the Butterflies, which
was reviewed at length in this magazine last year (vol. xvi., pp. 170-4).
The general plan of the book is the same as that of the preceding

1908. Rcvietvs, 143

volume ; 80 pages are devoted to essays ou points in the general
bionomics of the Lepidoptera, while in the remaining 400 odd pages we
have a detailed systematic account of seven species— the five British
" Hairstreaks," and two of the " Blues."

In the first chapter Mr. Tutt deals with the aestivation and hiberna-
tion of the larvae of butterflies. More than half of the British species pass
the winter as caterpillars, and besides these " some, possibl}- all, of the
butterflies known to us to h} bernate in the ^^^^ stages, really do so as fully-
formed larvae, but within not without, the egg-shell." This statement is
justified by a reference to our large " fritillaries." Argynnis adippc hibernates
in the ^%^. In A. aglaia and Dryas faphia, though "the larvae hatch in
July or August, when there is an abundance of food and a high tem-
perature, they positively refuse to feed, and in exactly the same stage as
they leave the &%%, pass through the winter, awaiting the first warm
day of spring before partaking of their first food."

The second chapter is devoted to a discussion of the gregarious habit
in butterfl}' larvae, interesting series being traced from such caterpillars
as live solitary throughout their term — like Pieris napi and Pyrameis
cardui, though those that have an imperfectly developed social life like
Pieris rapce, and to the truly gregarious species like P. hrassicce and Aglais
urtica:. The web formed by the common labour of the larvae in the last-
named and in other species is an additional development of the social habit
Further in A. tirticce, as also in Vatiessa io, the larvae scatter to some extent
at least as they approach maturity, while in V. antiopa and Eugonia poly-
chloros they remain gregarious until pupation.

After this valuable discussion, Mr. Tutt gives us nine short chapters
on " Family Habits in Butterfly Larvae," taking a family or section of
butterflies, and giving a general account of the larval habits to be noticed
in its species. The particular habit usual in a certain family or genus
are by no means universally followed by all its species; as might be
expected, the field is one in which adaptation is constantly modifying
instinct, and " the general impression bristles with exceptions." Among
the Satyridae, however, all the protectively-coloured, grass-feeding
larv£e live through the winter ; only occasionally does the caterpillar of
Pararge egeria pupate in autumn.

The great part of the volume contains a continuation of Mr. Tutt's
survey of the family Ivycaenidae, or — as he prefers to call it — Ruralidae.
How full his descriptions are may be gathered from the fact that in 400
pages he deals with only seven species. The general plan is the same
as in previous volumes, and the long lists of British, Irish, and Conti-
nental localities are given in the confusing and unsystematic manner to
which we have before alluded. Thus of our familiar " Green Hairstreak "
— Callophrys rndi— it is stated "Very strangely localised in England, Ireland,
and Scotland, abundant in some counties, apparently quite absent in
others." But in order to make out how the distribution is localised, the
reader must wade through two pages of closely printed type, with the
counties arranged alphabetically, e.g., Carnarvon, Clackmannan, Cork,

144 '^^^^ Irish Nahirah'sf, July, 190S.

Cornwall, Cumberland ! This, if a minor blemish, detracts needlessly
from the value of Mr. Tutt's marvellously thorough work.

Each of the five British " hairstreaks " is placed by ]\Ir. Tutt in a distinct
genus. According to his nomenclature they are to be called Callophrys
riibi, Chattevdenia lu-albuvi, Strynion pruni, Biihys quernts and Ruralis
hetiiliB. The separation oi riibi — the only species of the group common in
Ireland— from the other Palaearctic species of the old genus Thecla, has
been generally accepted for several years past, and is doubtless warranted
by the distinctive characters afforded by imago, larva, and egg-shell.
The genus of w-a/(5//w— called Edwardsia by Mr. Tutt in the text of the
volume, and Chittendenia (Edwardsia being pre-occupied) in a corrigen-
dum at the end — is separated from that of prtmi on somewhat slight
characters, these two species falling into a natural tribe (Strymonidi),
while the genera of quemis and hetuUv belong to a third distinct tribe
(Ruralidi). It is to be hoped that this last division will be allowed to
retain the familiar name, Theclidi, Thecla being apparently the type of
hetiilcE^ though Mr. Tutt's discussion on the subject must convince any
reader how utterly vain and unprofitable is the striving after what is
called "priority" in nomenclature, because though the systematists
profess to agree about the rules to be observed, they differ altogether as
to the practical application of these rules. It is a point of interest to
Irish naturalists that while Callophrys rubi is widespread in Ireland,
Bithys quercits and Thecla betiila are confined to the south and west, and the
two British Strymonidi are altogether absent. We can support therefore,
from a geographical standpoint, Mr. Tutt's grouping of the hair-
streak species. The two '* blues " included in the volume are Lanipides
boeticiis, that widespread migrant species of which stra}- individuals have
occurred from time to time in southern England, and Cekaslnna (usually
called Cyaniris) argiolus, the " Holly Blue," which has a wide distribution
in Ireland.

In the case of every species Mr. Tutt gives, as in the former volume, a
full account of the life-history, habits and variation. The larval structure
is very fully described, and a large amount of original observation sup-
plements the author's extensive reading, so that nothing like so full an
account of the early stages of the species included in the volume has
ever been published before. The plates are for the most part well repro-
duced photographs by Messrs. Clarke, Main and Touge, showing the
butterflies, larvse, pupae and eggs ; man}' of these photographs are
evidentlj* from live specimens, and reflect great credit on the artists.
There are also photomicrographs of the characteristic spines and
tubercles of the larval and pupal cuticle. Only in Cyaniris ai-gioliis is the
genital armature figured ; some illustrations of structural details of the
imago in all the species would have added greatly to the value of the
work — high as that value undoubtedly is. All scientific students of the
Eepidoptera will hasten to study Mr. Tutt's volume, and will look forward
eagerly to the publication of its successor.

G. H, C.

Irish Xaturaust, Vor.. XVI I]

[Plate 7.

U

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I I

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Boundary of County

„ ,_ Sub- Province.-.*^. I— .—.

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BioLOGiCAi, Sub-provinces of Ireiand.

To face p. 145.]

August, 1908 The Irish Naturalist. 145

ON THE DIVISION OF IRELAND
INTO BIOLOGICAL SUB-PROVINCES.

BY J. ADAMS, M.A.
(Pl,ATE 70

The first attempt to divide Ireland into botanical districts was
made by Babington (i)Mn 1859. He divided the whole countrj^
into twelve districts, which were still further subdivided into
thirty-seven counties and vice-counties. The larger counties,
Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, Galwa}', and MayO; were each divided
into two, the remaining counties constituting the other twenty-
seven subdivisions. His divisions of Counties Cork and
Kerr}'' are quite different from those subsequently adopted by
Praeger (iS). The twelve districts, moreover, are such that
they cannot be grouped into the four provinces of Ireland.

Babington's twelve subdivisions were adopted later b}^ the
authors of Cybele Hibernica (4), both in the first and second
editions. The Aran Isles are considered as belonging to Co.
Clare, and that part of Co. Derr}^ west of the Fo3dej is grouped
along with Co. Donegal. In the second edition the boundary
line separating North and South Cork is not quite the same
as in the first edition.

In 1873 Moore, in his " Sjmopsis of the Mosses of Ireland"
(13), indicated the distribution in the different counties. He
also employed the count}' divisions in his '* Report on Irish
Hepaticae " (14) in 1877.

In 1884 M'Nab (12) divided the country into twelve
''provinces/' which were the same in extent and boundaries
as those of Babington, but w^ere called by different names.
Babington's term "district" is undoubtedly preferable to that
of M'Nab^ as " province," to most people's minds, carries the
idea of one of the four political divisions of Ireland. M'Nab's
system, however, recognised only thirty-six counties and vice-
counties, as he did not divide Kerry into two sections.

Groves (5) in 1895 adopted the twelve divisions of Babing-
ton in dealing with the distribution of Irish Characese. '

1 The numbers refer to the BibUography at the end.

1 46 The Irish Naturalist, • August,

In 1896 appeared (iS) Praeger's forty divisions into counties
and vice-counties, which were subsequently adopted (with one
change as regards Co. Donegal), in his " Irish Topographical
Botany " (19) in 1901. While the countj^ boundary is rigidlj^
adhered to elsewhere, as regards the liberties of Derr}^
Drogheda, Waterfo^'d, and Limerick, this rule is departed
from ; and the Aran Isles are considered to belong to Clare.

The twelve divisions of Babington were employed by
M'Ardle (11) in 1904 to show the distribution of Irish liver-
worts. On the other hand, Praeger's divisions are employed
to show the distribution in Macvicar's " Census Catalogue of
British Hepatics" (10) published in 1905, and also the distri-
bution of Irish Mosses in the Moss Exchange Club's " Census
Catalogue of British Mosses" (15), published in 1907.

In a forthcoming paper on Irish Algae I have employed the
four provinces as the units of area.

So far we have been considering the subdivisions of Ireland
from a botanical standpoint only.

Scharff in his paper on the Irish Land and Freshwater
MoUusca (20) in 1892 is the only zoologist who appears to
have emploA-ed the twelve districts of Babington to indicate
distribution.

Carpenter in his paper (3) on Irish Spiders in 1898 indicates
the distribution in each of the four provinces and also in the
counties. Johnson and Halbert adopt the same subdivisions
in their paper on Irish Beetles in 1902.

Stelfox (21) uses Praeger's divisions for the Land and Fresh-
water MoUusca of Co. Galway in 1907. Welch also intends
to use Praeger's scheme in a forthcoming report on the Irish
Land and Freshwater MoUusca.

We have next to consider the distribution of the marine
species. Wright (23) in a paper on Irish Actiniidae in 1859
was the first to propose divisions of the coast line. These
were as follows : — (i) From Tory Island or Horn Head to
Rathlin Island or Fair Head. (2) Fair Head to Downpatrick.
(3) Downpatrick to Carnsore Point. (4) Carnsore Point to
Cape Clear. (5) Mizen Head to Kerry Head or Mouth of
Shannon. (6) Loop Head to Krris Head, j) Erris Head to
Horn Head. This system of division, it will be observed,
omits that part of the coast line extending from Cape Clear
to Mizen Head,

190S. Ada^is. — Irish Biological Sub-pj-ovinces. 147

Holmes and Batters in their paper (6) on British Marine
Algae, published in 1890, divide the Irish coast line into five
districts : — (i) Malin Head to Slyne Head. (2) Sljme Head to
Crow Head. (3) Malin Head to Howth. (4) Howth to Raven
Point. (5) Crow Head to Raven Point.

The same divisions of the coast line were adopted b}- the
authors of " Irish Phaeophycese," but the " Irish Coralli-
naceae" are grouped according to the counties for the most
part.

Nichols, in dealing with the Marine Mollusca of Ireland
(16) in 1900, divides the coast line into the following six
divisions : — (I.) North-east — From Malin Head to St. John's
Point. (11.) East — From St. John's Point to Carnsore Point.
(III.) South— From Carnsore Point to Cape Clear. (IV.)
South-west— From Cape Clear to Loop Head. (V.) West —
From Loop Head to Erris Head. (VI.) North-west — From
Erris Head to Malin Head. He adopts the 100 fathoms line
as the limit of the shallow-water area. Nichols' six divisions
have also been adopted for the distribution of Irish Echino-
derms (17) and Coelenterates (22).

Then, in Batters' Catalogue of the British Marine Algae (2),
published in 1902, the old divisions which were previously
emplo3'ed by him and Holmes are abandoned and the counties
used instead.

Finally there are the 21 Fishery Districts into which the
coast-line has been divided.

It will be clear from the above statements that there is a
very considerable difference of opinion as to the distributional
areas into which the country should be divided. Several
authorities adopt the four provinces, but the majority seem to
incline towards the counties or vice-counties, and the modern
tendency seems to be distinctly in favour of Praeger's forty
divisions— at anj'- rate for the land and freshwater species.

The thought has often occurred to me that it would be
desirable to have a series of sub-provinces, intermediate in
size between Praeger's 40 counties and vice-counties on
the one hand and the four provinces on the other — a series in
fact corresponding in size to the 12 districts of Babington but
differing from them in the following particulars : — {a) Each sub-
province should consist of several of Praeger's 40 counties and

A 2

148 The Irish Natwalist, August.

vice-counties, {b) The sub-provinces should be such that they
can be grouped into the four provinces of Ireland. (^) The
sub-provinces should, if possible, contain a stretch of coast
line so that the same divisions could be available for both
land and marine species of both plants and animals, and so
that a comparison between the fauna or flora of any two sub-
provinces could be instituted on a basis of equalit3\ While
it ma}' be possible to indicate the distribution of the higher
plants and animals in each of the 40 counties and vice-
counties, a long time must elapse before this can be done in
regard to the lower groups. Consequentl}^ an intermediate
series of sub-provinces would seem a desideratum.

I have, therefore, divided each province into three sub-
provinces. As each sub-province should perhaps have a
name rather than a number, and as this name should be
such that it cannot be confused with an}' that have been
emplo3'ed hitherto, I have thought it advisable to revive
some of the ancient titles used to denote sub-divisions of the
countr}', but without intending to convey the idea that these
sub-provinces are identical in outline with those denoted by
the ancient name. All that is meant is that the present sub-
province contains within it part or the whole of the old
territorial division whose name it bears. I have also added a
more modern name in brackets for those who prefer it, but as
some of these were already used b}" McNab in a different
sense their use in this connection is perhaps to be deprecated.
I have also denoted each sub-province by a vS5'mbol which is,
perhaps, preferable to a number, and occupies no more space.
The first letter of each province will be used as a contraction
for the name of the province, and the numbers i to 3 will be
attached to denote the sub-divisions, it being understood that
I means in all cases the sub-province which extends furthest
south, and 3 the sub-province wdiich extends furthest north.
Thus if a species occurs in all the sub-provinces its distribu-
tion can be briefly indicated as follows ;~Mt 23, 1^123, C123,
U123. Its distribution in the provinces can, therefore, be
seen at a glance much more easily than would be the case if
the sub-provinces were numbered continuously from i to 12.
The division into sub-provinces and their boundaries are in-
dicated below :-—

1908. Adams. — Irish Biological Sub-provinces. 149

MUNSTER.

1. Desmond (South-west Munster). West Cork and

Kerr3% Mi.

2. Ormond (South-east Munster). Mid Cork, East

Cork, Waterford, South Tipperar3^ M2.

3. Thomond (North Munster). Limerick, Clare, North

Tipperary. M3.

lyEiNSTKR.

1. Ossor}' (South Leinster). Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny.

Li.

2. Offaly (Mid Eeinster). Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare,

Queen's County, King's Count}-. L2.

3. Oriell (North I^einster). Louth, Meath, West Meath,

Longford. L3.

CONNAUGHT,

1. Clanrickard (South Connaught). Galwa}-. Ci.

2. Tirawly (North-west Connaught). Mayo. C2.

3. Brefne}^ (North-east Connaught). Sligo, Leitrim, Ros-

common. C 3.

U1.STER.

1. Mourne (South Ulster). Down, Armagh, Monaghan,

Cavan. Ui.

2. Tirowen (North- ease Ulster). Antrim, Derry, Tyrone.

U2.

3. Tirconnell (West Ulster). Donegal, Fermanagh. U3.

These sub-provinces do not differ very materially in size.
The smallest, Ossor}', contains 2,043 sq. miles, and the largest,
Ormond, contains 3;3 16 sq. miles, the average area being 2,710
sq. miles. Each sub-province contains at least one mountain
over 2,000 ft. high, with the exception of Oriell, where the
highest point, Slieve Ban, is 1,935 f^'

The limits of each province, sub-province, and county or
vice-county are shown on the accompanying map (Plate 7).
It will be observed that the divisions of the coast line are such
that they can easily be grouped into a northern and a
southern series of six each by a line extending from near
Balbriggan to Killary Ba}'. They can also be grouped into
an eastern and a western series of six each by a line drawn
from Lough Foyle to Kinsale Harbour.

150 The Irish Natm-alistx August,

It is to be understood that these are onh' suggestions which
ma}' not meet with the approval of other biologists. There is
enough diversity at present existing in the various sub-divi-
sions of the countr}' which have been proposed, and my aim
has been not to add another group to these, but rather to
co-ordinate those already in existence, so that we should have
four provinces^ twelye sub-provinces, and forty counties and
vice-counties, all composed of the same units. But while
uniformity is desirable, unanimit}- amongst biologists is
equally so, and I should be glad to know the views of others
on this question.

BlBI^IOGRAPHY.

1. Babington, C. C. — Hints towards a Cybele Hibernica. Nat. Hist.

Kevieu't vol. vi., 1859.

2. Batters, E. a. L. — A Catalogue of the British Marine Algae, /ouni.

of Bot., 1902.

3. Carpenter, G. H. — A List of the Spiders of Ireland. Proc. Roy. Ir.

Acad. (3rd Ser ), vol. v., 1898.

4. Cybele Hibeniica ed. i, by MooRE and MORE, 1866; ed. 2, by Cor,GAN

and Scui^i^Y, 1898.

5. Groves, H. and J. — The Distribution of the Characeee in Ireland,

//'. Na'.. vol. iv., 1895.

6. H01.MES, E. M., and E A. ly. Batters. — \ Revised List of the British

Marine Algse. .-/;/;/. of Bot,, vol. v., 1890-1,

7. Johnson, W. F., and J. N. Haebert —A List of the Beetles of Ire-

land. Froc. Roy. Ir. Acad. (3rd Ser.), vol. vi., 1902.
S. Johnson, T. and Miss R. Hensman. — A List of Irish Corallinace^e.

Sci. Proc. Roy. Did). Soc, vol. ix.. Part I., No. 3, 1899.
9. Johnson, T., H. Hanna, Miss R. Hensman, and Miss M. C.

KnoweES. — Irish Phseophycese. Proc. Roy. Ir. Acad. (3rd

Sen), vol. v., No. 3, 1899.

10. MacVicar, S. M.- Census Catalogue of British Hepatics, 1905.

11. McArdeE, D. — A List of Irish Hepaticte. Proc. Roy. Ir. Acad., vol.

xxiv., 1904.

12. McNab, \V. R. — Note on the Botanical Topographical Divisions of

Ireland. Sci. Proc. Roy. Dub. Soc, vol. iv, 1884.

13. MooRJC, D. — A Synopsis of the Mosses of Ireland. Proc. Roy. Ir.

Acad. (Ser. 2), vol. i, No. 8, 1873.

14. Report on Irish Hepaticse. Proc. Roy. Ir. Acad. (Ser. 2), vol.

ii., Part 7, 1877.

15. Moss Exchange Ceub.— A Census Catalogue of British INIosse.s,

1907.

16. NiCHOES, A. R.— A List of the INIarinc I>Iollusca of Ireland. Proc.

Roy. Ir. Acad. (3rd Ser.), vol. v, 1900.

17. A LLstoflrioh Echinoderms. Proc. Roy. Ir. Aiad, vol. xxiv.,

1903.

1908 Adams. — Irish Biological Sub-provinces. 151

18. Praegkr, R. Lr,.— On the Botanical vSubdivisiou of Irelaud. Ir.

Nat. vol. v., 1896.
19. Irish Topographical Botany. Proc. Roy. Ir. Acud. (3rd Ser.),

vol vii., 1901.
20. SCHARP'F, R. P\ — The Irish Land and P'reshwater Mollusca. Irish

Nat , vol. i., 1892.
2T. vSteIvFOX, a. W. — Some Notes on the Land and Freshwater Mcllusca

of Galway and District. /;-. Nat., 1907.

22. Stephens, Miss J. — A List of Irish Ccelenterata, including the

Ctenophora, Proc. Roy. Ir. Acad., vol. xxv., 1905.

23. Wright, E. P. — Notes on the Irish Actinidte. Nat, Hist. Review.,

vol. vi., 1859.

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

THE EXTINCTION OF CRYPTOGAMIC PLANTS IN

IRELAND.

BY A. R. HORWOOU.

At the Leicester meeting of the British Association the
author described certain changes in the cryptogamic flora of
Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire, chiefl}' owing to the effect
of smoke. The present communication deals with the causes,
affecting cr3'ptogams in Ireland. Whilst it forms part of an
interim report on the extinction or diminution of cr3^ptogams
generally throughout the British Isles, it is hoped that the
attention here drawn to the matter in a preliminar}^ wa}' will
have the effect of eliciting further facts from those areas in
Ireland from which reports are forthcoming, as well as from
those districts from which at present no information has been
obtained.

Causes. — From a stud}- of reports received from all parls
of the British Isles, and from personal observation, it appears
that extinction or diminution of cryptogams is due principally
to the following causes : —

A. Climate.

(a.) Changes in temperature.
■^(/^) „ humidity or dryness (rainfall or

drought).
(c.) „ pressure of atmosphere.

(d.) „ movements of atmosphere.

152 The hish Naturalist. August,

B. Effects of spread of hiq/icr state of civilization or extension
of i7idustrics, etc.

*(a) Drainage and reclamation of land (agricultural).
*(Ij) Cultivation (agricultural).
*{c) Deforestation or planting (agricultural).
*{d) Smoke and injurious gases, &c. (generally in-
dustrial).
*{e) Building operations, and demolition of buildings or

mud walls (industrial),
(y) Sport, golf links (recreative).
*{o) Hawking (commercial).

*{/i) Collecting (amateur rapacity ; scientific indis-
crimination).

Minor Causes. — In addition to the foregoing main causes
contributing either to the extermination or diminution of
these plants, either locally or over extensive areas (noticed
under " Effect "), there are a number of minor causes at work
that at different localities produce marked effects. These are
principally : —

*i. Burning of furze and heather.
2. Road-scraping and cutting down of roadside hedges,
scraping out of ditches and the throwing of their
contents upon the ditch banks. Paving, &c., of foot
paths.
*3. Action of steam rollers, motor cars, &c., on roadside
plants.
4. Pollution of waters b}^ chemical and d3'eing works.
*5. P'ormation of railway embankments, causing barriers
to the dispersal of spores, &c., or the concentration
of plants produced therefrom in unsuitable habitats.
6. Clearing away of .stones from fields, especiall}^ cal-
careous pebbles and plants, detrimental to the dis-
tribution of lyichens and some Mosses and Hepatics.
^■j. Clearing away of undergrowth in woods, &c., depriving

mosses of .shelter and moisture.
■^8. Cutting out ofbogs for peat or digging "turves" for fuel.
*(). IvOwering of levels of lakes.

10. F'ouling of soil by sea-birds.

11. Dressing trees with insecticides and lime-wa.shing ;

destructive to mosses and lichens.

190S. HoRWOOD. — Extinction of Cryptogams in Ireland, 153

12. Browsing of sheep in confined sheep-pens. .

13. Whaling industr}', pollution of stations with offal and

refuse from whales.

14. Use of sea-weeds (when not drifted) as manure.

15. Dr3'ing beaches, clearing of vegetation for drying of

fish.

16. Marine denudation and erosion.

17. Collection of mosses, &c., for table decoration, &c.

Since this investigation has to do with abnormal external
conditions, and their efi'ect and extent, it is not concerned
with the question of the natural distribution of the plants
themselves so much as with the recent changes in the nature
ot their environment, due to abnormal climatic conditions or
causes observed as following in the wake of human industry.

Effects. — Of the above causes (main or minor) only those
marked with an asterisk (*) have been reported so far as at
work in Ireland.

Since the same causes that aff'ect Cryptogams likev.ise in-
fluence Phanerogams, information as to the latter is here
taken into account where it throws light on their extinction.
In estimating the effects it is to be noted that in some areas
no change has occurred, whilst in others external conditions
are even more favourable. The following is a summary of
the changes so far noted : —

A. Climate — The climate of Ireland, except where locally
forests have been felled, as in Limerick, parts of Clare,
Dublin, Wicklow, Down, remains more or less unchanged.
Owing to the prevalent S.W^ winds, the smoke evil, such as it
is, and confined mainly to the east counties, is considerably
diminished. Desiccation i.s noticed on the east coast, from
Co. Down to Wexford, in abnormall}' hot summers.

B. Spread of Civilization^ <2^v.

Draijiaoe. — This is responsible for the disappearance of
some mosses and hepatics in Dublin, Wicklow, Down,
Antrim, and must be operative elsewhere, especially where
bogs have been drained.

Cultivatio7i. — In Co. Cork, Co. Clare and Co. Galway, the
ploughing, tilling, and artificial manuring of lands has tended
to extinguish some species,

K 3

154 The hhh Naturalist. August,

DeforcstatiojL or Plantation. — See remarks under "Climate."
Ireland, \Yhich was once extensively wooded, has been largely
deforested, but data are lacking as to statistics of plants more
than a century ago.

Smoke. — Only in the north, north-east, and east — e.g., near
towns of Dublin, Belfast, Cork (in S.), and counties of Dublin
and Wicklow especially — has smoke been the cause of
extinction.

Building Operations, ^e. — In Limerick Asplenium viayijium,
and in Dublin and Wicklow many mosses and hepatics have
been exterminated by building or removal of mud walls, and
in Sligo by demolishing of thatched roofs.

Hawking. — \\\ Kerry (N. and S.) and Co. Cork Trichonianes
radicans, and in Co. Down Osmunda regalis have been more
or less exterminated by professional hawkers.

Collecting. — In S. Kerry various mosses and hepatics; in Cork
Hookeiia Icetevireyis ', in Clare Adiajituni Capillus-veneris, in
Sligo Osimmda regalis, in x^ntrim Aspleniuvi viarinuui and
in Co. Down many plants have become extinct or dimin-
ished by rapacity of collectors.

Of minor causes several are locally as potent as the main
causes in bringing about the disappearance of plants. We may
instance the following : —

■ B^irning of fu7'ze and heather. — In Galway and in Donegal,
the burning and grubbing up of furze or heather is responsible
for some changes.

Action of steam-rollers. — In Counties Dublin and Wicklow
mosses and hepatics have disappeared from this cause.

Cutting out of bogs for peat. — In Ireland where peat is
formed on a large scale, and where coal is not extensively
found, peat has been dug for ages, or turf has formed a sub-
stitute for it amongst the poorer population. In Limerick
extensive areas up to high altitudes have been thus denuded
of peat, likewise areas in Monaghan, Fermanagh, Donegal
(where both peat and turves are used), Tyrone, Armagh, Co.
Down (causing disappearance of My Ha a7iomala), Antrim and
Derry. An interesting article on peat moss industries
appeared in A^ature, Sept. 19, 1907, pp. 528-530.

Lowcrijig of level oj lakes. — The low-ering of the level of
LrOUgh Neagh is responsible for the disappearance of Osmunda

T9o8 HORWOOD. — Extinction of Cryptogams in Ireland. 155

regalis in Armagh, and in Antrim of Lastrca Thclyptcris.
In County Clare, though some plants have decreased, others
have become more abundant, especially cryptogams. No
change has been witnessed in Wexford, and in N. E Galway
cryptogams are on the increase. Similarly in Waterford,
S. Tipperary, King's County, Mayo, and Louth, no changes
have been noticed. From North Tipperary, Kilkenny, Car-
low, Queen's Count}*, Kildare, Meath, Westmeath, Longford,
Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan, reports are still wanted.

Remedies. — As the causes enumerated have brought about
marked changes in the extent and gravity of their effect it
is essential that remedies be sought. It is suggested that
for the different classes of causes (excluding climate, which
cannot, except in so far as deforestation is concerned, be
controlled), three ways of arresting the evil be considered.
At the British Association Meeting at Leicester, 1907, Prof.
Conwentz introduced an important discussion on the
Preservation of Natural Monuments,^ describing the action of
the Prussian Government in this direction, and indicating
how the same measures might be adopted in England.

Agricultural (see list a7ite) — The appointment of an official
(government) bot^jnist (with assistants) in each count)* is
advocated, since it would be the means of estimating accurately
present or likely cases of extinction, and a report could be
kept, owners of lands being requested to preserve plants
threatened by drainage, cultivation, deforestation, or planting,
burning of furze, cutting of peats, lowering of level of lakes,
&c. Not only would such an official (appointed by the State,
like the National Museum officials, Geological Surve3'ors,
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries Inspectors, &c.) thus be
able (when empowered) to prevent any wide-spread extinction,
but he should be trained and able to give advice on questions
of forestry and economics, and he could systematically
work out the flora of his district, and form or direct local
arboreta, &c. Thus, a systematic botanical survey could be
carried out. Causes affecting animal life could be dealt with
in a similar way by a zoologist, and biology would be greatly
advanced with not only scientific but also practical results.

■• See Nature, Sept. 26, 1907, p. 556.

1^6 Thf Irish A^aiiiralisf. August,

hidustrial — Suiokc. — Not only for sanitary purposes, and the
preservation of buildings, and aesthetic reasons, but for the
preservation of vegetation in and near towns, regulations as
to the smoke nuisance should be drawn up and enforced.
The foundation of an endowed research for the invention of a
smoke accumulator or utilizer is necessary.

Bnildifig optraliojis, dfc. — Some restriction as to the ruthless
devastation of districts b}' building operations should be made
and worked on the lines of the National Trust in connection
with the preservation o'l National Monuments (under which
demolition of old buildings conies). The efifect of minor
causes ^.^., action of steam rollers, &c., pollution of waters,
road scraping, &c., could be minimised b}' enlisting the
sympathies (and securiiig the action) of urban and town
councils who are in turn responsible to the State.

Recreative ; ConiDiercial ; Injudicious Collecting. — The
botanist appointed to watch cases of extinction from agri-
cultural activities w^ould likewise have under his charge
cases coming under this heading, either where golf or other
forms of sport threatened the welfare of rare plants.

As to the hawker and collector, only summary methods are
likely to be efficacious, and for this purpose, a Wild Flowers
Protection Act (which shoitld be extended to ferns and other
cryptogams) as suggested by Professor Boulger and supported
by Lord Avebury, is required. Offenders against this Act
would be brought to book also by the official county botanist.

The author is convinced that measures similar to the
above are essential, in order to avert a condition of things
which must arise in the near future if steps are not taken.
Such a climax when found out too late, will readily call forth
the necessary remedial action. Only by the accumulation of
a vast number of instances of extinction, causes and effects,
in which inquiry a biological problem, that of the struggle for
existence of plants, is simultaneously being pursued, can we
hope for parliamentary action to follow the publication of the
full results of this investigation, so that the co-operation of
all botanists is asked in the completion of this report.
Especial thanks are due to all those who have already assisted
the author in this matter, detailed acknowledgment for which
will be given elsewhere.

Ivcicester Museum.

i9o8. 157

REVIEWS.

LIVE ZOOLOGY.

Animal Life. By F. W. Gambi^E, D.Sc, F.R.vS. Pp. xviii. + 306.
With 63 illustratious. Londou : Smith, Elder, & Co.; T908. Price,
6s. net.

In his preface, Dr. Gamble describes this volume as '* a small work deal-
ing with the adaptations and factors of animal life in a broad and con-
nected manner." His performance abundantl}' justifies the description;
the book is an admirable exposition of" live" natural history. The
structure of various animals belonging to all the great phyla is discussed
in relation to the functions and environment of the living organism,
and the reader cannot fail to obtain a comprehensive view of the history —
in its wide sense — of animal races. There are three short chapters dealing
respectivel}- with the interest of animal life, the abundance of animals
on laud and in water, and a brief survey of the animal kingdom, with
especial reference to the vertebrata. Then follow a series of chapters
devoted to various functions with illustrations drawn from diverse groups
of animals; in this manner Movement, Feeding, Breathing, Sensibility,
Colour, and Reproduction are successively discussed at length ; and,
arising as a natural appendix to the chapter on Reproduction — the
" Welfare of the Race,' as Dr. Gamble entitles it — we have in conclu-
sion a chapter on the specialized types of reproductive and social activity
afforded by the Life Histories of Insects.

The treatment and scope of these chapters will be evident from a few
examples. Under " Movement"' is included a discussion on ciliary
motion, and an account of the migration of birds. In the liistor}- of the
" Quest for Food " we are reminded both of the elaboration of the molars
in Ungulata and the snare-making instincts of spiders. The chapter on
coloration gives a summary of the facts about cryptic and warning ap-
pearance, now familiar to all readers of popular natural histories,but there
is also an interesting account of Dr. Gamble's own researches on the deve-
lopment in pattern in Hippolyte, and a suggestive discussion on the
part played by chlorophyll and by blood-pigments in the origin of
animal colour generally.

Of course in such a general introduction to the study of zoology as he
gives us in this book. Dr. Gamble may be considered too dogmatic in
some of his statements on points that are still subjects of discussion
among naturalists. The "selection value" of protective coloration and
mimicry, and the development of male adornment through female choice
might be regarded by the uninstructed reader as results beyond all
doubt, from the treatment of these subjects by Dr. Gamble. The
Peckhams' observations on the habits of the Attidie are referred to
as if they applied to spiders generally ; the support afforded l)y these ob-
servations to the theor}' of sexual selection is the more striking if we
remember that the family (Attidie), in which these observations of court-
.ship and choice have been made, is the one family of spiders in which

15^ The Irish Natniatisf. Augiist,

brilliant males and dull females are common. The discussion of social
life among insects is one of the most suggestive sections in the book, but
in the survey of insect metamorphosis generally, while attention is called
to the increasing difference between larva and imago in the higher order
of insects, there is no suggestion as to how this divergence has come
about. The claim for the Collembola as the ancestors of sucking insects
generally will not be admitted by modern students of that group.

The illustrations in the book are somewhat uneven. There are a
number of photographs from specimens in the Manchester Museum,
many of which are good; in some cases — the caterpillar of the Cabbage
Butterfly for example — it should have been easy to procure live rather
than dead specimens. Most of the live drawings are rough in execution
and reproduction. The centipede described as a Lithotius is really a Sco-
lopendrid.

Such blemishes are, however, slight when we consider the admirable
plan and felicitous style of the book as a whole. Dr. Gamble seems to
have written for what is called the "popular " reader. Such cannot fail to
derive help and instruction from the book. But the earnest student and
teacher of zoological science will find the work truly inspiring.

G. H. C.

A STUDY OF THE QUEEN ANT.

Anatomic du Corselet et Histolyse des Muscles Vibrateurs,
apres le Vol Nuptial chez la Reine de la Fourml Lasius
nigei*. Par Charlks Janet. Pp. 149 + 20, pis. 13 and 45 text
figures. Limoges : Ducourtieux et Gout.
This beautiful memoir forms the twenty-sixth fascicule of M Janet's
monumental " Etudes sur les P'ourmis, les Guepes et les Abeilles.'' Like
its predecessors it is characterized b}- wonderful minuteness of detail in
its descriptions, beauty in its drawings, and distinction in its style. This
author combines, in a manner too rare among. modern naturalists, the
power of elaborate histological research with the faculty of patient obser-
vation in the field.

It is well known that a young queen ant loses her wings after the
nuptial flight, either herself removing the now useless organs, or suffer-
ing their removal by the workers. The aiithor believes that help in the
operation by the workers is unusual except in artificial nests. In this
volume M. Janet traces the degeneration undergone by the muscles of
flight, accompanying this loss of the wings, until the firm bundles of
muscular fibres become replaced by loose columns of fatty tissue.

Before entering on the histological details that form the bulk of his
work, M. Janet gives some interesting notes on the habits of ants as
regards pairing and nest-founding. Young winged males and females
may emerge from their native nests on fine summer days, to return again.
But the nuptial flight generally involves final separation from the old
home. Occasionally pairing takes place on the ground, but usually in

igo^. Reviews, 159

the air. and while, after the flight, the males quickly die, the females
become the founders of new colonies. According to M. Janet, a new
ant-colony is always founded by a single queen, but in some species —
such as Myrmica rubra and Formica riifa — the workers bring back to the
nest some of their own 3'oung queens which have paired at no great dis-
tance ; thus the community comes to contain a number of queens. M.
Janet kept a queen of Lasius alienus for nearly ten years.

When the wings are shed the rupture of course takes place at the base
of the organ, but the exact position of the scar is not constant. "There
is not, as in the leaf-stalk, a special, dehiscent layer which determines
precisely a surface of rupture. This rupture indeed alwa5'S takes place
nearly at the same spot in the basal region of the wings, but it varies
somewhat markedly in form and position." Of a number of queens of
Lasius niger observed by M. Janet, only one retained her wings three days
after the nuptial flight.

Attention is drawn by the author to the great size of the flight-muscles
in these queen-ants, filling, as they do, most of the space in the large
convex, thoracic skeleton. Yet these " heaviest and largest organs in the
queen's body are functional only once during her life, and that only for
some hours, in the early period of an existence that lasts normally for
at least twelve years." Their work over, these great muscles disappear
by a process of histolysis ; leucocytes and granular amoeboid cells become
numerous among the muscle-fibres, whose contractile substance and
nuclei undergo a somewhat rapid degeneration. As a result the blood
becomes greatly enriched by the albuminous constituents of the broken-
down muscles, and, in this way, the 3'oung queen is provided with a
supply of food, and is able to produce numerous eggs, and — through
pharyngeal pouches — to feed her larvae until these develop into the first
workers, who undertake to procure food for the colon)-.

With the process of histolysis occurs the replacement of the muscles
by columns of fatty tissue, developed from gioups of cells of diverse
origin. Some are present before the nuptial flight, others develop
later between the bundles of muscle-fibres, and others again arise
within the muscular envelopes. It thus appears that the result is
analogous to a fatty degeneration, though, as we have seen, it is not truly
brought about by such a process, and it has a high physiological value
in the life of the queen ant.

Many other points of great interest to the entomologist are discussed by
M. Janet. The structure of the thoracic exoskeleton is described in
detail, with an account of the origin of the chitinous cuticle and the
method of attachment of muscle-fibres to its inner surface. The memoir
abounds in facts and suggestions of the highest value ; the concluding
summary, in which comparison is drawn between the post-nuptial
process described and the histolysis and histogenesis that take place
during metamorphosis, is worth}- in particular of careful study. M.
Janet has added to the obligation under which he has already laid, all
lovers of insects and their waj's.

G. H. C.

i6o The Irish NaUcralist. August,

NOTES.

BOTANY.

The New Flora of the Burnt Ground on the Hill of Howth.

INIr. Adauis' short article on this sul)ject iu the last number of the Irish
Naturalist is verj' interesting, but I think it is open to question whether it
might not have been perhaps more appropriately entitled a study of
survival rather than one of dispersal. It must be remembered that
although, as stated, the fire smouldered for over a week, it was largely
spreading at its edges during this time, and probably no one patch of
ground was involved in actual fire for anything like this whole period.
On the contrary, I imagine that here and there the period of actual
burning may have been a very short one indeed. I think it quite possible
that seeds of the majorit}- of plants mentioned in the list given survived
the fire, and that, therefore, there is no need to seek for methods by which
the)' may have subsequently arrived there. Particularly is this the case
with the Whin. I have often seen seedlings of this plant coming up in
hundreds beneath comparatively recentl}- burned bushes. The ver)-
large numbers in which they occur point surely to the fact that the
seeds, having previously fallen in quantities from the plants, survived
the fire. Had they arrived afterwards would not their numbers have
been far less ? Similarly, when the heather}- vegetation is burned on
our moorlands, the regeneration occurs, surely much faster than it
would do if it depended only on seeds transported subsequently from
without the area ? I do not think a close parallel can be drawn between
this instance and that of Krakatoa, for in the latter case the whole
vegetation of the island was blotted out by a mantle of red hot lava and
ash, and the effect of the fire at Howth cannot possibly have been any-
thing like so severe as this.

With regard to the species of plants occurring after the fire, repre-
sentatives of the great majority' of them were certainly there before it
occurred, though perhaps the two Epilobiums, Senccio vulgaris, and Souihus
olcraceus amongst others may be exceptions. The most striking absentee
is certainly Vlex Gallii ; I am not sure whether in the seedling stage this
can readily be distinguished from U. europicus. and if not I rather expect
that some of the seedlings put down as the latter may really belong to
the former species. I am inclined to believe that seeds of most of the
plants named were lying in plenty, more or less burned, when the fire
took place, and that very many of them survived it. If so they would
probabh- have germinated in the following season. Mr. Adams' list was
made three years after the fire, and if this was the first season in which
plants were to be observed at all on the burned area possibly they were
derived from seeds carried there subsequent!}-. It would be interesting
to know if anyone visited the area the season next following the fire, and
if seedling plants were observed then and in what numbers.

Geo. H. Pkthvbridge.
Royal College of vScience, Dublin.

1908. Notes, i6i

Note on Dicranum Scottii.

In tlie paper ou Rosa hibernica, reprinted from the /ounial of Botany
in the Irish Naturalist for October, 1907, p. 309, Mr. Britten, while cor-
recting certain errors regarding the references for Rosa hibemica and the
two mosses, Scliistidium inariiimiim and Dicraniini Scottii, unconsciously
confers a further favour upon Irish bota'jistsby correcting another error
concerning one of these plants. The passage to which I refer occurs in a
paper by Dr. David Moore, entitled " A Sj'nopsis of the Mosses of
Ireland/' which was published in the Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy for 1872, p. 448. In this Moore wrote concerning the moss
Hypniini revolve ns—''^ It was for the discovery of this moss and Schist idiuvi
maritinium, and for a vegetable substance, that Dr. Robert Scott received
a premium of ;<"i7 is. 2,d. from the Dublin vSociet}' in 1803." And he gives
the reference, '• Dublin Society Proceedings, xxxix., p. 82 (1803)." This
reference should be " Vol. iii., p. 15S," and the name of the moss should
read Dicranrnn Scottii.

The Dublin Society had offered {Trans. Dub, Soc. iii., p. 36, 1803)
amongst other "Premiums," one for "Producing native plants not
hitherto described. — To any person who vShall in the year 1803 produce
to the Society any plant, tree, shrub, or herb, so far peculiar to Ireland
as that it is native, and is not described in any work of Linnaeus or the
late botanists, the sum of five guineas." As Mr. Britten has shown
John Templeton got for the rose ;^5 13^-. 9<^., and Dr. Scott got;^i7 \s. ^^d.,
the equivalent of fifteen guineas Irish currency, for " Three new species
of mosses."

And in the same volume (iii.), at p. 158, is a communication by Scott
giving brief descriptions, with excellent copper-plate illustrations, of the
two mosses, which undoubtedly are as they are nam^di, Dicranum Scottii
and Schistidhim 7naritimnm. I have not discovered what led Moore into
the error, but it is manifest that he had not consulted the Dublin
Society's Proceedings, and, curiou.sly enough, the volume in the
Society's library, which the Librarian courteously allowed me to consult,
had never been opened at the place in question till one day in last
April when I cut the page.«^.

Mr. Britten has made a slip when he writes of Turner's work as his
Mtiscologite Hibcrnicce Specimen, this last word should read Spicileginm.
Dr. Scott, after whom Turner named this moss, discovered it in 1802,
" among the n ountains that lie to the S.W. of Swanlinbar, on the banks
of a rivulet."

H. W. Lett.
Loughbrickland, Co. Down.

Mayo Mosses and Liverworts. — A Correction,

The title of my paper on " Musci and Hepaticae from Co. Maj'o,'' in
Irish Naturalist for November, 1907, should read " Musci ajid Hepaticae
from West Galway," as all the localities mentioned lie in the latter area.

D. McArdi^e;.
Glasneviu.

1 62 The Irish Naturalist. August,

Botanical Notes from Co. Antrim.

Oil June 14 last I went to Knock Dim, the only known station in this
county for Dryas octopctala^2a\0i found it in full bloom and great profusion
on the northern cliffs. These grim basaltic crags are at present trans-
formed into an exquisite rock garden ; from a hundred rock-ledges
drooped clusters and garlands of the beautiful Dryas, the large white
flowers gleaming like ropes of pearls against their dark background,
while other ledges literally foamed over with white masses of the INIossy
Saxifrage, and in tiny crevices on the face of the rock dark blue
gleams of Polygala mingled with the pure white stars of Arcnaria verna.

On June 21 I found a fine clump of Lignsiicia/i scoticuni among rocks at
the western end of Brown's Ba}', Islandmagee, distant about half a mile
from its station at Skernaghan Point, recorded in 1896.

Having been long intending to explore Skerry whirry, a remote basaltic
escarpment lacing south and west (whereas most of our basaltic cliffs
face N. and E.) in the heart of the hills between Larne and Balh'mena,
I got there on June, 24, and was amply rewarded for a long cycle ride under
a roasting sun. First on the southern slope, above the hamlet of Magher-
abane, I found Vicia orobus in some abundance — a sure sign that this
was "terra incognita" from a botanical point of view ; the place is
nearh' four miles (as the crow flies) N. W. of Ballyboby Junction, where
Mr. Tomlinson found this plant last year, and over four miles S W. of
the Sallagh Braes station. Then, high up among the rocks on the
Western face, I came upon a small ledge of heather, interlaced in all
directions with the long trailing branches of Arctonaphylos Uva-tirsi — a
plant unknown to me before, but subsequently identified by Mr. Praeger.
I searched lor a long time among the rocks, but did not succeed in
finding any more of this rare plant, which w-as last seen (so far as the
N. E. of Ireland is concerned) in 1S37 at Fair Head, its only local
station. On June 29 I revisited Skerrywhirry, and made another long
search for more of the Bear-berry among the heather and rocks, both at
higher and lower levels, but without success. I found Vicia orobiis in
profusion on the western slopes also, and Habenaria albida rather
sparingly, and saw Galiinn boveale flowering in abundance on the Ijanks
of the Glen whirry river, where it was seen b}- Templeton in 1793.

C. J. IvII.I,Y.

Ivarne.

ZOOLOGY.

The Woodlice of Ireland.

We are attempting to make a systematic survey of the Iri.sli Woodlice,
and should, therefore, be verj' grateful for collections of specimens from
any part of Ireland which may be sent to either of us at the addresses
i;iven below.

ft

Fenagh House, Bagnalstown. D. R. Pack Berksford,

Hillsboro', Co. Down. N, H. Foste;r,

i9o8. Notes, 163

Testacella Maugei, Fer., at Cork.

:\Iiss May Johnson, while walking in her garden at Rath Lee, Cork,
found a living specimen of this rare carnivorous slug. Having never
seen a slug before which carried its shell " on the tip of its tail," she
sent it on to me to identify. The Testacellas are very rare in Ireland,
and confined to a few counties on the south and south east coasts
(Kerry to Dublin inclusive). They are predaceous, living mainly on
worms, though they do not despise other slugs, snails, &c., when the
worm diet fails. They should be looked for at dusk, when they often
follow worms to the surface, or in very w^et weather in spring and
autumn, the wet driving them out of the ground. Old gardens seem to
be their favourite habitat in this country. Of the three species we have
in Ireland, there have been only about fifteen records since 1835. Dr.
Scharff confirms my identification ot the species ; I was a little doubtful
as neither shell nor animal was quite typical.

R. WeTvCH.

Belfast.

Testacella haliotidea in the North of Ireland.

As Mr. Welch points out aljove Testacellas had hitherto only been
observed in the South of Ireland. It is of great interest, therefore, to
note that Rev. A. Delap recently found a specimen of Testacella haliotidea
in his garden at Strabane, in the province of Ulster. The garden is a
very old one, and has been cultivated, according to Mr. Delap, for the
past 200 years. Mr. Delap has been accustomed to dig in his garden
since he came to Strabane seven years ago, but never saw a Testacella
until this spring.

R. F. Scharff.

Dublin.

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include two Hooded Crows from Mr. Pierce Mahony,
three Meyers' Pigeons (Mauritius) from Lieut.-Col. Peterkin, a Spider
Monkey from Dr. H. C. Garden, a Cayuga Drake from Mrs. Mangin,
Peacocks from the Rev. S. R. McGee and Mr. K. O'Keeffe, a Kinkajou and
a Puffin from the Hon. Cecil Baring, a Panther Cub from Mrs. Rogers,
a Kittiwake from Mr. R. E. Wynne, a Ringed Plover from Dr. J. Trumbull,
an Indian JMungoose from Mrs. St. George. Six young Great Black-
backed Gulls from Sir Charles Ball, eight Pigeons from Mr. J. Clifton, a
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo from Mrs. Bradshaw, two Peregrine Falcons
from Mr. J. C. Carter, two Little Bustards from Mr C. Williams, and four
dozen Crayfish from Dr. H, Drury. The Rheas, which are allowed the
greatest possible liberty as to roaming about the Gardens, laid a number

164 The Irish Nat2tyalist. August, 1908

of eggs during June. Eleven of these have been given to one of the
females for incubation, and the result is awaited with much interest.
Two black Guinea Pigs and a litter of Rabbits have been born in the
Gardens. A Hairy Armadillo has been purchased.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

June 27.— Excursion to Lissanoure Castile.— A party of 54
members and friends travelled to Dunloy station b}- the 9.15 a.m. train.
Cars were in waiting for the 4| miles drive to Lissanoure. A short stop
was made on the wa}' at Knockahollet to enable members to inspect the
fine earthen fort. On reaching Lissanoure a brief inspection of the old
ecclesiastical remains in the demesne, and also of the old castle, was
n)ade. after which the members scattered to pursue their various interests.
The demesne is splendidly wooded, and is the site of a long-established
Heronry, now consisting of about 20 nests.

The plants found included — Raniinctihis hetcrophyllus^ Rosa ai-vensis, Salix
pentaudra, Epipactis latifolia, Carex dioica, C. ciirta, C. riparia, C. versicaria^
Foa ncmoralis. Thence the party drove to Ballymoney. Here tea was
served, after which three new members were elected. Belfast was
reached at 8.35. The President's prize for the best list of flowering
plants and ferns noted at Lissanoure was won by Mr- N. Carrothers, who
recorded 148 species.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

June 13. — Excursion to Dai^key Isf.and. — Owing to the very heavy
showers of the morning, only a small number of members and visitors took
part in this excursion. Travelling from Westland Row by the 2.15 train
and collecting members here and there along the route, eventually a
party of 18 left Colcmore harbour for the Island. The principal work of
the afternoon was shore-collecting, under the guidance of J. B. Butler,
M.A., who gathered a large number of typical specimens of the littoral
fauna in a bell-jar, and pointed out the different characteristics of the
animals. The catch included most of the common species of the P^chi-
noderms, anemones and Mollusca. Amongst the species of Mollusca
collected the most interesting were the following, all of which were
found living in sea-weed taken from rock-pools b}' N. Colgau : — Acdvonia
corrugata (8 specimens), Rwuina Ilaudcocki (3), Odostomia spiralis (i), and
Rissoa Cingillns (i).

An interesting addition to the botany of the Island was Trifolium
scabrum, which was found by N. Colgan and W. B. Bruce. Before the
party left the Island a meeting was held, A. Roycroft being moved to
the chair, and after a ballot the following were elected : - As a member,
J. H. Lloyd ; as associate members, vStaflford Johnson and T. Harford.
After tea in Dalke}' the party returned to town.

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September. 1908. The Irish Naturalht. 165

BIRD LIFE IN DUBLIN BAY.

The Passing of Clontarf Island.

by ai.exander williams, r-h.a.

Perhaps few cities are so favourably situated aud possess such
varied surroundings of woods and plains, rivers, hills and sea-
coast as our capital, and the lover of nature, in his rambles
through the woodlands or b}^ the margin of the sea, can daily
see much to awaken interest and inspire habits of observation.
Even when walking at night-time in the city the voices of
birds that pass in the night often strike on the ear, and the
observant naturalist can easil}^ discern the different species.
This is especially the case in the vicinity of St. Stephen's-
green Park, for many birds unobservable in the night-time
are attracted b}^ the sounds made by the waterfowl on the orna-
mental pond there, and may often be heard wheeling in their
flight over the park and uttering their call-notes. During the
dark nights in the month of October the shrill, cheep-like
cry of the Redwing is commonly heard as the migrat-
ing flocks pass over the housetops coming from the north,
and it has been noticed that the sounds seem nearest when
the nights are misty, and the birds, probably attracted by the
lights of the city, fly low. The whistle of the Curlew, also, is
one that is very frequently heard, and its weird cry, sounding
over the gas-lighted streets amid the rumble of traffic, often
excites in the mind a pleasurable emotion, so intimately is it
associated with the wild moorland, or the sea shore and the
sullen murmur of the surf.

To many of the town dwellers perhaps the large number of
aquatic birds to be seen about the city will attract most atten-
tion, and the seashore stretching from Clontarf to Howth, and
from the South Wall to Kingstown, presents an everchanging
field for observation. During the last twenty-five years some
very remarkable alterations have taken place in the Bay of
Dublin, affecting the distribution of sea and land birds. On
the south side we have had a serious encroachment of the sea
between the Pigeon-house Fort and the Poolbeg Lighthouse.
An important range of sandhills of some height and rich in
verdure existed some years ago along the edge of the sea in

A

1 66 The Irish Naturalist. September,

line with the lifeboat house, and protected the White or Shelly
Bank from the waves ; they also served as a background to
the artillery targets, and w^ere high enough to prevent the
shells <roincr out to sea when the Roval Horse Artillery were
practising with the guns on Irishtown strand. On public
holidays numbers of people used to spend the day on the
sandhills, picnicing and indulging in various sports. The
larger portion of this fine range has completely disappeared
owing to the incursions of the sea, leaving only a small green
island away out on the Shelly Bank, and now, during very
high tides in storni}^ weather, the waves are driven over the
intervening space. The lifeboat house, now unroofed and
useless, stands a long way seaward, and the coast has to be
protected by wooden piling and immense quantities of loose
limestone blocks placed along the shore to break the force of
the waves and prevent further encroachment or damage to the
South Wall, wdiilst the remains of the old targets ma}^ be seen
loo 3'ards seawards of the new high-water mark.

Few people would realise that on the Shelly Bank, three
miles and a quarter from the General Post Office, as the crow^
flies, a colony of the Lesser Tern {Sterna minuta) has existed
for many years in varying numbers, nesting under man}^
difficulties. Visitors can hardly fail to admire those exceed-
ingly graceful little birds, with silvery plumage, black heads,
and long tapering wings, as they dash from a height into the
shallow waters in pursuit of fish. Their eggs, placed in a
slight hollow in the sand and shingle and resting on bits of
broken shells, have to depend for protection on their remark-
able similarity of colouring to their surroundings, and they
often have the companionship of the Ringed Plover, both species
nesting closeh' together. Unfortunatel)^ in recent 3'ears
bicyclists in increasing numbers and youngsters have found
their way to the bank, chiefl}' on Sundays, often accom-
panied l)y dogS; and the nests have been frequently raided.
However, owing to the success attending the protection of the
Terns at Malahide Island b}^ the Irish Society for the Protection
of Birds, arrangements have been made to place a watcher on
the Shelly ]^>ank, and it is hoped that the birds may now have
a better chance of their numbers increasing, especially since
the flattening down and spreading-out of the sand-banks have

1908. Williams. — Bird Life hi Dublin Bay. 167

broadened the zone selected b}^ them. Rooks and Herring
Gulls search the place for eggs and young birds, and I have
often been interested in watching the way in which all the
birds join together in buffeting the intruders when they
approach too closely to the nests. Over the luxuriant grassy
banks which have been swept away the song of the Skylark
was frequently heard, and in addition to the many sea-birds
visiting the place, I have noticed the Snow Bunting, Corn
Bunting, Common Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, House
Sparrow, Starling, Rook, Jackdaw, and Greenfinch.

Whilst the sea has been making such havoc with the coast-
line at the south side of the entrance to the Liffey, it is
satisfactory to see that there has been a steady increase and
addition to the dry land taking place near the extremity of
the North Bull opposite to Sutton. In the seventies there
existed here a tract of land composed of sand-hills covered
thickly with vegetation called the " Green Island," which was
separated from the main part of the North Bull at high water
by a wide portion of sea. The old Clontarf fishermen used to
relate how during a heavy easterly gale a coasting vessel was
driven across this submerged part on to the shore of the inner
channel near the ruined church at Kilbarrack. For many
years there has been a gradual and almost imperceptible
accumulation of sand and shingle taking place, and the inter-
vening space has been in the course of time completely filled
up, so that now one can walk to what used to be the island,
over a wide district reclaimed by nature from the sea, carpeted
thickly with vegetation, and raised several feet above the
reach of the highest tides. Here during the winter mouths
immense flocks of sea-fowl, both swimmers and waders, con-
gregate and rest during high water on the salt-marshes along
the inside channel.

But leaving the North Bull and its interesting inhabitants
and coming quite close up to the city, one of the most remark-
able changes that has taken place is the total disappearance
of w^hat used to be a very romantic feature in the landscape,
the Island of Clontarf, commonh^ known as " Mud Island."
Thirty years ago this place was a conspicuous object and of
considerable dimensions, measuring about 400 yards long, and
about 40 yards wide, and 16 feet in height. It was situated

A 2

1 68 The hish Naturalist. September,

close to the road which bounds the City on the east, and which
extends from the Alexandra Basin, North Wall, as far as the
River Tolka at Annesley Bridge, Fairview. To-day at high
water the sea-mew swims over its ancient site. Yet at the
time to which we refer, it was a busy and populous place, and
between the island and the well-know^n East Wall bathing-
slip a deep and swift current ran at ebbing tide that some-
times proved fatal to swimmers. It was also the scene of
some splendid rescues effected by members of the Dublin
Metropolitan police force on duty there. This stream ran
along the south side of the island, past Walpole's and
Goulding's works, and found its way into the Liffey nearly
opposite the Pigeon-house. The island was bounded on the
north and east by the stream flowing from the middle rail-
wa}' arch, which took a turn near the east point of the
island, and here joined the south stream.

The highest part of the island was composed of coarse
banks of yellow clay, ftiU of pebbles and laj'ers of sea-shells,
and those banks bore a thick covering of grass, which with
a profusion of Sea-pink made the place look gay and bright.
Here the fishermen used to spread their nets on poles to
dr3% and various kinds of craft w^ere hauled up on the grass}^
banks out of the reach of the tide during the winter.

There were two picturesque wooden cabins where the
men lived all the 3'ear, and a large covered bathing-shed
stood close to the big swimming-pond, which w^as enclosed
by wooden stakes and tree stumps. This bath w^as about
30 yards long, and here many youngsters learned to swim
in safety, as the bottom sloped gently from one end, to about
a depth of 7 feet. During the long w^arm summer evenings
there was plenty of animation as the boats full of bathers were
ferried across from the city side, and the grassj^ banks were a
favourite resting place for tired artizans.

Ok. Clontarf Island and in its vicinity my late brother
Edward and myself for years had many opportunities of
becoming acquainted with the appearance and habits of
neaily every species of bird that frequented the shores of
Dul)lin Bay. The early frosty mornings of September used to
find us wading along the sandy margins of the streams that
skirted the island, searching closel}' among the flocks of

190S. Wii^iviAMS. — Bird Life in Dublin Bay. 169

Dunlins for the Little Stint or the Curlew Sandpiper, and
sometimes late into moonlight nights lying among the long
grass and listening to the confused cries of the multitudes
of sea-fowl spread all over the island to the water's edge.

The rising of the lide awa}- down at Sutton and Dollymount,
and the covering up of the mud-flats and feeding-grounds,
both by day and night, brought great flocks of birds up the
bay, and gradually as the tide approached high water they
crowded on Clontarf Island. On a daj^ in winter it used to
be a great delight to watch through a field-glass the move-
ments of this great collection of wild- fowl.

Afloat at some distance might be seen big quantities
of wild ducks in distinct flocks, Wigeon forming
the largest portion. Sheldducks, Golden-eyes, active
little Tufted Ducks and Pochards, strong-looking Scaups,
Red-breasted Mergansers, occasionally the Buff-breasted
Goosander, Common Mallards and Teal, and the Great
Northern and Red-throated Divers. More prominent and
darker was a fairly big flock of Brent Geese that every
winter came to the bay and staj-ed till spring-time. Standing
just at the water's edge a row of Great Cormorants were always
a feature, and. higher on the shore a few Herons rested
motionless, whilst flocks of Curlew and Oyster-catchers stood
preening their feathers. Of the smaller waders Golden Plover,
Godwits, Knots, Redshanks, Ringed Plovers and Dunlin in
flocks of various sizes rested along the gravelh' shore. In the
company of this living mass of ducks and waders the great
famil}^ of the gulls were always well represented, a couple of
pairs of adult Great Black-backed Gulls usually resting with
the others, and Herring Gulls, Common Gulls, and Black-
headed Gulls, the most numerous and noisy of all, made up
the flock. This scene of repose and enjoyment would some-
times suddenly change, the birds at the same instant becom-
ing violently agitated, and springing into the air in masses,
wheeling and curving as the different flocks swept awaj^ from
the island, their loud call- notes and alarm cries making a
babel of musical sounds. The startled onlooker might gaze
in surprise, thinking a boat had suddenly appeared to cause
so great a disturbance, but the quick e5^es of the birds had
discerned their natural enemy, 'the Peregrine Falcon, high over-

lyo The Irish Naiu^-alist, September.

head, coming from his eyrie over the rui^gcd slopes of Ireland's
Kye, where the Falcons have bred for years, and in a few
seconds he might be seen in a long swooping flight in search
of his prey, alarming and putting up every flock of birds from
Howth to Clontarf.

Owing to the want of cover for shooters few of the rarer
birds have been obtained on the island. A friend once on a
moonlit night obtained a Little Stint by firing at random at
a flock of Dunlin. My brother secured some Curlew Sand-
pipers more than once from a boat at the tail of the Bank,
and one misty morning in September I had the pleasure of
getting quite close in my boat to a Grey Phalarope swimming
in a bend of the stream off the island. It was just like a
miniature Little Gull, floating so buoyanth', and pecking at
something minute on the surface of the water.

Those who remember the charm of the place cannot banish
a feeling of regret that this romantic spot, so easy of access to
the Dublin people, so splendid a recreation ground, where the
artist found so many subjects for his pencil, where the natu-
ralist could so conveniently study the aquatic birds of Dublin
Bay, and where the fowler exercised his ingenuity amongst
the great flocks of sea-fowl, has disappeared as completely as
if the sea had swallowed it up. At high water the moonlight
is reflected over the glassy tide where once the weather-beaten
old wooden houses .stood, and the tops of a few blackened and
deca3'ed stakes are all that now remain to mark the site.

The demand that sprang up for the materials to make con-
crete led to the sale of the i.sland, and long strings of carts
and horses conveyed away the gravel, of which it was coniposed,
at low water to the Clontarf shore, and at high water iron and
wooden barges came sailing round from the Lifley and
anchored, and when the tide fell, leaving them high and dry,
were filled with gravel of all size.s, and sailed away with their
cargoes when the sea returned. This work was carried on for
so many years that, almost imperceptibly and apparently un-
noticed, the whole place became flattened down and brought
level with the surrounding mud at low water, and even at the
present time barges ma}' daily be seen slowly carrying out the
process of destruction, and scraping away anything that may
still remain to show the .site of " Old Mud Island,"

Diiblin,

Trish Naturalist. Vol. XVII.]

[Platk 9.

,-w^j '.■•'.<•,*■.».■'.■.-.

-• ; - < --■ .

^^^;'3.<

»•'■',•>'''

>^S:'^

ei^

A'. .V. ./^/.

Pl'.TALOSTOMA MIXUTIM.

'1 o fate />. 171.]

igoS. ' . 171

DUBLIN MARINE BIOLOGY COMMITTEE.
A NEW IRISH GEPHYREAN.

BY ROWLAND SOUTHERN, B.SC.

[Pirate 9.]

In the 5'ear 1862 Keferstein^ gave a preliminary description
of a new species of Gephyrean, PJiascolosoina mhudiun, which
he had found at St. Vaast, on the coast of Normandy. In the
following year he figured the species adequately-, and supple-
mented his previous description. Keferstein recognised the
characters which distinguished this new species from other
members of the genus Piiascolosoma, and in 1865 he created
the new genus Petalostoma for its reception^. The species
was also found by Selenka at St. Malo. Its only British
record is from Plymouth^ where it is said to be " common in
crevices of shale."

In April, 1907, a single specimen was dredged froui several
fathoms in Dalkey Sound. In June of this year I found
numerous examples under stones near the bathing place at
Sandj^cove, Kingstown, Co. Dublin.

This species is one of the smallest of the Gephyrea. When
contracted it is 5-7 mm. long. It expands to a length of
10-14 mm. The retractile proboscis is longer than the
bod3^ The general anatomy of the body, and the structure
of the tentacles are well shown in Keferstein's figures. The
body is cylindrical in shape (Plate 9, figs, i, 2), sharpl}^ conical
behind, and tapering gradually in front. It is somewhat
more active in its movements than is usual among the
Gephyrea. The proboscis is being constantly protruded and
retracted, so that the structure of the tentacles at the tip is

"^ Nachnchten d.K. GeselL d. Wissenschaften zu GiHtingen, 1862, p. 66.
' Zeitschrift f. wiss. Zoologie, Bd. xii., 1863, p. 40, Ta/>. iii.,/^5-. 7-10.
3 ZeiL f. zviss. Zoologie, Bd. xv., 1865, p. 438.
^ founjal Marine Biol. Assoc, vol. vii., 1904, p. 233.

172 The Irish Naturalist, September,

difficult to make out. These consist of two solid leaf-like
lobes, surrounded at the base by a lobed collar ; the whole
being covered with ver}- active cilia. This species can be
studied microscopically with ease whilst in the living condi-
tion, and the accompanying figures are all drawn from living
specimens.

The epidermis is covered with faint rings of a pale, golden-
brown, granular pigment (fig. 5). At intervals along these
rings are flat, inconspicuous, oval glands or papillae.
Some of these papillae are granular, others are partly
granular and partly clear. The body-cavity is full of liquid,
in which are suspended numerous corpuscles. These are
round, flat, and thin. Some of them are clear, some granular,
and they are in a constant state of active movement, passing
along the bod}^ to the tip of the proboscis and back again in
regular order. Numerous developing ova are also freely
suspended in the ccelomic fluid.

The structure of the alimentary canal agrees with Kefer-
stein's figures, except in one point. At the junction of the
oesophagus with the intestine there is a bulbous swelling
(fig. I rt.) which is not mentioned by Keferstein. The intes-
tine, which is only slightl)' folded, is not attached at its base.
The retractor muscles (fig. i b) are attached to the body-wall in
the posterior third of the bod3^ At the base of the retractor
is the ovary (fig. i f., fig. 4). It was ver}^ easil}' seen in some
specimens. As the ova mature, the}^ drop into the ccelomic
cavity, and probably reach the exterior through the nephridia,
which is the usual method. In no case, however, were eggs
found in the nephridia. All the specimens examined were
females.

The nerve-cord can be clearly seen (fig. i^.) running along
the body-wall near the retractor muscles. It gives off nume-
rous branches to the muscles and to the alimentary canal.

The '* brow^n bodies," or nephridia (fig. i e^ fig. 3) are
two in number. Keferstein gives little information as to their
structure. The external pores (fig. 3 a) are situated later-
ally just behind the anus. The length of the nephridium is
about half that of the trunk. Just behind the external open-
ing is the ciliated funnel (fig. 3 b) which opens into the
ccelomic cavity. It is bounded by three pointed lobes,

i9oS. Southern. — A New Irish Gephyrean. 173

ciliated on their inner surfaces. In living specimens the
movements of these cilia can be easily seen under the micro-
scope.

The genus Petalostoma, of which this is the only species
described, is characterised by the leaf-like tentacles, absence
of a vascular sj'stem, fused retractor-muscles, and the structure
of the nephridia. The bulb at the end of the oesophagus is
an unusual structure in the Sipunculoidea, to which this
genus belongs ; but in the Kchiuroidea, a muscular organ, the
crop, is usually present in a similar position.

Description of Pi.ate 9.

Pctalosfonia i/iiiiitiu/ii.
Fig. I.— General anatomy, a. bulb at the end of the oesophagus.

b. retractor muscle.

c. ovary.

d. nerve-cord.

e. nephridium.

/. ovum, in the body-cavity.

g. anus,

h. tentacles.
Fig. 2. — Animal, x \\.
Fig. 3. — Nephridium. a. external opening.

b. ciliated funnel, opening into the body-
cavity.
F"ig. 4.— Ovary. a. ova.

b. stomach.

c. retractor muscle.

d. nerve-cord.

Fig. 5.— External appearance of the epidermis, highly magnified,
showing dotted pigment and papillae.

National Museum, Dublin.

A3

iy4 The Irish NatiDalist. September

ON TWO COU^EMBOLA NEW TO THE BRITANNIC

FAUNA

BY PROF. GEO. H. CARPENTKR, B.SC , M.R.I. A.
[Read before the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, I4tli April, 1908.]

Both the species of Springtails or Collcmbola described in
this paper belong to the Isotomince, a group regarded by
students as among the most primitive of the order, and cha-
racterised b3^the absence of scales, the close equalitjMn length
of the third and fourth abdominal segments, and the presence
of a well-developed spring inserted, in some cases, evidently
on the fourth, in others apparently on the fifth abdominal seg-
ment. Moreover, both are geographically members of the
Northern faunistic group, and one is so characteristically
arctic and alpine in its range that its presence in our islands
is distinctl}^ noteworth}-. In the mode of their occurrence,
however, there is a marked difference between the two species.
One has been found onl}^ beneath stones in our hill-streams
at a considerable elevation. The other has drawn attention
to itself by its presence in vast numbers on tobacco plants in
a single lowland localit3\

IsoToMA TENELLA, Renter,
This species was noticed in large ntimbers during April,
1907, on tobacco seedlings growing near Kilkenn}^ by Mr. G.
W. Keller, the tobacco expert of the Irish Department of
Agriculture. The leaves of the young plants were covered
with little dark-grey insects, which microscopic examination
showed to be referable to hotoma icnclla^ As the epidermis
of the leaves was abraded, and the intestines of the springtails
contained chloroplasts, there can be no doubt that they had
fed on the leaf-tissues. The species, therefore, must be added
to those Collembola which are known to be directly injurious
to the higher plants, although, as a rule, the members of this
order feed on decaying organic matter The introduction of
an exotic crop-plant, such as tobacco, into the countr}' affords
to the biologist a good opportunit}- of noting the effect of
change of environment on the native fauna. In the present
instance the vicinity of this new and seemingl}' appropriate

i9o8. CARFHNTnR.—Co//eml?o/a new to the Biitannic Fainia. 175

food-plant seems to have had the effect of increasing enor-
mously the numbers of a hitherto obscure species of insect,
whose existence in the countr}- had been previously unsus-
pected.

Fig. A. — Isotowa teuella — i, side view, X 75 ; 2, ocelH and post-antennal
organ of left side, x 520: 3, foot, X 520; 4, end of mannbrium, dens, and
mucro of spring, x 520.

Isotovia tenella is a small springtail (fig A, i), measuring
onl}^ I mm. in length. The head as well as the dorsal and
lateral regions of the trunk are mottled with dark slaty blue,
the legs, spring and feelers being pale. In the main points of
its structure the species is a t^-pical Isotoma. On each side of
the head may be seen the usual eight ocelli and a long, narrow,
crescentic post-antennal organ (fig. A, 2). Towards the end
of the foot are two distinct clubbed tenent hairs (fig. A. 3), as
mentioned in the description given by Renter ('95, p. 28), not
one only, as shown in his figure. The claw is elongate,
simple and slightly curved, while the empodial appendage
("lower claw^") is slender, pointed and almost straight. The

17^ The Irish Natuialist, vSeptember,

spring is somewhat short, the proportional length of manu-
brium and dentes being as 8 : 9. At the extremity of the
manubrium are a number of chibbed, curving bristles. The
mucro has only two teeth, the forward of which is strengthened
by a di.stinct posterior ridge (fig. A, 4) The combined
characters of the feet and spring render this insect markedl}^
distinct from any known BritivSh or Irish species.

There can be little doubt that /. icnclla awaits discovery
elsewhere in Ireland than at its present single I,einster
locality (Kilkenny), and it will ver}^ likely be found also in
Great Britain as well. The species was described by Reuter
('95) from .specimens taken in Finland, and it has since
been recorded from Weiburg, in German}', by Borner ('or,

P- I35-)

Agrenia bidenticulata (Tullb.) var. nov. ei,ongata.

I had the pleasure of finding the first Irish examples of this
species in County Waterford in June, 1906, on the occasion of
the annual " long excursion " for natural science .study with
students from the Royal College of Science. We were on the
road from Dungarvan to Carrick-on-Suir, which skirts the
Comeragh Mountains, and we halted for a while at the stream
that comes down from Lough Coom.shinghaun. Colonies of
the springtail were found lurking beneath parti}' submerged
stones in the stream. In March of the next year (1907) further
.specimens were obtained, under similar auspices, in the Glen
River above Newcastle, County Down. And in September,
11,07, when visiting Powerscourt, County Wicklow, with the
Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, a few specimens were found
in the Upper Dargle above the Waterfall. The species thus
inhabits three at lea.st of our Irish provinces — Munster, Ulster
and Leinster.

This species was described by Tullberg ('76) as Isotoma
hidenticulaia^ but it differs so markedly from typical Isotomse
that Borner ('06) has lately proposed the genus Agrenia for its
reception. The dentes of the spring are closely covered with
rounded tubercles (fig. B, 4), and on the inner face of each
dens is a long, conspicuous, pointed bristle which extends
beyond the tip of the mucro ; the claw of the foot has a small
but distinct tunica (fig. B, 3, /), and the empodial appendage

T9o8, Carpenter. — CoUembola neiv to the Britannic Fatcna. 177

is provided with a double membrane (fig. 3 a) ; these characters
are not found in any other species inchided in Isotoma in its
wide sense. As the specific name implies, the mucro has two
teeth (fig. B, 4), which are sharp and prominent.

Fig. B. — A ore?! /a bidejiticttlata — Yy side view X 27 ; 2, ocelH and post-an-
teniial organ of left side, x 375 ; 3, foot X 260 (t, tunica of claw, a, double
membrane of empodial appendage); 4, tip of dens and mucro, x 260.

As Agren ('04) in his full description of this species has
pointed out, there is some fusion between the fifth and sixth
abdominal segments, The head bears on each side eight
ocelli, and the post-antennal organ is broadly oval in form
(fig. B, 2.)

17^ The Irish NatJi7'alisi. vSeptember,

All the Irish examples of this spriugtail are remarkable on
account of the elongation of the feelers, legs and spring. I
propose, therefore, to regard them as types of a distinct variety
{eltmgafa) of the species. In typical A. bidejiticulata from
Franz Josef Land, the relative lengths of head and trunk,
feelers, hind legs, and spring are as 15, 5, 5, 7. In the Irish
variety these lengths are as 15, 7, 6, 8. In colour, the Irish
specimens are a fine purple or green, with pale legs and
^spring. Adults attain a length of 2*5 mm.

Agfenia bidenticzclafa has a wide range in arctic and northern
regions. Schaeffer('oo, p. 247), enumerates records from Green-
land, Spitzbergen, Novaj-a Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Cape
Chelyuskin (the extreme northern point of Siberia), and the
mountains of Scandinavia. He also states that /. lamcginosa
described b}' Carl ('99, pp. 307-310) from the Swiss Kngadine
(altitude 1250 m.), is identical with the present species. Agren
('04) and Linnaniemi ('07), have since recorded^, bidcnticnlata
from Lapland. The presence of such a distinctively arctic
and alpine insect in these islands is therefore of exceptional
faunistic interest. Last year, after I had identified ni}^
Waterford and Mourne specimens. I received examples of the
species from Mr. R. S. Bagnall, who had collected them under
stones in the Upper Tyne. Subsequentl}^ Mr. Bagnall sent
me specimens from streams in Arran and on the opposite
mainland of A3'rshire, while quite recently my friend Mr. W.
Evans of Edinburgh, has told me that he collected the species
some time ago near Callander. It is evident, therefore, that
this arctic vSpringtail has a wide distribution in the northern
part of Great Britain, as well as in Ireland. In structure the
British specimens are somewhat intermediate between the
typical arctic form and the Irish variety elongata. The habitat
of the species in Great Britain, is however, as in Ireland,
under partly submerged stones in hill streams. In its arctic
and alpine localities, the insect has been found in similar
situations. Carl ('99, p. 310) states that in the Engadine he
found tiie insect on the surface of the snow, into which the}'
burrowed to protect themselves from the sun's heat. We
sIujU probably be safe in including this interesting species
among the many remnants of glacial conditions that may be
found in our Irish uplands.

• 1908. Carve,nTE;r.—' Co//tindo/a nczo to the Britannic Fauna. 179

References.

'04. H. AgrEN.— Lapplaudische Collembola. Arkiv for Zoologi. ii, 1904,

pp. 1-30, pis. i., ii.
'01. C. BoRNER. — Zur Kenntiiis der Apterygoteii-Kauna vou Bremen,

ii.s.w. Abhaiidl. der Natur^vissciisch. Vcrcins zii Bjcuicn., xvii., pp I- 141,

pis. i., ii.
'06. C. BoRNER. — Das System der CoUemboleii u.s.w. Miith. aiis deiii

Nattirhist. Museum, Hamburg, xxiii., 1906, pp. 147-188.
'99. J. Cari,. — Ueber Schweizerische Collembola. Revue Suisse dc Zootogie,

vi., 1899, pp. 273-362, pis. 8, 9.
'07. W. M. (AxEi.SON) LiNNANiEMi. — Die Apterygotenfauna Fiiilaiids.

I. Allgemeiner Teil. Helsiugfors, 1907.
'95. O. M. ReuTER.— Fiiilands Collembola och Thysanura. Ada Soc. fro

Fauna et Flora Fennica, xi., 1895, uo. 4, pp. I-35, pis. I, 2.
'00. C. SCHAEFEER. — Die arktischen iind subarktischen Collembola.

Fauna Arctica. Jena, 1900, pp. 237-258.
'76. T. Tuivi^BERG. — Collembola. Oefv. Svensk. Vefensk. Fdrhandl. xxxiii.,

1876, No 5, pp. 23-42, pis. viii-xi.

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

REVIEW.

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION HANDBOOK.

Handbook to the City of Dublin and the Surrounding
District. Prepared for the Meeting of the British Association,
September, 1908. Dublin, printed at the I'niversity Press, by
Ponsonby & Gibbs. Pp. 8 and 441, 2 maps, 37 plates and 55 Figs,
in text.

Thirty four years ago Ireland led the way in producing, for the first
time, at the Belfast Meeting of the British Association, a well-written
and, for the times, a well-illustrated Guide to the Counties of Antrim
and Down for the use of the members and visitors present ; this being
the area included in the various excursions planned for the Meeting.
F'our years later a Guide to the County of Dublin wss issued for the
benefit of those attending the Dublin Meeting, but on less popular lines,
and without illustrations. An outline map was, however, provided, as in
the case of the Belfast Guide, and a geological map. This year again
Dublin welcomes the British Association, and another Guide, up-to-date
in its general features and embodying, as far as possible in such a work,
all the main discoveries that have been made since 1878 in various
branches of science, is provided. Rather thick and heavy for a con-
venient pocket-manual — as most of these annual guides are supposed to
be— we said as we examined it ; an excellent reference book, evidently

iSo The Irish Natiualist. September,

well got up aud profuselj^ illustrated, was our impressiou as we turned
over the pages ; aud here was the key to the weight, in part at least —
thirty-seven plates on art (that is, loaded) paper, one of the unfortunate
requirements of the printer if really good results are to be obtained
from modern half-tone blocks with their shallow relief. A closer
examination only confirms our first impression. The l)ook is a succesful
attempt to combine the best points of the popular (and, so far as
scientific information goes, too often carelessly edited) Guide, with the
strictly scientific reference book, and its complete lists of the fauna,
flora, &c. While these full scientific lists were of great service locally in
the past, they are not the form in which information should be given in
a Guide of this sort to-daj . We are glad to see that those responsible
for this Dublin Guide realise this, and have taken advantage of the fact
that the lists in the Fauna and Flora Reports of the Royal Irish Academy,
the Irish Naturalist, etc., provide the scientific student with full
details of many subjects. So that instead of long bald lists of animals
and plants, we have a concise general survey, comparative and analytical
in the majority of cases, giving just those facts and details that interest,
and are useful to, both the strictly scientific and the dilettante worker.
The Bibliography of published papers at end of most of the Sections
provides what is necessar}' for more detailed study. For instance, while
the 187S Guide, out of the 260 or so pages devoted to Natural History,
contained about 180 pages cf lists without notes, the present Guide out
of 220 similar pages gives only about 13 pages of such lists, mainly in
Cryptogamic Botau}'. These are either lists of additions to the district
since the last visit of the Association, or of specially rare species, and as
they are mainly in groups that have received but little attention up to the
present, only a carping critic could object to them in this case. We are
not surprised that such experienced workers as Barrington, Carpenter,
Colgan, Scharff, and Wright, in Zoology, and Pethybridge and Praeger,
in Botany, should have abandoned the old st}le, and we are glad to see
that the younger workers associated with them have followed on the
same lines ; even in the less worked groups, where more than a mere list
could hardl}- have been expected. The book is divided into seven main
sections, all edited by well-known authorities, with man}' sub-sections.

The opening pages are devoted to Science instead of to General Topo-
graphy or History as usual. In this case these follow the Natural
History sections. Geology comes first, and occupies fifty-nine pages. It
is edited by Professor Cole, Director of the Irish Geological Survey, and
is divided into three parts : General Geology and Scenery, Glacial
Deposits, and Mineralogy. I'or the first. Professor Cole is personally
responsible, and he gives a good account of the scenic and geological
features of the district, written in that clear and lucid style for which he
is well known. He reverses the usual order and gives his list of works of
Reference at the commencement. These are mainly old papers, but he
supplements them by copious references to recent papers b}- well-known
workers, in foot-notes to almost every page of his article. There are only
two little woodcuts in the text, so far as illustrations go. Surely such

190S. Revieics. 181

an iuterestiug district justifies this part being as well illustrated as the
next, Glacial Deposits, for which two plates and five illustrations in the
text are provided. At the same time, we know that the Glacial deposits
of the Dublin district are of special interest, and J. R. Kilroe, in his
descriptive matter, does justice to those fine old geologists like the late
Rev. Maxwell H. Close, ^ who studied the high-level drifts so carefully*
as well as those later workers in the same subject, Lamplugh and
Sollas, while Hinch's work is not overlooked. Mr. Kilroe, in his re-
marks on the origin of the Glacial deposits, agrees with Lamplugh and
the late Carvill Lewis that these high-level gravels containing marine
shells are the results of a great Irish Sea glacier rather than the proof of
a submergence in Glacial tim.es.

Following such a controversial subject as this, Mr. Se\mour gets into
quieter waters in Mineralogy, giving a concise description of the more
recent discoveries, a list of 58 local minerals, and notes on the alluvial
gold deposits of the Wicklow hills. He gives an exceedingl}' full
bibliograph}' of the subject. Meteorology is treated by Sir John
Moore, who gives the result of observations made at four stations in or
near the cit}'.

Botany occupies but 36 pages, only one-third of the space given to it
in the former Guide ; like Zoology, it is treated on totally different, but we
think, more acceptable lines. The Editor of the section, R. LI- Praeger,
contributes an article on "Vegetation vStudy in the Dublin District " ;
this is a new feature as far as the Irish Guides go. The various Plant
Associations, both of the eastern margin of the Central Plain and of the
upland area, are well described. N. Colgan's article on the Phanerogams
and Vascular Cryptogams is another concise contribution to our know'-
ledge of plant distribution in eastern Ireland, and as the flora of the
Dublin area, including Lambay, is now probably the best worked in
Ireland, he has had ample material for drawing correct conclusions. In
the Mosses, D. McArdle gives lists of special plants peculiar to Dublin
and Wicklow, of rarer mosses of the same area, of those remarkable for
their geographical distribution, or which seem to have become recently
extinct in the two counties. He also gives what is evidentl}' a very in-
teresting list of Hepaticse, classifying them under seven heads, such as
" Found only in Dublin or Wicklow/' "Local Hepaticse remarkable for
their Geographical distribution in the Tropics and Sub-Tropics," " North
American Types," etc. ; records, the significance of which will not be
overlooked by those who study insular floras and believe in the very
ancient origin of the Irish flora. Fungi, Lichens, and Algse are treated
respectively by Dr. Pethybridge, D. McArdle, and J. Adams. Though
much remains to be done in these groups, a comparison with the 1878
lists shows a distinct advance. For instance, in the Algse 13S species
have been recorded since 1878 (137 only mentioned in the text.)

i Mr. Close was responsible for the Geological chapter in the 1878
Guicle.

i82 The Irish Xa hi) alist. Septeinber,

Zoolo'^y is given 114 pages, and opens with an excellent but too brief
introduction by the sectional editor, Professor Carpenter. For non-Irish
readers, this part might have been extended. Mammals, by C. B. Moffat,
occupy four pages, and, as might be expected, are well done. The
Grey Seals of Lanibay are illustrated by Mr. Baring's photographs,
in fact this small section is given three plates and one wood-cut, one of
which (Plate IX.") could have been omitted with advantage. The birds
of the district were left in the experienced hands of R. M. Barrington,
and his excellent account of them runs to sixteen pages. Ninety species
that appeared in the 1878 Guide are dropped for reasons given, so that the
number dealt with is only 145. On page 114 is a slight error — the " 41
species " omitted as not having been observed for 30 years, total up to
43. Can the Wood-Lark really " now be counted among our breeding
species ?" Considering that the record rests on one isolated occurrence
in 1894, we doubt it. We are informed three times in two pages that the
Woodcock breeds in every Irish County. The Lapland Bunting occurred
in January, 1906, not in 1907, and the Osprey in 1896, not 1898.
Throughout the list we do not observe any reference to the recent
account of the Birds of Lambaj^ {In'sh Nat., 1907, pp. 23-30.)

Reptiles and Amphibians are dealt with by Dr. Scharff, who reiterates
his opinion on the status of the Frog as a native of Ireland, and gives
Sfood reasons for his contention. Mr. Farran writes on the Fishes and
Cyclostomes of the district, and no better qualified authority could have
been found. He treats the subject in an interesting manner, dealing
only with " the more interesting or important Fishes," amongst which
we note the Stickleback is included. The scientific name of the Opali
in the text differs from that on the plate. It is curious that H. J.
Buchanan-Wollaston, writing on the Tunicates, ignores his own list of
seven Laniba}- species published last 3'ear {/risk Naturalist, 1907, p. 'x>o)'>
all of which seem to be additions to the county fauna.

In INIollusca, which occupy twelve pages, N. Colgan writes on the
Marine, while Dr. Scharff gives information on the Land and Fresh-
water species. Both review the progress made in recent times, correcting
old errors. Their method of treatment suggests the lines on which
further work should be carried out, Colgan drawing attention to southern
tvpes absent in the Dublin area which occur further north ; he gives a
bibliography, which is wanting in the Land and Fresh-water section.
The latter, however, is illustrated by a most interesting map showing the
distribution of that local species. Helix pi sana.

J. N. Halbert describes the Hymenoptera, mentioning that no local
list of the Sawflies has ever been published. He gives the result of the
late researches into relationships between Vespa aiistriaca and V. riifa.
Professor Carpenter follows with the Diptera ; it is evident from his
remarks that little has been done here since Haliday's time. In his list
of che rarer Lepidoptera of the district, W. F. de V. Kane gives an
introduction dealing with distributional details, mentioning some inter-
esting members of the Howth fauna. For the Coleoptera, Neuroptera,
Hemiptera and Orthoptera J. N. Halbert is responsible. In the first group

1908. Revietvs, 183

be describes aud illustrates the Pyrenean Weevil, among other soutberu
forms ; in the water beetles, the meeting of nortb and soutb is shown
by the presence of such species as Agabiis arcticus and Pelobius tardus.

The list of Thysanura and CoUembola is welcome, and Professor
Carpenter does well to illustrate the new species, so little attention has
been griven to them in Ireland. He follows with a short account of the
Myriapods, Crustacea occupy eleven pages, the authors being O. P.
Farran, S. W. Kemp, and W. M. Tattersall. It is evident from their
remarks that there is plenty of room for further work in some divisions.
Arachnida are divided between Professor Carpenter and J. N. Halbert.
R. Southern writes on the Annelids, Nemertines and some other worms,
A, R. Nichols on Molluscoidea and Echinodermata, Miss Stephens on
Coelenterata and Porifera. vShe mentions that only two freshwater
sponges are found in Co. Dublin, both being ver}- common on the Con-
tinent of Europe and in the United States of America.

Last in the Zoological vSection comes Protozoa, occupj'ing seven pages,
by J. B. Butler and Joseph Wright, both of whom treat their subject
well ; the former mainly in an historical, the latter in a comparative,
manner.

No one who compares the various groups as dealt with in this book
with those of the 1878 Guide can fail to see how much Irish natural
science has advanced in the interval, but at the same time it is
clear how much yet remains to be done, and what splendid oppor-
tunities for research offer themselves in many groups to those members
of the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club or Microscopical Club who can
spare a little time and energy to the work.

What we might call Part 2 of the book contains 217 pages devoted to
Histor}' and Archaeology, edited by a sub-committee ; Education and
Research, edited by Professor Carpenter ; and Industries and Com-
merce, edited by Dr. Adeney. These sections are divided into
chapters by various authors, and are naturally much more fullyillus-
trated than the Natural Histor}' sections. While all the chapters are
necessary and well written, we think those that should prove most useful
are the first three — "The Environs of Dublin," "Early Christian and
Medieval Antiquities," and " Antiquities of the Boyne Valley," the last
being the best illustrated. At the same time, other chapters are dis-
tinctly novel features, treated in a most interesting manner. Count
Plunkett's well illustrated chapter on "The Architecture of Dublin "
will appeal to many who care little for antiquities, while Dr. Cosgrave's
notes on " Old Dublin as represented in Engravings," also well illus-
trated, gives a good idea of the city streets and buildings in the i8th
century, when so many of the buildings described by Count Plunkett
were erected.

Gaelic place-names form the matter of a short chapter by E. Fournier
D'Albe, who treats his subject in a clear and useful manner. A chapter
on "General Educational Institutions " is contributed by John Cooke,
who deals with the principal Colleges and Schools; he mentions these
cases in which Dublin University has taken a leading part in removing

184 The hish Nahcralist. September,

old restrictious ou Education. We agree, and are sorry that he can find
little to say that is good of the present Primary vSchool vSystem. Accounts
of twent3'-two Scientific Institutions follow in short chapters by various
writers, the whole edited by Prof. Carpenter ; among others described
are Trinity College, Royal College of Science, National Library, National
Museum, Albert Agricultural College, Forestry Station, Botanic and
Zoological Gardens. Good terse notes are given, but they are unequally
illustrated, a fault common to most sections of the sort in similar Guides.
Next follows the final Section — Industries and Commerce, edited bv
Dr. Adeney, which consists of eighteen short chapters b}' over a dozen
writers. Such subjects as ''The Port of Dublin," *' Fisheries,"
"Electricity," and "Agriculture," are dealt with. In the last.
N. Leitch makes it clear that the much vaunted " Fat Lands of Royal
Meath " are anything but models of good and productive farming; while
the chapter on Tobacco growing in Ireland by J. R. Campbell shows
that there is evidently a chance of its becoming a staple of the country.
City of Dublin industries, such as brewing, distilling, Irish poplin, &c.,
occupy about 23 pages, some being illustrated. An index, by no means
as full as it might be, is given at the end of the book, but the contents
table at the front is excellent. The illustrations, though numerous, are
unequally distributed ; most are good, some very good ; but others
would have been better left out. Such, for instance, as fig. 29, on page
250, would mar any book; while figs. 31 and 34 are little better.
The 37 plates on art paper are clearer of course, though a few have
printed slightly " rotten," or are unequall}' trimmed. Nos. 14, 16, and 17,
with some in the chapter on Dublin architecture, are examples of good
work, yet the average is not equal to those in last year's guide (Leicester),
while the book in all other respects is much superior. Two excellent
coloured maps, scale 4 miles to i inch, by Bartholomew are provided.
An area from about Clogher Head in Louth to Wicklow Head is given,
with an average width inland of about 28 miles, this taking in the most
westerly bend of the Liffey. One is a geological, the other a physical
and topographical sheet. INIaps of this size in a Handbook for open air
use should be mounted on linen, if at all possible.

Taking the book as a whole we consider it unquestionably the best
and most accurate local handbook yet provided for the British Associa-
tion. This is what might be expected from a book edited jointly by
Professor Cole and R. LI. Praeger, Mho have been fortunate in their
sub-editors and contributors. There is little evidence of the careless
hurry at the last minute which often mars similar efforts. While the
book shows clearly the advances made in local scientific research since
1878, it is certain to remain the standard scientific reference book on
the Dublin district for many years to come.

R. W.

1098. i85

IRISH SOCIETIES.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Receut gifts include a male Swau from Lady Palmer, Rabbits from
Mrs. Dent and Mr. E). Gerrard, an Amazon Freshwater Turtle from
Dr. H. C. Arden, and two Ringtailed Coatis from Mr. R. Casement. A
female Coypu has been purchased.

Ten of the Rhea's eggs lately laid in the Gardens have been successfully
hatched by the male bird, and the chicks are now a month old and
thriving. They have been placed in a paddock at the end of the lake,
where they may be seen under the careful wardship of their father
picking up food from the ground and snapping flies in the air. The
three Chimpanzees continue in excellent health and condition.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

JuivY 4. — Excursion to King's Rivkr. — Members and visitors to the
number of 13 left Terenure by the 11 am. train for Blessington, with W.
F. Gunn as conductor. The heat haze prevented an extended view in any
direction during the day, and the excursion was mainly devoted to the
botany of the Liffey between Blessington and the King's River, and the
latter river for some distance before its junction with the LiflFey.
Mimiilus guttatiis appeared in considerable abundance by the LifFc}', and
on the King's River C«;Y/«wi-/ra/^//j-/j-, recently found hereby W. B. Bruce,
turned up. Late in the afternoon the party forded the King's River, and
after viewing the striking windings of the Liffey from the southern
bank, returned to Blessington.

JUI.Y 25.— Excursion to Kii^messan and Bective.— A small
party left Dublin by the 9.30 train from the Broadstone under the
conductorship of J. de W. Hinch (Hon. Sec). On arrival at Kilmessan
the road to the Boyne at Bective was taken, and during the walk
Verbascum Thapsus and Centaurea Scabiosa were observed, the first in a gravel-
pit, the second by the roadside. When the Boyne at Bective was reached
rain was falling very heavily, which put a stop to field work for some
time, but during the afternoon some collecting of water plants was done
by boating. Among the plants found during the excursion were
Ranunculus Lingua, Dipsacus sylvestris, Matricaria discoidea, Verbena officinalis,
Ballota nigra. At a meeting held in the Wiugfield Arms Hotel,
Kilmessan, C. F. Ball was elected a member of the Club.

1 86 The Irish Nattirahst, September,

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Flora of Burnt Ground at Howth.

I was over the burnt area at Howth iu the August following the lire —
about a year after the extinction of the flora ; and though I took no
notes of the exact state of affairs, I can contribute a few facts. The lire,
as Mr. Adams has said, burned very deeply, often consuming the peaty
soil right down to the rock. Nevertheless, the flora was not quite exter-
minated. Dwarf vegetation on well-beaten paths had escaped to a small
extent; also little plants in cracks of bare rocks, which the fire passed
by. Several species of plants were seen in each of these situations, in-
cluding a frond or two of bracken, and several grasses which I cannot
now name. Seedlings of gorse were also seen in places of this kind.
By the way, as regards a point raised by Dr. Pethybridge. seedlings of
Ulex ciiropaiis can easily be distinguished from those of U. Gallii bv being
trifoliate, while those of U. Galiii have leaves consisting of a single
leaflet. This is a difference which I do not see mentioned in books, and
I cannot say whether it is invariable ; but it is true so far as m}- own
observation goes. I agree with Dr. Pethybridge, that so far at least as
perennial plants are concerned, the present scanty flora of the burnt
ground arises by survival rather than b}' immigration The recent con-
flagration on the hill should afford an excellent opportunity for studying
the regeneration of the flora during the next few seasons — an oppor-
tunity that was not availed of last time.

R, lyi.ovD Praegkr.

Dublin.

The Biological Subdivision of Ireland,

I have been much struck with the simplicity and excellence of the
scheme of subdivision proposed by Mr. Adams in the last issue of this
Journal, and the more I stud}- it the better I like it. The provinces of
Ireland form a four- told partition of the country which is con^•enient not
only on account of its familiarit}-, and its north-south-east-west character,
but also because it provides four fairl}- natural provinces The 40-fold
subdivision which I have employed, while not perfect, is also, 1 believe,
a fairly convenient one. Mr. Adams' linking up of these two by a 12-fold
division is, I think, particularly happy, especially in its applicabilit}- to
marine as well as to terrestrial life. A multiple scheme of this kind has
everything to recommend it. and I trust it will be universally adopted in
future work in Ireland. \^ a number of our naturalists would agree to
use it for distributional studies, I have no doubt that others would
follow suit.

tsoS, ■ Notes. 187

The only regret oue feels in this matter is that the scheme involves
the loss of the time-hououred twelve-fold subdivision of Babington, which
is endeared to every Irish botanist by its association with " Cybele
Hibernica" and its honoured authors, David Moore and A. G. More.
But the best compliment which we can pay to the memory of those
pioneers is to be ourselves pioneers, and to use whatever new tool will
aid the stud}' of those distributional problems to the solution of which
they so material!}- contributed.

R. L1.0VD Prap:gkr.

Dublin.

Dicranum Scottii.

Canon Lett's interesting history of this moss in last month's number
of this Journal led me to endeavour to find out how Dr. Moore, in his
"Synopsis of the Mosses of Ireland," was led unconsciously to associate
Hyp)ui77i revolvens with Schistidiuvi niaritimiim instead of Scott's moss, as
two of the plants for the discovery of which in Ireland Dr. Scott received
the premium from the Royal Dublin Society in 1803. At the time Dr.
Moore wrote the paper above referred to (often under difficulties),
Wilson's " Bryologia Britannica" was the standard work, which Moore
constantly used when examining critical mosses. At p. 388, under
Hypniivi revolvens, one of the localities given is "near Swaulinbar, Ire-
land, Dr. Scott," while under Dicrauuvi Scottiantiin, at p. 75, no locality
is recorded. He writes, '• Hab. — On rocks in mountainous districts," so
that Wilson also was unaware of its previous history. Turning to
Mackay's "Flora Hibernica," at p. 23 of Part II., there is an excellent
description of Dr. vScott's plant, the localities given are " wood at
Blackwater bridge," and •' banks of Looscaunuch Lake," Co. Kerry.
In Hooker and Taylors "Muscologia Britannica" (1827), p, 100, no
locality is given for the same moss ; " On rocks in mountainous
districts " is all the information given, so that these excellent
authorities on the subject were also unaware of the previous history of
Scott's moss, probably for want of a bibliography of work done by pre-
vious authors.

Turner, in his '• MuscologicC Hibernicae Spicilegium," describes
Dicramun Scottiaiutiii. At p. 76 he writes — " Primus hanc speciem in
saxis prope vSwanlinbar detexit D. Scott, cujus nomen imposui."
There is a drawing of the plant at fig. VI. At page 189, under Hypniiin
revolvens, he writes, " In Hibernia prope Swanliubar, sed absque fructu,
legit D. vScott." If Dr. Moore quoted from Wilson when writing his work,
(and it is more than probable he did), finding no locality recorded there
for Dicranum Scottii, and Swanliubar quoted by both Wilson and Turner,
he would naturally conclude that Hypnum revolver was the moss to
include with ScJiistidiuni inaritimutn.

David M'Ardi.e.
Giasnevin.

1 88 The Irish Naturalist, September, 1908.

GEOLOGY.

Sounds of Seismic Disturbance.

On a fine, calm day in summer an observer seated on the sandhills at
the mouth of the Boyne will be very likely to hear from time to time
sounds like distant peals of thunder. For many years I have been listen-
ing to and puzzing over these mysterious noises, and I wish to ask if
anyone can explain them. They sound like muffled explosions or distant
peals of thunder, are never loud, and sometimes almost inaudible (rather
to be felt than heard), never very long, but longer as a rule than the
sound of a heavy gun. They are only to be heard in fine and calm
weather, but that may be because wind and noise ma}- render them in-
audible. They often go on at intervals for a whole day, notably on May
27 and 29 last. I have heard them all along the E. coast from Wicklow
to Carlingford. They always seem to come from the sea, and, at the
mouth of the EoA'ne, from the E. to S.E. The common explanations of
these sounds are quite inadequate : distant thunderstorms, guns at sea,
fog signals, quarry explosions, &c, all quite incompatible with the condi-
tions. These sounds appear to resemble the noises known in Ital}- as
" Brontidi," which are heard over a great part of that country, and have
lately been enquired into by the Director of the Seismological Obser-
vator}' of Urbino. He seems to think that the cause is the same as that
of earthquakes, and that the phenomenon has its origin in the soil rather
than in the air. Professor Grenville Cole thinks the sounds "point to
something like the Brontidi or the famous Berisal or Borisal guns of
India," and he also thinks that "books on earthquakes mention these
phenomena, which are now commonly attributed to earth movements
along lines of faulting." I am writing this note at his suggestion. Mr.
Lloyd Praeger tells me that, as is well known, similar sounds are
heard about Lough Neagh, and that he himself has heard them. Both
of these gentlemen consider the subject to be one of great interest and
well worthy of discussion and observation, and I hope readers of the /m//
Naturalist will help to throw light on it. I would venture to suggest that
hearers of these sounds should note the circumstances, and especially
the direction from which they come. A few cross bearings taken along
the coast would locate them effectually. Yachtsmen should note them
if heard I have often heard them when far at sea, but I don't think the}-
would be audible on a steamer. It will also be necessary for observers to
remember that one, or even a dozen distant muffled sounds may not
belong to this class of sounds at all, but may really be the reverberations
of a distant storm, or of gun firing, or quarry explosions, or some such
cause. Care will be necessary to discriminate. The direction, too, is not
always eas)' to determine. I hope some observers will take this matter
up and help to cast some light on an obscure and interesting pheno-
menon. C'

G. H. PentiRnd.

Black Hall, Drogheda.

October, 1908. The Irish Natmalist, 189

RAMBLKS ON ACHILI. ISr^AND.

BY PROFESSOR C J. PATTEN, M.A., M.D., SCD.

My primary intention in selecting Achill as a holiday
resort was to observe the bird-life there however, the island
proved so pregnant with other interesting features that it
afforded me no small amount of pleasure to record them in
my daily journal.

Most of the bird notes were made in the district of Achill
Sound, where, owing to the presence of extensive slob-land,
wading-birds are tolerably abundant, but, under the guidance
of Mr. A. Williams, I was able to extend my rambles over
various parts of the island, and to obtain notes of consider-
able interest.

I took with me a prism-binocular, magnifying ten dia-
meters, and a hand-camera with telephoto attachment. It
was possible to secure several interesting bird-studies with the
camera, but, unfortunately, the plates were rather under-
exposed for making successful reproductions.

My visit extended from September loth to September 26th,
1907, during which period a daily journal was kept regularly.
As fully twelve months have elapsed, it seems advisable, in
order to secure accuracy, not to depend on memory for any
part of the narrative, but rather to publish my observations in
the form in which the journal was written from notes taken
in the field, I made Achill Sound my headquarters, and,
when not on the march, had the opportunit}^ of observing and
taking photographs from an open window in Mr. Williams'
house, overlooking the slob-lands of Breanaskill Bay. This
was, indeed, an excellent observatory, for when the tide
was high the birds were often only thirty yards off, and
were unconcerned at one's presence at the window.

Tuesday^ September loth. — The morning being very wet, I
remained indoors until after luncheon. At 2.30 p.m., Mr.
Williams and I started for Breanaskill Bay, which was reached
in about half-an-hour. The tide was out, and the slob-land
thickly studded with Curlews and Redshanks, while racing up
and down the fresh-water stream, which intersected the slob,
were two Greenshanks. With the aid of the binocular, the

A

IQO The Irish Naturalist. October,

Greenshanks and Redshanks could be seen splashing about
in ecstacies of delight in the fresh-water rivulet, and appar-
ently indulging in a refreshing bath. Sometimes the ablutions
of a pair were interfered with by their colliding, whereupon
the birds rose to their feet, and with lowered heads, moment-
aril}^ sparred like fighting-cocks.

At 6 o'clock I reached Ashleam Bay, one ot the niariy inlets
of the Atlantic-facing side of the island. Here, sheer, barren
cliffs form a noble background to Nature's charming marine
picture, and yet a gigantic precipice of solid rock, projecting
as a great knife-edge, seems as though it would threaten
destruction to the occupants of the peaceful waters below.

To the west, six miles off, I saw through the misty showers
the Bills Rocks, where the lordly Great Black-backed Gull
brings forth its brood safely, being not seriously disturbed
when the gunners of the battleships of the British Fleet use
these rocks as a target.

Southward, could be dimly discerned the outline of some of
the Galwa}' islands ; to the north was Dooega Head, capped
with a canopy of deep grey clouds. But the day was dull,
and much of the grand coast scenery was invisible. I hoped
on another day to witness the panoramic view from the Achill
coast, where the stupendous precipices form part of " Europe's
first barrier against the fury of the Atlantic."

Scattered on the rocks of Ashleam Ba}-, were many
Shags, always an attractive sight, especiall}^ when viewed
through a binocular. A flock of Herring-Gulls indulged in
extraordinar}^ aerial antics, precipitating themselves, with
closed wings, Gannet-like, from a height far above the cliffs^
but, unlike that bird, they stayed their course, spreading their
wings before reaching the surface of the water. The ascend-
ing flight, which took a spiral path, was also remarkably
rapid, though by no means so swift as the downward swoop.
This movement was continued for some time, and, from
my position on the cliff (half way between the highest and
lowest points of flight), the view of the ascending and des-
cending birds was an imposing sight.

This habit is indulged in by other than sea-birds, and the
presence of high cliffs seems to offer a peculiar inducement :
thus Rooks, Jackdaws, and Choughs swoop and ascend over

i9oS. Pattkn. — Rambles on A ch ill Island. 1 9 1

the face of precipitous cliffs with a speed which, judging from
their wing-movements in other localities, is truly surprising.
As I turned my back on the beautiful cliff-land scenery, a
flock of Curlews flew upwards from the rocks. The birds
winged their way across the cliff-tops, alighting in the fields
adjoining the sea, presumably to feed on earth-worms,' a habit
w^hich I have noticed in other localities.

In accordance with what I have already noted, Air. Williams
informed me that on Achill Island, Curlews may be seen
plucking blackberries- from the bushes.

Returning by the same route, just as the Ashleam road was
reached, six Choughs flew overhead. They evidently formed
a family party ; the adult birds, taking the lead, were cawing
loudh^ ; the brood, with more sportive twisting flight, followed
closeh\ Almost immediately afterwards a pair of Hooded
Crows appeared, their heavy form and lumbering flight offer-
ing a pretty contrast to the graceful and buoyant movements
of the Choughs.

On the road from Breanaskill, and about a mile from the
Sound, Mr. Williams drew my attention to a large flock of
Starlings returning to roost. It would appear that this species
is a comparativel}- recent addition to the avifauna of the
island ; now, five hundred may be seen at one time, and, as a
rule, even during the day, the flock keeps together, not divi-
ding into small companies. Indeed, it is rare to find Starlings
scattered in small numbers over the island, I noticed an
immature male Sparrow-Hawk flying leisurely towards a
cottage, the spot being only a stone's throw from the breed-
ing haunts in the fir-trees at Glandarary. Two immature
birds had been killed during the spring; Mr. Williams shewed
me the skin of one — an exceptionally heavy female — which
when procured proved to be in a very fat condition.

On returning at 7 o'clock to the Sound, I found that
Swallows were abundant, and in the fading twilight I
observed four Wheatears on the wall-tops, a fine big Hare on a
turl-bog, and a half-grown black Rabbit running about on a
cultivated grass field.

1 Patten, Irish Naturalist, 1902, p. 127.

2 Walters, Birds of Ireland^ p. 144 ; Patten, Aquatic Birds^ p. 363.

A 2

igi ■ The Irish Naturalist. October,

Wcdjicsday, September nth. — Starting at 9.30 a.m. for
Breanaskill Bay, I took np a position at the open window in
Mr. Williams' house. Here I remained until 6 o'clock, p.m.,
experimenting with the telephoto camera and making obser-
vations with the prism-binoctilar. For telephotography,
requiring short exposures, the light was very poor, and few
birds, even when driven in by the rising tide, came into the
photographic field, and when they did, they were so inces-
santl}^ active, that time expostires were useless, while in-
stantaneous work with the telescopic attachment was equall}^
so, especially with the poor light at ni}' disposal.

We again watched the Redshanks splashing in the channel;
I was interested to learn from Mr. Williams that liere the
w^ater, flowing down from the bog, was soft and fresh, and, no
doubt, more refreshing for shore-birds to bathe in than the
briny sea-water. Along several points on the Dublin coast,
where fresh -water rivulets enter the beach, I have noted
different species of wading-birds bathing.

Presently the scene was marred b}^ the arrival of three tame
ducks; these birds having wandered the whole wa}^ across
the slob, took up their position in the channel, obscuring
several of the waders, with whom they seemed quite out of
place.

But the presence of the ducks sank into oblivion when a
great flock of Curlews alighted at the edge of the channel,
and marched boldly into it. The majority of the birds con-
tented themselves with wading until their breasts touched the
water, but a few launched themselves into the channel, swim-
ming successfully against the current for several yards, and
reaching the other side, rapidly mounted a seaweed-covered
rock and commenced to peck vigorously at the wet, slippery
weed.

In the room where I was making observations, a Swallow
had built her nest, and just at that moment she flew in by the
window, out through the door of the room, and coursing
up and down the hall, gained exit through the open hall-
door.

It was interesting to see a Wood-Pigeon alight among the
shore-birds and remain for several minutes picking on the
sands. Returning to the Sound at eventide, I noticed

1908. Pattkn. — Rambles on Achill Island. 193

numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls on the water. T
learned from Mr. Williams that of the two species the latter is
much more abundant in Achill, except during the breeding-
season, and at all times the Black-headed Gull is much less
numerous here than it is in Dublin Bay. Cormorants were
more numerous in the Sound than Shags, the latter being
alwa3'S more partial to the open sea and cliff-bound coast.
Nevertheless, when Shags appeared in the Sound, they
occurred in groups of half a dozen or so ; Cormorants
more often singh\

TJutrsday, September 12th. — Accompanying Mr, Williams to
his house at Breanaskill; I .spent the day experimenting with
the telephoto apparatus. The light w^s better than on the
previous day, though far from good- As the tide ebbed I dis-
covered that on a certain rock, covered with brown sea-v,^eed,
Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, and Curlews frequently alighted.

Friday^ September 13//^.— Another day at Breanaskill Bay
with the camera. The chief subjects photographed were
Redshanks, Ringed Plovers, and Curlews scattered over the
slob-lands.

Saturday, September i/\th. — This being a bright, beautiful
day, I gave up the forenoon to telephotography, hoping at
last to get successful results. I took up my usual position at
Breanaskill Bay. Arriving at the house, I peeped out of the
window and descried several Curlews asleep on a reef of sand
nearly surrounded by water. It was here an easy matter to
make time exposures^ but the birds formed a bad subject, as
the heads and beaks rested on the backs, and onl}^ the breasts
faced the camera, so that the birds resembled little else than
a number of round grey stones. Presently the sun shone out
so brightly that the water of the slob-land glittered like silver
vSpangles, and, under the focussing cloth, it was evident that
this vivid halation would cause complete effacement on the
photographic plate of considerable flocks of birds. Abandon-
ing photography, I next watched with interest how a Herring-
Gull and two Hooded Crows walked several times round the
carcase of a drowned pig, now and again halting to make a
closer inspection. It was amusing to see the Crows tilting
their heads sideways with a philosophic air as though they
were deepl}" considering how they should commence to

194 The Irish Naturalist. October,

dispose of the much coveted prize. However, they and the
Gull made little advance, for after a few feeble strokes with
their beaks they hastened away on foot, and rooted along the
slob for garbage. It was quite evident that the carcase was
too fresh and the hide too tough for their liking, and that the
animal would remain there for several days before these useful
scavengers would trouble to make a good meal off it.

Next I watched closely the movements of a Greenshank as
it raced up and down the fresh-water channel which inter-
sected the slob-land. The channel was very shallow, and,
through the binocular, I could plainh* see the long green
legs of the bird. When feeding, the Greenshank stretches
its neck forward, lowers its head, and thrusts its beak hori-
zontall}' forward. The slightly upcurved beak, when pushed
along the mud, subserves the function of a very narrow spoon.
This is a very different attitude from that assumed by the
Curlew when feeding on the slob. The latter plunges its
decurved beak with great rapidity into a " worm-hole." The
entire beak right up to the forehead is boldlj^ thrust down-
ward, the curvature helping to enlarge the worm-track and
facilitate the capture of the worm as the bird rotates its head
and pushes it vigorously forward. I have watched Curlews
feeding in several localities, but never have I witnessed this
remarkable action of the beak better than at Breanaskill Bay.
Here, I was able to see the worms brought up and swallowed
while the beak was onl}^ partially withdrawn from the mud.
This took place in most instances, though sometimes the
beak was wholly withdrawn first. From the amount of
plunging of the forehead that goes on in soft ooze, I have
little doubt that the Curlew feasts on numbers of worms which
are captured b}^ the sense of touch when the beak is probing
in the mud. I am strongly of the opinion that the primary
use of the long slender decurved beak of the Curlew is to act
as a pick-axe when submerged in estuarine mud or sandy soil

In the afternoon, I left Breanaskill with Mr. Williams and
party, and wandered barefooted along the strand toward the
Sound, searching for Sand-eels. I noticed numbers of Herons
picking up small fish and other creatures from the shallows,
also several Turnstones and Oyster-catchers feeding on the
sands. Among the numerous gulls which passed overhead

t9o8. Vh'tt'E^.— Rambles on Achill Island. 195

was a Common Gull in the interesting brownish nestling
plumage.

Sunday^ September i^th. — Mr. Williams and I left the Sound
at 10 a.m. I took with me the prism-binocular, but as the
day was misty and the weather unsettled I left the camera at
the house. We walked along the main road to Mweelin
valley, and then commenced the ascent of that mountain.
Pait of the ground at the foot of the mountain was swampy
and harboured numerous dark-coloured frogs, while higher
up several beautiful Stonechats, perching on the heather-
tops, attracted our attention. It was a delightful ascent;
vegetation was luxuriant, and insects abundant, judging from
the enormous numbers entangled in the geometrical webs of
the fat mountain spiders set over the furze and heath.
Towards the summit the mountain became so steep that with
each step we clutched the heather-stems to aid us in our
ascent. Now, and again, after a stiff climb we halted, and
from our pronograde position rolled over on our backs and
lay at full stretch almost breathless. With active exercise
and a sultry day the heat proved too much for us, so off went
not only our coats, but our waistcoats, collars, and ties. In
our lighter attire we scambled up, and after half an hour's
hard climbing reached the summit.

During the ascent the midges proved very troublesome, and
it was not until we traversed the top and came in sight of the
mighty Atlantic and felt its refreshing breeze that the tiny
pests left off attacking us. Here the atmosphere was sur-
prisingly different from that of the leeward side which we had
just left. The breeze from the ocean w^as so sharp that we
quickly attired ourselves in our discarded garments, and even
while making a rapid descent we were none too warm. Far
beneath us lay Keel beach in full view; the gulls which
lined the fringe of the breakers appeared as little white dots,
and 3^et their harsh scolding cry was audible 1,500 feet above
the sea. Otherwise the beautiful stretches of sand appeared
void of bird-life, for the greyish shore-birds, whose colours so
admirably harmonize with their surroundings, were as yet
undiscernible by the naked eye. But the powerful binocular
revealed the presence of numbers of Redshanks, Oyster-
catchers, and Ringed Plovers, pattering about or flitting

196 The Irish Natiiralist. October

hither and thither in search of food. Half way down the
mountain my attention wa.s arrested b}^ the appearance of a
Fox. He was a fine fellow, fully grown, and as he scampered
down the hillside scattering a flock of sheep on his way, he
displayed the white of his "brush" admirably. It was
delightful to see him quietl)^ but steadily beat his retreat on
this vast open tract, so different from the terror-stricken
victim which dashes across half-cultivated lawns to escape the
fatal clutches of the blood-thirst}^ huntsmen and hounds.
Nearing the Cathedral Cliffs, two Ravens flew past, appearing
smaller than Jackdaws against the stu23endous rock}^ pre-
cipices. Reaching Keel strand we bathed, the cold sting of
the ocean water proving most exhilarating. The Common
and Herring Gulls on the strand were remarkably tame ; while
an immature Great Black-backed Gull came so close, that^
with the sun shining on its back, the pattern of its chequered
plumage could easily be made out. It was now four o'clock
in the afternoon, and, having halted for half a hour to rest and
eat our sandwiches, we passed through Dukinelly village,
where from a field two Hooded Crows and two Choughs arose,
and the shrill cry of a Merlin sounded from the adjoining
turf-bog. We then marched back along the main road reaching
the Sound about 8 o'clock, p.m.

Monday, Septeiabcf \6fh. — The day was wet and misty, and
neither camera nor binocular were of mrxh service. I did
not venture far afield.

Ttiesday, September I'jth. — Another wet and mist}' day, on
which it was useless to take the camera. The greater part
of the day was sp'?nt along the beach at Ashleam Ba}^
Rock-Pipits were numerous, while a Robin was perched on a
boulder near the water's edge, a curious vSpot in which to see
this familiar species. Here, also, I had a fine view of nine
Rock-Doves, which flew, at a considerable height above the
cliffs, out to sea. On the return route, I noticed several
Rock-Doves and a pair of Choughs in a field, also numerous
Yellow-Hammers and a flock of Twites. A soft, relaxing
mist, which settled down in the afternoon, prevented further
observations being made, and to add to this misfortune, we
were troubled with swarms of midges, which pursued us even
into the house.

i9oS. Patten. — Rambles on A chill hland. 197

Leaving, tor a niomt-nt, the wild animals of the Island, my
attention was drawn to the extraordinary surefootedness of
the domestic Ass, which, encumbered with baskets laden
witli seaweed, and with unshod, unkempt, overgrown,
and crooked hoofs, marched up and down the narrow cliff-
paths at a rapid rate. In some instances, boys or girls
mounted the animals ; sometimes the owners marched behind,
driving the animals before them.

Wedjiesday, September iSth. — The morning w^as beautiful.
With Mr. Williams, I started from the Sound at 10.30 a.m.,
taking the mail-car for Dugort. With the exception of a few
Meadow- Pipits, and two Kestrels which hovered over the
fields in search of their prey, nothing was added to the list.
Indeed the paucit}' of bird-life as we traversed the main road
across the island--a distance of some nine miles — struck me
as remarkable.

Arriving at the "Capital of Achill," we repaired to Slieve-
more Hotel, where I had the pleasure of making the acquain-
tance of Mr. Sheridan. Among his collection, he showed me
tlie famous x\merican Goldfinch which he captured on the
island. This specimen was of particular interest to me, as 1
had seen scores alive in Canada the previous summer. His
Hooded Crow was a great pet. It was in perfect plumage, and
had complete liberty to go where it liked : it would alight at
a window-pane and demolish flies, picking them off the glass
with great rapidity, and despising none from the Blue-bottle
to the tiny Gnat. In the afternoon, we noticed at Dugort a
great assemblage of Cormorants on the massive rocks jutting
out from the sea. We had a good view of these birds
through the binocular from the clifis above.

Thursday, September \<^th. — We left Dugort b}^ car in the
morning, and returned to the Sound. In the afternoon I
sallied forth, and was able to evade the onslaught of the midges
only during a most refreshing bathe. Even while drying, the
little pests swarmed round, so that one's onl}'- chance was
to get clothed as soon as possible, and decamp. In the
evening, Mr. Williams took me for a ramble through Glandar-
ary woods. The fuchsias were in blossom, and most luxuriant,
but the blackberries w^ere slow to ripen, despite the genial
climate. We added nothing more to the bird-notes.

A.3

198 The Irish Nahifalist, October,

Friday^ September 20th. — The morning sun shone so
brightly that I resolved once more to repair to ni}' studio
at the open window at Breanaskill, and work the telephoto-
graphic camera. The scene on the slob-land was beautiful.
The shallow sand-pools and gullies left by the receding tide
were absolutely tranquil, and, like mirrors, reflected the im-
ages of hundreds of shore-birds, w^hich, still and listless, were
enjo3ing the genial weather of early autumn.

But ere many photographs w^ere secured, the scene began
to change; a mist went up from the \vater, which enveloping
the birds, rendered them indistinct, as though their material
forms were being reduced to vapour. I have noticed this
curious effect on several occasions on the extensive slob-lands
of Dublin Ba}-. The heat-mist arising from perfectly smooth
waters seems to carr}^ the birds upwards, and, while not ex-
cluding them from view to any extent, seems to transfigure
them into gaseous, ghost-like, avian forms.

At last the opportunity came to take a few photographs.

Only a hundred yards off, a pig appeared on the foreshore,
and commenced to root with its snout at some garbage ; a
Hooded Crow, which happened to be perched on the top of
a ha3'-cock close by, attracted b\' the loud grunts, perceived
the pig trespassing on its preserves. Without hesitation, the
bird quitted the field, and, perching on a stone beside the
garbage, gave forth such hoarse, angry cries, and made so
many attempts to peck, that the lumbering animal was con-
tent to move along the beach in search of food. I obtained
several photographs of this amusing scene. Anyone who
witnessed it must have sympathised with the poor Crow, in
finding, to his dismay, a live pig demolishing his store of
refuse on the beach, instead of a dead one contributing to it.

Having indulged in a mid-day dip and some lunch, I put up
the camera and started along the shore for a ramble. I have
always had a predilection for watching about old walls,
especially when built of loosely piled-up stones, knowing such
to be a favourite run of the Stoat, a little creature which I
take the greatest delight in observing. On the beach, adjoin-
ing Mr. Williams' house, such a wall was to be found, and, as
I strolled along leisurely, enjoying an afternoon pipe, m}' little
friend — indeed a very big one of its kind — showed itself.

tg^ Patten. — Rambles on Ackill Island, 199

It first appeared from over the top, and, dropping down
on the side of the wall facing me, commenced to examine
systematically eveT)^ nook and corner. Nothing could be
more interesting than to watch the daring of this little animaL
Predatory by nature, and intent on seizing its prey alive, it
shows none of the timidity so common among many other
animals when man appears on the scene, A rat at a stone
wall disappears from one's gaze at once not to return ; a
squirrel rushes up the tree and hides among the topmost
foliage* The big herbivores and even many of the carnivores
take to their heels at the sight of man ; but, undaunted in
courage and bent on business, the nimble Stoat treks along
the wall in and out, ever and anon disappearing and re-appear-
ing to the delight of the naturalist Keeping apace with
the little animal, I had it in view for a full hundred yards
until finally it jumped into a potato-field and disappeared.

During my ramble along the beach, the only other species
of bird which I came across was a Whimbrel, which passed
overhead attracting my attention by its loud whistles.

Saturday, September 7.1st.— ^h^Q. afternoon w^as spent on the
slob-lands of the Sound, where I observed a small flock of
Dunlins in immature plumage associating with numbers of
Ringed Plovers.

Sunday, September 227id. — At 11 a.m. Mr. Williams and I
left the Sound. It was a hot misty day with a gentle S W.
wind. We took the road to Breanaskill Ba}^ thence by Der*
reen to Kildavnet. At the churchyard here we saw pipes,
some in boxes, laid on the graves, a habit still kept up in
numbers of remote country places in Ireland.

Watching the birds on the beach, I saw two Hooded Crows
feeding with Redshanks. It is interesting to think how the
force of circumstances acts so instinctively among lower
animals. That both Crow and Redshank were hungry there
w^as no doubt, and that several times the former could have
easily seized and killed the latter was equall}^ true. But, here
one sees the Crow, not purel}" predatorj^ by nature, in-
stinctively fraternizing with shore-birds, to satisfy a common-
want ; though had one of the latter been even slightly dis-
abled, the Crow would have set upon it and torn it to pieces
at once.

200

The Irish Nainralisf. October,

Proceeding along the Sound in a southerly direction, and
not far from Darby's Point, were several trawlers, and it was
interesting to watch ihe Cormorants diving and coming up
just in front of the bow of a boat, at the sight of \vhich they
instantly dived again to escape collision. Some of the birds
swam quickly across the bow, and when alongside, looked
anxiousl}' at the fishermen. Here the Cormorants were
thickly distributed on the water; in one small area I counted
sixteen fishing. In the fields I noticed three Rock-Doves
among the cut corn. From their build and general demeanour
1 came to the conclusion that two were cocks and the third a
hen. I watched them closely with the binocular for several
minutes as they picked up the corn, and noticed that on the
ground they did not coo. The bird which I suspected to be
the hen rose and alighted on the wall of an adjoining field,
and was soon joined by one of the remaining birds which
had followed her with a loud clapping of wings. The sexes
now became manifest, for the first bird passively received the
addresses of the second, wiiich pattered up and down in front
of her, after the fashion of all male domestic pigeons, spreading
his tail, which he dragged on the ground, and, at the same
time, cooing with, inflated crop. Moreover, the male bird
"took possession" of a sod of turf which was lying on the
wall, and proudly pirouetted up and down it as though master
of the ceremonies, driving off the other cock bird which in
the meantime had approached the hen and endeavoured to
court her. Assuming that the Rock-Dove of the present day
resembles a generalized ancestral Rock-Dove in its habits, it
would seem that this habit of "taking possession " of certain
spots on the house-top or dove-cot, so well known to the keeper
of domestic birds, had already existed in the wild ancestor
(ColiiDiba livia), and has been handed down to the domesticated
descendants. In the light of Darwin's evidence, which goes
to prove that all our domestic breeds are descendants of the
wild Rock-Dove, we have here an interesting example of
conservation of habit over thousands of vears.""

i"The earhest kiiowu record of pigeons is in the fifth Kg\ptiau
Dynasty, about 3000 B.C.. as was pointed out to me by Professor
Lepsius ; but Mr. Birch informs me that pigeons were given in a bill of
fare in the previous dynasty." (Darwin, " Origin of Species,")

1908. Pattkn. — Rambles on Achill Island. 201

Passing Darby's Point, we came to Cloghmore, where we
saw several Common Gulls in adult and immature plumage,
also a Greenshank running over the sands with great rapidity.
Having descended to the beach we made for the Blind Sound,
and having scrambled dowm the rocks to the water's edge, we
halted for a bathe.

Keeping to the coastline we wheeled round, and going
northward, made for Bunnafahy, taking occasional rambles
up and down the cliffs, where accessible. At Bunnafah}',
the cliffs, black and barren, are steep and fissured. Here
also ' are chasms whose narrow w^alls project beyond the
cliffs. Through the vestibule thus formed, with its narrow
strip, of Atlantic floor, I saw many Rock-Doves enter and
perch on the ledges within the gloom of Nature's Dove-
cot. Just then I suddenly detected a flock of Turnstones, old
and young, numbering in all about eighty. It was a grand
spectacle, and I longed for my camera, especially as the birds
allowed of near approach, and showed little disposition to
move. The sheer, black rock formed a bold background as
the birds arranged themselves on shelf-like ledges, their
bright 3^ellow legs showing up against the dark stone.
The summits of many rocks were tenanted by groups of
Herring-Gulls, while some dozen Curlews and a few Red-
shanks rested at highwater mark on the beach below. It was
now past mid-day, and as we sat at lunch, our attention w^as
aroused by the hoarse cry of a Raven. L^ooking up, we saw
its black figure in the distance flying over the face of the cliffs.
During the bird's approach we remained quietly seated and
had a very good view as it flapped past us some eighty yards
off. Continuing our walk to the hills overlooking Ashleam
Bay, we again saw the Choughs, this time a flock of twelve.
As they disported themselves in the air with buoyant and
glancing flight, and, alighting on the cliff, uttered their cheerful
though unmusical Kee-aw, Kee-aw, I could not think of one of
Nature's creatures which took fuller enjoyment out of life.
Between Ashleam and BreanavSkill I observed two Hooded
Crows, several Yellow-Hammers, a Wren, and flocks of Twites,
Redpolls, and Sparrows. Throughout the day Swallows were
plentiful. At 8.30 p.m. we reached the Sound after a good
day's outing.

202 The Irish Na/uralist, October,

Monday^ Scptcvibcr ^^^rd* — At lo o'clock in the morning I
started for Dugort alone. I journeyed on foot with a view
of noting what birds might be seen when crossing the island.
M}' observations Avere practically the same as those made
on the previous occasion when we drove to Dugort. A
Kestrel again showed itself, this time sitting on an old gate-
post, and a few Lapwings crossed the bogs. It was my in-
tention to return to the Sound the same day, but the kind
hospitality offered me by Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan induced me
to remain on.

Tuesday^ September 2t\lh. — I joined Mr. Sheridan's party on
the long car. We drove westward, passing through the
villages of Keel and Dooagh. At the latter we were assailed
by children selling Achill amethysts. Proceeding half a mile
or so further, we alighted and lunched. We made the rest of
the expedition towards Achill Head on foot, some of the party
taking ponies. Mr. Sheridan remained behind at Dooagh,
having entrusted us to a native guide who told us many a
good stor3^ Enquiring of him if he had seen Eagles, he in-
formed me that he remembered when he had seen them by
the hundreds round Achill Head ! ! During our ascent we came
upon an amethyst quarry lately worked ; here we collected
several specimens of ameth3^sts in the rough. Our guide
showed us a piece of rock full of these crystals which he kept
hidden under a stone in a stream. It was for sale to anyone
who would bid 55. for it, but we had collected so many stones
that we felt we could not oblige the old gentleman by taking
it.

Bird-life was not prolific ; a Kestrel, sitting on a rock far
down the heather-clad cliff, viewed with the naked eye
appeared as small as a Sparrow. With the powerful prism-
binocular it appeared as large as ever, and the plumage-
markings were readily seen. Shags and Gulls were fishing in
the waters below, while a flock of fifty Choughs (according to
Mr. Sheridan, an unusually large number to see together at
Achill) alighted and commenced to feed in a field on the brow
of the cliff above us Having reached Keem Strand, we
retraced our steps, and joining the long car, drove back
and had tea in the village of Dooagh ; thence we returned
to the hotel in the evening.

i9oS. Patten. — Rambles on Achill Island. 203

Wednesday, September 2^th. — Mr. Sheridan kindly drove me
back to the Sound, where the afternoon was spent witnessing
the "Sports" which included horse races on the strand,
boat-races, and swimming races.

Summary.

The reader who is cognizant with the bird-life of Achillwill
at once see how comparatively few in number are the species
which I have observed. That man}^ common species were
overlooked I have not the slightest doubt. Nor have I any
reason to disbelieve in the existence of the Eagle, Wild Goat,
and many other interesting creatures on this beautiful isle ;
but the}^ did not come under my own observation. That
several rare birds have been observed and procured on the
island is also known to many of us, and recently published
records^ are accessible to those who may wish to look them
up. In one's daily journal, notes of all sorts are jotted down,
so that part of the information given may be already knowm
to the reader ; that which contributes to the furthering of our
stock of knowledge will, I trust, prove acceptable. The
whole was gleaned during a holiday ramble on an island
visited for the first time by the writer, who feels sure that
the lover of nature who visits it will be more than amply
repaid.

^ Mr. Sheridan has coutributed several notes on the occurrences and
captures of rare birds in Achill Island to the pages of the Irish Naturalist^
Fields and other Journals : Mr. Ussher and Mr. Warren, in " The Birds of
Ireland " published in 1900, and the writer in " The Aquatic Birds of
Great Britain and Ireland," which appeared six years later, have
endeavoured to incorporate all available records of rare Achill birds in
these books.

The University, Sheffield.

204 The hish Naturalist* October,

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Eurhynchium striatulum in Co. Limerick.

This is a rare moss iu Ireland, and lias seldom been observed of late
years. It was found first by Wilson many years ago at INIuckross,
Killarney, where Rev. C. H. Binstead collected it again in 1896 on shady
walls. Dr. Moore recorded it from Devil's Glen, Co. Wicklow, and noted
that it was apparently rare. It has not been found since in Co. Wicklow.
In 1905 I found a small patch of it at Askeaton, Co. Limerick, but the
specimen was lost. This 3-ear, on making further search, I was glad to
find it in several localities in that district. It is a southern species, ex-
tending from Italy and Dalmatia as far north as Anglesea and Derbyshire,
in England, and Wicklow, in Ireland. I have a fruiting specimen col-
lected by Rev. C. H. Binstead, near Wells, vSomerset, in December, but
it seldom fruits in this country. The Limerick plants were barren, but
it was too late in the season for fruit, which matures in winter and early
spring. I give some particulars of habitat and appearance iu hope it
may be looked for in other suitable localities in Ireland.

E. striatiihim is not more than half the size of E. siriatur,; : the leaves
are striate, but quite different in shape and cell structure. It resembles
E, myosiiroides, Schp. more than any other of our mosses, and nniy have
been overlooked as that species; while the stems creep close to the
rock, the branches are somewhat dendroid as in that species, but the
leaves are striate with longer nerves. I found it only on limestone, not
iu exposed or warm places, but always in cool or shady spots on the
north or east sides of dry stone walls. It grows plentifully for 200 yards
at the foot of the wall of the field opposite the gate of Askeaton Rectory.
It occurs sparingly on a wall near the river Deel above the town, and
more plentifully on a wall by the roadside at Ballynorthalf way between
Askeaton and Beigh Castle. Search on the rocks of the crag country
was not successful. It seemed to be confined to the localities indicated,
at the foot of walls having a northern or eastern exposure.

C. H. Waddei.Tv.
Saiutfield, Co. Down.

Ditrichum tortile (Schrad.) in Ireland.

According to the Census Catalogue of British mosses published in
1907, the little moss Ditrichum tortile has hitherto been found in six of
the vice-counties of GreatBritain, but not in Ireland, while the var./?/i^///a
occurs in four of the British and in two of the Irish vice-counties, the
two Irish records being, Dodge's Glen in East Cork, in Moore's
"Synopsis of the Mosses of Ireland," and several Co. Antrim localities
specified in the •' Flora of the North-East of Ireland." It is therefore

1908. Notes, 205

interesting to note the discovery of what Mr. H. N. Dixon, who kindl}-
examined the specimens, considers to be normal Z>. tortile, in tw^oconnties
of Ulster, In May, accompanied by my friend the Rev. C. H. Waddell,
I gathered a fair sized tuft of it on sandstone at Scrabo Hill, Co. Down ;
and in July I received a miscellaneous parcel of mosses picked amongst
the sand-dunes at Rosnowlagh, in Co. Donegal, by the Rev. W. F.
Johnson and his wife, amongst which I detected a small tuft of this
plant. These two localities being so far apart, one on the N.W. coast
and the other almost on the N.E. coast of Ulster, encourages one to hope
that D. tortile will be discovered in some of the other counties of
Ireland.

H. w. Lett.

Loughbrickland.

Wood Betony in Co. Wexford

On July 31st I found this rare plant, Stachys Betonica, growing in some
abundance in the lane leading from Killowen to Ballykelly between this
townland and New Ross. It is, I believe, nearl}' twenty years since
was last recorded from this county in other localities.

G. E. H. Bakrett-Hamii.ton.
Kilmanock, Waterford.

Plantago media in Co. Down.

Last June, Miss Florence Wilson, who resides at Belvoir Park, sent me
a plant for identification. I recognised it as Plantago viedia. I went to
examine the locality, and found several specimens within a very restricted
area. It would seem to be fairly well established there, and evidently
has been there for some vears.

W. P. Carmody.

Knockbreda, Belfast.

ZOOLOGY.

The Crayfish in the Shannon.

The freshwater Crayfish, though known to be plentiful in a few of
the eastern counties of Ireland (Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow),
does not appear to have been recorded from elsewhere in the country,
have seen it in the Shannon at Castleconnell, Co. Limerick, and DoonasSj
Co. Clare, where it occurs abundantly.

R. A. Phii,i,iPvS.

Cork.

2o6 The Irish Naturalist. October,

Some New Irish Woodlice.

I have to record the capture on the sea shore, at Howth, Co. Dublin,
of Philoscia Coi/c/iii Kin., in considerable numbers. This species which has
not previously been taken in Ireland, has only been found in Great
Britain in three localities in Devonshire and Cornwall. The habitat is
amongst the rocks and shingle of the sea shore above high water mark,
where its active habits make it somewhat difficult to capture, and no
doubt account for the fact that it has escaped notice so long. It
will probably be found again in suitable localities along the southern
coasts of Ireland, and may possibly occur further north, but it is a
southern species ranging as far south as North Africa and the Canary
Islands.

During the latter part of August, too, I have taken, in considerable
numbers on the southern cliffs of the Hill of Howth, what I believe to be
an Armadillidium new to the British Isles, nor can I identify it with an}'
of the better known European species. I have given specimens to
Dr. R. F. Scharff, who has kindly promised to make further enquiries
into its identity.

Dbnis R. Pack-BkrKvSFord.
Fenagh House, Bagnalstown.

Stock-Dove in County Wexford.

We have had a small colony of Stock-doves here for the last four or
five years. I cannot, however, report any definite increase in their
numbers, which as yet, as far as I can observe, do not exceed half a
dozen.

G. K. H. Barrrtt-Hamii.ton.

Kilmanock, Waterford.

Fecundity of the Chaffinch.

Mr. Butterfield, in his note in the July number (p. 140), refers to Here-
fordshire instead of Hertfordshire. It is in the last-named county that
my friend the Rev. Allan Ellison has carried out /its studies, and it affords
me considerable pleasure to support his statement that clutches of six
eggs are by no means uncommon, and that clutches under five are un-
usual. I write thus after more than twenty years' continuous observation
of Hertfordshire birds.

1 regret I can offer no opinion as to this most interesting question,
but I am inclined to agree with Mr. Butterfield that Mr. Ellison's
theory is hardly correct.

W. PERCIVAI, WESTEI,!..
vSt. .\lbnns.

J9o8. Notes.

20

/

Whiskered Bat in Co. Wexford.

This Bat {Myotis iiiystacimis), although probably of wide distribution s
rarelv distinguished from the Pipistrelle, and seldom recorded. Ifmay
be well, therefore, to mention that one flew into a window of this house
on the 8th August. It was a young one of the year, but fully grown.
Mr. C. B. Moffat had previously found this Bat in this county, where we
now know of the existence of at least four Bats, viz.:-Leisler's, Pipistrelle,
Ivong-eared, and Whiskered, to which Dauben ton's, although never cap-
tured, may almost certainly be added.

G. E. H. BARRI5TT-HAMII.TON.

Kilnianock House, Waterford.

REVIEWS.

FIELD BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS.

The Young Botanist. By W. Percivai. Westei.Iv, F.I^.S., M.B.O.U.
and C. S. Cooper, F.R.H.S., Headmaster, Dewhurst School, Ches-
hunt. With eight coloured, and sixty-three black and white plates,
drawn from nature, by C F. Newai,!,. Pp. 40 + 200. Methuen &
Co., 1908. Price y. 6d. net.

This book is intended to meet the wants of a beginner in field
botany— quite a beginner, in fact, since the plants dealt with in the
volume consist of 202 of our most familiar wild- flowers. While some
may find the arrangement and illustrations as here displayed more to
their individual taste than those which obtain in similar books already
on the market, the volume cannot claim, like so many recent books to
supply a "long-felt want," nor to possess much originality of treatment.
A short practical introduction leads to a chapter on classification and ex-
ternal structure, from which we pass to the brief descriptions of selected
species which make up the remainder of the volume. These descriptions
are arranged each under nine heads — habitat, time of flowering, and des-
cription in brief of the characters of the various parts of the plant : and
as each of these, consisting of from one to ten words on the average, is
allowed a separate paragraph, the result is a profuse spinning out of the
paging. The English name is given the place of honour in each species,
but the attempt to place the substantival before the adjectival portion
of the name is not always happy, as in the case of " Parsnip, Cow," and
" Violet, Water," The illustrations are irregular in quality, and while
some are excellent, others, such as that of Angelica (p. 74) and the Corn
Mint (p. 128) cannot be commended. The drawing of Scentless May-
weed (p. 105) recalls rather Antheniis Cotida^ and that of the White Goose-
foot (p. 147) represents an Atriplex. In a " Colour Index " at the end of
the book some confusion has occurred, by which Gorse figures among
the white flowers, and Carline Thistle among the purple. But these are
minor blemishes in an attractively got-up book, which will probably
help many a child to take his first steps in field botany.

R. 1,1, P.

2o8 The Irish Nahiralist, October, 1908.

A MOTH COLLECTOR S GUIDE.

Practical Hints for the Field Lepidopterist. B) J. W. TuTT,
P\E.S. Part I., 2ud edition. Pp. 28 + 106. Londou : Elliot Stock,
190S. Price (interleaved), 6x.

It is seven years since the first part of this well-known work was pub-
lished, and now the repeated calls for a second edition have led the
author to issue it in a revised form. The principal addition to the book
is the new introductory section, comprised in the first 28 pages and
divided into seven chapters, in which are given valuable "hints" on such
subjects as preserving, killing, pinning, setting, labelling, and holiday
collecting. An entire chapter is devoted to the important subject
of "Entomological Pins,'' and every naturalist who has handled a
large number of preserved insects, in his own collection or in a
museum, knowii the importance of these indispensable implements.
Mr. Tutt does not hesitate to write plainly on the merits and demerits
of the pins supplied by various makers, but he advises the collector to
look carefully with a powerful lens over his stock, and to pick out the
really good pins for use, rejecting those with points too fine, too blunt,
or hooked, and those with bent shafts.

It is surprising to find in the chapter on " setting " that a naturalist
so open to new ideas as Mr. Tutt continues to acquiesce in the " British "
style of setting Lepidoptera low down on the pins so as to fall readily
a prey to mites and psocids, and with the wings drooping towards the
surface of the drawer or box, so as to give those pests every possible
chance. The example of modern museums must tell in time on all
collectors of insects, and the peculiar " British " style of setting must
give way to the rational "Continental" method in the future. In his
insistence on the necessity for labelling the specimens themselves, how-
ever, and not being content with a diary record, Mr. Tutt has our
warm sympathy. But, as he points out, the difficulty of effective
labelling is immensely increased b}- the irrational "British " setting.

The bulk of the volume consists of " hints " for collecting and other
work arranged as a calendar. A section is devoted to each month— or
group of months — and the insects to be looked for at the particular time
of year are mentioned under their '* superfamily " or family headings.
Here the student will learn where and how to find eggs, larvae, and
imagos, how to dig for pupce, what plants to collect with a prospect of
emerging moths at a later date. In most of the statements made, it is
clear that the author is giving us the benefit of his unrivalled personal
experience — notabl}' in his directions for larvie-hunting among coast
sandhills or in the East Anglian fens. Some qualification might be
advisable to the statement that " during the second week in June larvae
of Lithosia caniola and L. cojnplaua are to be found at Howth." The
London collector who indulges in a trip to Dublin in confidence of taking
these rare species may be disappointed !

G. H. C.

NovemlDcr, 1908. The Irish Natufalist. 209

THE
BRITISH ASSOCIATION

IN

DUBLIN.

The Dublin meeting of the British Association for the
Advancement of Science, for long anticipated with pleasure
b}' Irish naturalists and men of science generally, was held as
arranged during the w^eek from the 2nd to the 9th September.
We believe that the general verdict of cross-channel visitors
pronounced the meeting to have been a distinct success. Nearly
2,300 members and associates attended — a larger number
than at most of the meetings held during recent years, but
300 fewer than at the Dublin meeting of 1878. It is to be
feared that this falling off from the standard of thirty years
ago shows a want of advance in scientific interest among the
people of the Irish capital. We can but hope that the great
meeting of this year may lead to a true "Advancement of
Science " among us, a recognition of the claims and importance
of science in the fields of general culture and of special in-
dustry, an increasing interest in the progress of science among
the intelligent public.

FORMER MEETINGS IN DUBLIN.

This year's gathering of the Association has been its eighth
on Irish soil and its fourth in the Irish capital. Belfast has
entertained the '' Parliament of Science," three times — in
1852, 1874, ^^^^ ^902 ; Cork once— in 1843 ; Dublin four times
— in 1835, 1857, 1878, and 1908. It is noteworthy that each of
the last three meetings in Dublin has been held a few years after
a meeting in Belfast. It is to be hoped that Ireland may
have the pleasure of another visit from the Association
before man}^ more years shall have passed. Is it not time
for Cork to take steps to secure a second meeting in the
near future ?

A

2IO The Irish Naturalist. November

PREPARATIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS.

A strong desire had been expressed that the Association
should visit Dublin in 1907, and in 1906 steps had already been
taken for the reception. When the invitation for 190S was
accepted, therefore, a strong local committee soon got to work,
the chairman being Dr. A. Traill, Provost of Trinity College,
and the vice-chairman Very Rev. Dr. W. Delan}^ President
of University College. The local honorary treasurers were
Justice Dodd, Sir J. Creed Meredith, W. M. Murphy, J. P., and
L A. Waldron, M.P. The secretaries were Dr. J. McGrath,
J. Mulligan, Prof W. H. Thompson, and Prof W. E. Thrift.
On these naturall}^ fell the brunt of the work of preparation.
Special sub-committees settled the arrangements for meetings,
hospitalit\% and lodgings, excursions and entertainments,
finance, and the handbook and other publications The hand-
book has already been reviewed in these pages.

The accommodation for the meetings of the Association was
judiciously distributed among the educational and vScientific
institutions of the cit3^ Trinit}^ College supplied the reception
rooms, the official refreshment rooms, and man}- of the
sectional meeting rooms. But Economics was located at the
Ro3'al Irish Academy; its sub-section Agriculture at the Ro5'al
College of Science, Geography at the Roj^al Dublin Societ}^
Zoology at the Royal College of Surgeons, Anthropology at the
Royal College of Physicians, and Education at the Royal
University. The large hall of the latter institution ahso served
for the Presidential Address, the Evening Discourses, and the
General Meetings. The Conference of Delegates from
affiliated societies met at University College.

Facilities were afforded to members who wished to flit from
section to section, by means of telephonic communication
between the various meeting rooms, enabling a board to be
displayed in each section, announcing papers in progress else-
where, and b}^ special tramcar and motor services.

The proximity of the National and other museums rendered
any extensive special local collection needless. A good series
of photographs illustrating the geology, botany, zoolog}', and
antiquities of the district was, howev^er, got together by Prof
Cole, Dr. G. H. Pethybridge and H. J. Seymour, and exhibited
over the dining hall of Trinity College.

1908. The British Association in Dublin. 211

PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.

Dublin was supremely fortunate in entertaining the British
Association in the year of Francis Darwin's presidency, a5^ear
which marked the jubilee of the theory of Natural Selection
as promulgated in July, 1858, before the Linnean Society by
Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace. It was hoped
that the President might deal with the progress of the evolu-
tion idea from the work of his great father to the present time.
But in his openinsj remarks he declared himself '* quite un-
fitted" for such a "'gigantic task." Nevertheless, starting
from the subject of his own special work — the movements of
plants — he threw light from man}- points on the burning
biological problems of the da}-. A few quotations may give
an idea of the course of the argument of his most notable
address.

''The fact that plants must be classed with animals as
regards their manner of reaction to stimuli has now become
almost a commonplace of biology. . . . We can as a rule
onl}^ know the stimulus and the response^ while the inter-
mediate processes of the mechanism are hidden in the secret
life of the protoplasm. We might, however, have guessed
that big changes would result from small stimuli since it is
clear that the success of an organism in the world must
depend, partl}^ at least, on its being highly sensitive to
changes in its surroundings. . . . Morphological alter-
ations produced by changes in environment have been brought
under the rubric of reaction to stimulation, and must be con-
sidered as essentially similar to temporary movements. The
very first stage in development may be determined by a purely
external stimulus. . . . Klebs kept Saprolegnia mixta in
uninterrupted vegetative growth for sixyearri ; while by remov-
ing a fragment of the plant and cultivating it in other con-
ditions the reproductive organs could at any time be made to
appear.

" If a sleeping plant is placed in a dark room after it has
gone to sleep at night, it will be found next morning in the

A 2

212 The h'ish Natujalist. November,

light position, and will again assume the nocturnal position
as evening comes on. Here we see the leaves rising and
falline in the absence of the accustomed stimulation : this
change of position . . must be the result of the internal
conditions which habituall}' accompan}- the movement. This
is the characteristic par excellence of habit. It is consistent
with the doctrine of continuitj^ that in all living things there
is something psj'chic, and if we accept this point of view we
mnst believe that in plants there exists a faint copy of what
we know as consciousness in ourselves.

" We have been considering the mnemic quality of move-
ments. The development of the individual takes place b}^ a
series of stages, each stage apparentlj^ serving as a stimulus
to the next . . like the movements linked together in a
habitual action. The rhythm of ontogen}^ is actuall}^ and
literally a habit. . . . There is a resemblance between the
two rhythms of development and memor}^ and there is at
least a prima facie case for believing them, to be essentially
similar. My view is the same as that of Hering, which is
generall}' described as the identification of menior}- and in-
heritance. . . . Evolution depends on a change in the
ontogenetic rhythm ; we have to ask in what waj\s the rhythm
can be altered. If ontogeny is a routine, each generation
must be mnemically connected with the next. This can onl}'
be possible if the germ cells are, as it were, in telegraphic
communication with the whole body of the organism. . . .
The mnemic theory of development depends on the possibi-
lity of somatic inheritance or the inheritance of acquired
characters. . . It is clear that there must be war to the
knife between the theory of Weismann and that of the
somatists. . . The strength of Weismann's theory lies in
its explanation of heredit3\ . . [but] I am not satisfied
with Weismann's theory. . . I incline to deny the distinc-
tion between germ and soma, to insist on the plain facts that
the soma is continuous with the germ cell and that the
somatic cells may have the same reproductive qualities as the
germ cells (as is proved by the facts of regeneration.) . .
The mnemic theory . . is strong precisely where Weis-
mann's views are weakest — namely, in giving a coherent
theory of the rhythm of development. We know that by

1908. Tht British Association in Dubtin. 213

making a dog sit up and then giving him a biscuit we build
up something in his brain in consequence of which a biscuit
becomes the stimulus to the act of sitting. The mneniic
theor}' assumes that the determinants of morphological
change are of the same type as the structural alteration
wrought in the dog's brain.

"The nucleus is the centre of development; in Semon's
phraseolog}' the nucleus contains the engrams in which lies
the secret of ontogenetic rhythm. But . . its function is
comparable to that of a nerve-centre ; it does not cast out
engrams, as Weismann's nucleus is assumed to drop armies
of determinants. . . The nuclei of the whole body may be
believed to become alike. The mnemic hypothesis harmon-
ises with the facts of heredity and ontogeny. But the
difficulties, . . I confess, are of a terrifying magnitude. . .
How are the changes arising in the soma telegraphed to the
nerve-cells ? . . In plants the flow must be conceived (accord-
ing to Semon) as travelling by intercellular plasmic threads,
but in animals primarily b}^ nerve trunks. . . To me it seems
conceivable that such telegraphy is possible. But I shall
hardly wonder if a majority of my hearers decide that the
available evidence in its favour is both weak and fantastic.
Nor can I wonder that . . the existence of somatic inheritance
is denied for v/ant of evidence. But . . it seems to me
certain that in development we have an actual insiance of
habit. If this is so, somatic inheritance must be a vera
caicsa.

" The great engine of natural selection is taunted nowadays,
as it was fift}- years ago, with being merely a negative power.
The mnemic hypothesis of evolution makes the positive value
of natural selection more obvious. If evolution is a process
of drilling organisms into habits, the elimination of those that
cannot learn is an integral part of the process. . . It is
sureh' a positive gain to the harmon}' of the universe that
the discordant strings should break. . . ."

The address was delivered in a quiet, }-et impressive, style,
not closely read, and with such judicious omissions from the
printed copy as to keep it within an hour's limit. Unfortun-
ately, the speaker's voice did not reach the farther parts of the

214 1 he Irish Naturalist. Njvember,

hall. The vote of thanks to the President was proposed by
the Lord Lieutenant (the Earl of Aberdeen) in a tasteful and
humorous speech, in which the "waking" action of sleep-
ing plants— even in the absence of any luminous stimulus —
at the habitual time, w^as held up as an example to the human
organism. Sir Archibald Geikie seconded the vote, in a few
admirable sentences, pointing out the likeness of the President
to his great father, in indicating so candidly the weaknesses of
the position that he himself held.

No student of the history of evolutionary thought can help
being struck b}- the fact that the President of the British
Association for 190S — apart from the "mnemic" theory that
especially characterised his address — holds the doctrine of
natural selection as Charles Darwin held it, in conjunction
with a belief in use-inheritance. The naturalist son of Charles
Darwin is a Darwinian, and not a " Neo-Darwinian."

THE EVENING LECTURES.

The usual two evening discourses were delivered on Friday,
4th, and Monday, 7th September. The first, by Professor H.
H Turner, F.R.S., on " Hallej^'s Comet," held a large audience
deeply interested. The second, on "The Lessons of the
Colorado Canon," by Professor W. M. Davis, of Harvard
Universit}', was remarkable for its great lucidity and the com-
pleteness and beauty of its illustrations. The sequence of
sediments, upheavals, and denudations to which the great
physical feature described owes its formation, were brought
before the eyes and minds of the audience by a striking series
of lantern slides, several of which were repeatedly used as
occasion required. In proposing a vote of thanks to Professor
Davis, Professor Grenville Cole urged the claims of geography
as a subject of University study.

The " Artizans' lecture " was given on Saturda}' evening,
5th vSeptember, by Dr. A. E. H. Tutton, F.R.S. His subject
was ' The Cr> stalisation of Water."

i9o8- The British A ssociatioji in Dublin, 215

THE DEI.EGATKS' CONFERENCE.

The conference of delegates from affiliated societies is
always an interesting feature in a British Association meeting,
especiall}^ to members of Field Clubs and other local scien-
tific bodies. At Dublin the delegates met in University
College on Thursday, 3rd, and Tuesda}-, 8th September. At
the first meeting, the chairman of the Conference (Professor
H. A. Miers), presided over a large gathering, and delivered
an address so suggestive and valuable that a somewhat ex-
tended summary will be w^elcomed b}^ readers of this magazine,
We print also a full summar}- of a paper by Mrs. Hobson,
of the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club^ on the establishment of
local '* Sanctuaries."

THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES OF LOCAL SCIENTIFIC

SOCIETIES.

BY PROFESSOR H. A. MIERS, F.R.S.

The affiliated aud associated societies number some which came into
existence nearly a hundred years ago, and many of them date back to a
time when there was no organisation which attempted to diffuse a taste
for science throughout the country at large. These societies were doing
pioneer work by creating a general scientific atmosphere. In fact, be-
fore the birth of the British Association they were almost the only
agencies occupied in this sort of pioneer work. The British Association
itself may be regarded as a magnified society of the same character,
chariging its habitat from year to year ; and the importance of the early
work which it effected in popularising and promoting scientific ideas
cannot be over-estimated. During this period the work of the societies
was not supplemented in any very adequate manner by the publishers or
the Press ; public interest in the general laws that underlie the processes
of Nature was only dawning ; the prevailing attitude of mind was
indulgent curiosity ; there was as yet no intellectual thirst for scientific
knowledge sufficient to create a demand for a special literature. It was
not easy even for those who had a personal interest in some scientific
subject to ascertain what progress was being made.

It was only at a much later period, after the stimulus had been sup-
plied by the British Association, aud by the Local vSocieties (whose rapid
increase was no doubi due in a great measure to the iufluence of the
British As&ociation) that a real thirst for information made itself felt, and
created a sufficiently widespread demand for a new class of scientific
literature. This resulted in the appearance of a number of excellent
cheap text-books of elementary science, designed to give a certain

2i6 The Irish Naturalist, November,

amount of sound general knowledge and to stimulate the desire for more,
and for a considerable time these continued to fulfil precisely the object
for which thc}' were intended. Written by acknowledged leaders of
thought, they challenged the attention of educated and intelligent people
to whom perhaps science had not meant much before. But by fostering
the desire for more accurate and detailed knowledge these primers con-
tributed perhaps to their own extinction, for with the increase of special
training and the dissemination of expert knowledge they have been more
and more supplanted b}' the educational text-book used in schools, and
the advanced specialist treatise. From the point of view of the amateur
this is to be regretted ; for he can no longer get an adequate insight into
the modern advances of science without either going through a course
of special reading in text-books of various grades — for wdiich he has no
time — or attempting to master a treatise which he can hardly be
expected to understand without a preliminary training of some sort.

Moreover, it must be remembered that the intelligent amateur no
longer necessarily belongs to a class outside scientific circles as he did
formerly, but he is frequently quite learned in one branch of science
though be may be the merest amateur in another. And yet he is in
danger of being placed in a position somewhat similar to that of his pre-
decessor, the amateur of sixty years ago. For him the introductory text-
book is too laborious and in a sense too elementary, the treatise is too
technical and is expressed in a language which he cannot understand.
On the other hand, the magazine or newspaper article he dare not trust.
Several good scientific journals exist which appeal to a wider public
than the specialist, but even here the articles are too often expressed
in language which cannot be understood by the ordinary reader.

Is not this also true about the societies ? The greater societies are
becoming every day more highly specialised both in their publications
and in their membership ; there are very few which occupy themselves
with more than one branch of science; and even those few which profess
to cover a wnder field break up into sections.

If it be difficult for the intelligent amateur to extract information from
the scientific text-book or treatise, how much more difficult is it for him
to learn anything from the proceedings and meetings of these societies,
in which it often happens that a paper, though read in a meeting of
specialists, can only be fully followed by twt> or three of those present .'

The result is that our intelligent amateur, whether he be a scientific
man or no, is placed very much in the position where he was sixty years
ago ; and I believe that now, as then, he may find salvation in the local
scientific society, if it really attempts to meet his wants. Cannot the
Local vSocieties, in addition to their ordinary work, make a special effort
to satisfy the educational needs of the great many intelligent people who
have not been trained in. or have not had access to, laboratories,
mu.seums, and scientific libraries, or biological field-work.

It is true that for their working purposes, especially if they are natu-
ralist or field clubs, it is advisable for societies to break up into sections,
but if only they could succeed in keeping their members together upon

igoS. 7 he British Associatio7i in Dublin. 217

some common ground in which they are united by a general interest
in science, and could offer educational help, they would be doing
work which cannot be performed b}- any other sort of society or by
the publication of any ordinary text-book or treatise. In the present
state of scientific knowledge and specialisation nothing can be more
useful than to bring together persons interested in different subjects
and to enable them to understand one another. The most useful function
that can be performed by the Local Societies, in addition to that of
kindling an interest in local problems and in the methods by which they
are to be studied, is to encourage a habit of expressing scientific result
in simple and intelligible language that will appeal to the whole
society. Indeed, nothing can be better or more useful for the scientific
specialist himself than to attempt to explain his own work in simple
language to a mixed audience.

The educational opportunities which lie before the local scientific
societies can only be developed by co-operation between the profes-
sional and the amateur ; let the professional scientist become less
professional and let the amateur become less amateurish when they
come together at the meetings of such societies. Everyone must
have seen how the utility of a society is undermined by a single
pedantic address, which only causes members to drop their attendance
or by the reluctance of some members to attend unless they can expect
to be amused by lantern-slides or showy experiments or witty talk, And
yet where can better material exist for the teaching of science than
among the members of a society who have joined it voluntarily, and in
the first instance because they really wished to learn ?

An account of some piece of original work actually in course of pro-
gress, and described by the enthusiast who is himself carrying it on, is
far more interesting and stimulating than any secondhand account in
text-books and treatises of the work that has been done at some previous
time by others, and should not require any additional embroidery to
make it attractive. Anyone who hears a keen naturalist describe the
excitement with which he has watched something new in the habits
of animal or plant must catch the spirit of enthusiasm, and feel
the stir of interest that is the inspiration of all successful teaching.

I am aware that to many it will seem that popularisation of the newest
thing in science is being overdone at the present time, I am suggesting,
however, that not only the brilliant discoveries, should be taken up
by the Local Societies, but that the more ordinary work of everyday-
science, equally necessary and perhaps equally momentous in its con-
sequences, which is at present buried in the proceedings of one sort of
society, should be made a real and living thing by the humbler societies
of another sort.

Up to the present, however, I have left out of sight the really great
educational advantage that science possesses over all other subjects,
namely this : that science is not only talk and thought, but action ;
that there is always ready to hand, not only something new to be
described or narrated, but something new to be actually done by both

A.3

2i8 The h-'ish Nahiralist, November,

teacher and pupil. Kitber some natural object or occurrence to be seen
that has never been seen before, or some experiment to be made that
lias never been made before. It is this which fires the enthusiasm and
stirs the imagination, and makes scientific research so enthralling ; and
the educational work which the Local Societies can best perform is the
encouragement of original research. A good deal is already done by
some of them ; but on the whole how little compared with what might
be done by some co-operation between scientific workers and the
societies, and some organisation of the societies themselves. Education
requires teacher and pupil : it would not be enough in general that the
members of a society should be interested by the address of a specialist
and then be left to their own devices to imitate his work and endeavour
to research for themselves. After he has stimulated their interest, they
need his guidance and advice. But I believe that man}^ a scientific in-
vestigator could enlist an army of willing workers through the Local
Societies if he were given the opportunity of interesting them in his own
researches, of suggesting to them lines of simple investigation which
they could profitably pursue, and of continuing to guide them b}' advice
and criticism.

Let the Local Societies initiate a new Science Extension movement,
in which they contribute from their members the willing workers who
are ready to act under the guidance and inspiration of those who have
had the advantage of special training and experience. Let them attract
new members with this object. There are so many persons anxious and
able to do something in the way of scientific work who only want the
sympath}' and guidance of a leader more experienced than themselves ;
such leaders may not infrequently have to be sought among the teachers
or researchers outside the societ}'.

In this way, and by some such co-operation, will the professional cease
to be a professional, and the amateur cease to be an amateur^ when thej'
meet upon common ground in the local scientific societ}-.

Surely anything that tends to break down the barrier between the
professional scientist and the amateur, between expert and layman, is
for the good of scientific progress. That the one should ever be actually
discouraged by the other seems almost incredible; and yet one has to
make the humiliating confession that this happens again and again.

In this connection I would beg all who can to read the most fascinat-
ing and illuminating address delivered to one of our societies, the York-
shire Naturalists' L'^nion, b}' Mr. Lamplugh, when he was its President
in 1906— an address which protested forcibly against the unhealth}' dis-
tinction between amateur and professional, and put forward a plea for
the need of the amateur spirit in scientific work. If I have succeeded in
this Address in making a practical suggestion that embodies the spirit of
his appeal, I may hope in some measure to repay the debt that 1 owe to
one who has always inspired me with the example of true and undivided
allegiance to the call of pure science.

1908. The British Associatio?i in Dublin. 219

SANCTUARIRvS FOR OT'R NATIVE FI^ORA AND FAUNA.

BY MRvS. MARY HOBSON.

The present time seems most opportune to introduce the desirability
of establishing Sanctuaries, for here in Ireland the farms are being pur-
chased by the tenants from the landlords, and many spots of value to
science, of general interest and beauty, are in danger of disappearing.
The demesnes are to be retained by the landlords, and it is to them that
we must look for help. It is suggested that Field Clubs, and kindred
Societies, should first consider the most likely spots suitable for Sanc-
tuaries, say, one in each county or area, and then send a deputation of
their members to the owners, asking them to fence them in, and guard
them from the ravages of intruders, the cost of which would be slight.

It might be thought that count}- councils, or other public bodies, could
assist : some of them have not the power to acquire land, and it is useless
to ask the Government ; for so much money is wanted for relieving con-
gestion, etc. Happily, Sanctuaries do exist, and I^ambay, Clonbrock,
Knocknarde, etc., are well known to readers of this journal. I do not advo-
cate the preservation of these for the admission of the man who fondly im-
agines himself a naturalist, because he is making a collection, and exclud-
ing for his benefit the man in the street. In journals one reads abuse of the
professional bird-catcher, and the woman who has the wings of wild, and
often rare, birds in her hat. I have no defence for them ; but what one
does object to is, that where the former are killing the commoner sort,
the so-called scientific person is not only collecting, but advertising,
every rare bird, and it seem^ absolutely absurd for one class to throw
stones at the other. The same with the botanists ; they are scouring the
country for rare plants, and the excuse is that they rarely take roots.
I know cases to the contrary ; and, even so, the scarcer the plant,
the greater the loss of the seed. A mania for collecting is rampant ;
societies should face the fact that rare birds, plants, eggs, butterflies,
etc., are being collected on too generous a scale, and that public opinion
should be formed to stop the vast destruction of life going on about us.
How often one reads of cases like the Ivarge-billed Reed Bunting, the
Red-throated Diver, etc. These birds are captured, and are not allowed
to breed, by the persons and for the objects I have indicated. Have we
made up our minds that no new species shall be added to our lists? It
looks like it. One of the usual pleas for collecting is, that eventualh-
they will find their way to Museums. I venture to say that our curators
often resent the dumping into them of much indifferent propert}',
which fills the space so very badly wanted for objects of true educational
value. I think that " Primitive Man " might often be applied to our
state. We are not very far on the road to civilisation ; we are only
beginning, child-like, to notice the things about us. We are children
let loose in the Father's Beautiful House, and are guilty, sometimes in
ignorance, of breaking and marring the beautiful things with which He
has surrounded us.

A4

220 The Irish Naturalist. November,

At the second meeting Prof. Grenville Cole presided. The
attendance at the opening was good, but became thin as the
afternoon passed awa}^ — perhaps through the attraction of the
part}' at the Zoological Gardens. Several papers of interest
were read and discussed.

THE SURVEY OF RESTRICTED AREAS WITH REGARD
TO THEIR FLORA AND FAUNA.

BY PROF. GEO. H. CARPENTER.

The writer gave a short account of what had been done, and what was
proposed to be done in Ireland, to impress upon all interested in the
work of local societies the important results that might be obtained
from the really systematic survey of restricted areas with regard to Flora
and Fauna, atid their relations to the country in its wider aspects.
Lambay had been surveyed with considerable care during the last
few years. The results were surprisingly good. They found five animals
new to science, twelve new to the Britannic Fauna, and eighty animals
and plants new to the Irish Fauna and Flora. One of the principal
objects of this survey was to trace the paths of migration of animals and
plants along the east coast of Ireland. A survey is now being conducted
by the Dublin Naturalists' Field Club of the North Bull, a sandbank
known from the evidence of old maps to be only a century old, the
object of the survey is to ascertain what species first occupy new portions
of land. A survey of Clare Island is about to be conducted, and very
important results are hoped to follow from such a research on the west
coast where the Fauna and Flora are of exceptional interest. In con-
clusion, the writer trusted that his remarks would have the effect of
directing the efforts of local societies to the desirability of having such
surveys in Great Britain as complete as possible.

THE ADVIS'^BIIvITY OF RE-vSTOCKING HAUNTS FROM WHICH
RARE SPECIES HAVE DISAPPEARED.

BY H. DAVEY (BRIGHTON).

In this paper the writer gave evidence for the view that extinction of
many rare species has not always followed as the result of over-collect-
ing, but frequently from climatic or other uncertain cause. For
example, the Large Copper Butterfly was, doubtless, exterminated by
collectors in some of its haunts, but not in all. Attention was also called
to the unaccountable restriction of many insects to small areas, and
I heir total absence from exactly similar, or apparently equally suitable
places in the neighbourhood. The judicious introduction of fresh
broods of extinct or vanishing species was advocated.

In the discussion that followed, the importance of recording all
artificial introductions was strongly urged by several members.

I908. The Bfitish Associdtion in Dubliju 221

Ou the motion of Rev. R. A. Bullen, seconded by Mrs. Hobsou (Belfast),
a resolution was adopted, bringing under the notice of local societies the
necessity for preserving the fauna and flora of their respective districts
as against wanton destruction or careless or needless collecting.

ON PERMANENT RECORDvS OF NATURAL HISTORY OR
OTHER OBSERVATIONvS BY MEANS OF THE CARD

CATALOGUE SYSTEM.

BY F. A. BEi:.i:.AMY, M.A., F.R.A.S.

In this paper the importance of efficient research work by local socie-
ties was enforced. Each society can make a permanent county or
other district natural history record by the use of a card catalogue, stored
in appropriate cases, at some convenient centre. The catalogue should
contain all published references to the species of the local flora and
fauna, geological features, etc., and also the yearly additions to know-
ledge made by the members of the local society.

WORK IN THE SECTIONS.

Section C— Geology.

In^the Geological Section, the most original feature was the
address of the President, Prof. J. Joly, F.R.S., which was an
exposition of personal research and reasoning on the relations
of " Uranium and Geology." He pointed out that the accu-
mulation of radium in the earth's crust, in great excess of
the proportion that can be conceived to exist in the earth as
a whole, may be accounted for by the rise of the hot radio-
active nuclei towards the surface in a period when convection-
currents were still possible. He quoted a number of measure-
ments made by himself to determine the radium-contents of
surface rocks, and enquired whether the world is heated
throughout by radio-thermal action. If, as is likel}^, uranium,
the parent or grandparent of radium, exists also in the core of
the earth, this central part is rising in temperature i but the
amount of heat added in a given time is always diminishing as
the uranium decay's. If this heat maintains the temperature
of layers round the core, its reduction will allow of the cooling
of these layers and the consequent giving off of a great amount

222 Tlie Irish NatiDulist. November,

of heat froui the surface. Hence the heat escaping from the
earth cannot be taken as a measure of the radium within.
Yet the earth has probably reached the stage when the loss of
its heat is balanced by that supplied by radium, and when its
future cooling depends on the decay of the uranium within,
and the consequent diminution in the supply of fresh radium
to the mass. An examination of the proportions of radium
in the rocks from the St. Gothard and Simplon tunnels shows
that the abnormalities of temperature in these tunnels are
related to the radium localh' present. The next section of
the address dealt with the effect of the accumulation of sedi-
ments, naturally containing uranium and radium, on the
temperature of the underlying crust. A weakening of this
part of the crust must result through the rise of temperature
towards the base of the deposit, and it w^ill hence jdeld to
stresses readily. The sedimentary region, commonly of a
band-like form, will then become bulged up into a mountain-
chain, a fact which is well knowm to occur in geological
history. Since the rise of temperature at the base of a deposit
is proportional to the square of the thickness of the deposit,
it by no means follows that sediments, such as deep-sea red
clays, of high radio-activity, are as effective in promoting crustal
movements as others of less radio-activity but greater thick-
ness. Prof. Joly's address appears in full in Nahwe for
September loth, 1908.

The whole subject connecting radium and temperature
being only five 3'ears old, it is remarkable that conclusions
of such high interest should alrcad}^ be forthcoming. Prof.
Joly does not conceal the assumptions made when he comes
to calculations : but the mere comparative measures, obtained
with considerable labour, offer a sound basis for future
dissertations.

The second distinctive feature of this section was the dis-
cussion that was arranged on Mountain-building, in which
the President also took part. Here, again, heating due to
radio-active bodies was brought into play. Since recumbent
folds and nappes de rcco^ivrevicnt absorbed much of the attention
of the speakers, Sir A. Geikie usefully pointed out the for-
mation of certain mountains by block-faulting, without con.
spicuous folding. Prof. Lapworth gave what was practicall}'

1908. The British Associaiioi ^?^ Ditblin. 223

a brilliant lecture of an hour's duration, in which he developed
the relations of mountain-ranges to the earth as a whole.
Prof. Sollas urged that attention should be directed to the
transference of lava to considerable distances as the result of
earth-pressures engaged in rearing mountain-chains. He
quoted the President's views as to the rise of temperature
under regions of sedimentation as being in complete harmony
with the present position of our mountain-axes on the globe.
He also entered into interesting details of some of the over
thrust folds in Switzerland. Prof. Cole endeavoured to em-
phasise the importance of gravitational sliding in producing
some of the features of recumbent folds, and stated that
Reyer's views^ recently revived, were really in themselves a
revival of those prevalent about 1820. Scrope's conception of
an ideal mountain- chain, where the strata had slipped awa}-
outward on either side of a central protrusion, might, after all
deserve an equal place beside theories of lateral compression,
The papers relating to Ireland are specially reported,
below, except that by H. B. Muff and R. Carruthers on the
Geology of the Leenaue District, which will be published in
full in an early issue. It may be noted with pleasure how the
difficult problems of western stratigraphy are attracting the
attention of a keen body of younger workers. The boundaries
at present suggested between Ordovician and Silurian (Upper
Silurian) beds in Ireland, are, as is generally recognised, liable
to much reconsideration.

Egypt and the Sudan were represented by Dr. Hume and
Mr. Grabham, respectively. Dr. Hume's paper on Egyptian
petrography took a properly broad view of rock-description^
and was illustrated by numerous original lantern-views. Mr.
Hayden and Mr. Fermor, of the Indian Surve}', and Mr.
Muff, who has made such valuable observations in Uganda,
contributed to the discussion on laterite and pisolitic iron-
ore, to which Professor Cole's paper, dealing with Antrim,
was merely an introduction. Dr. Tempest Anderson illus-
trated the modification of features in St. Vincent since the
great eruption of 1902. Professor W. M. Davis brought his
wide experience to bear on the conditions of the Snowdon
area during the Glacial epoch, and his characteristic sketches
on the blackboard were among the best features of the
meeting.

2 24 The Irish Naturalist, November,

At a time when Dr. Smith Woodward was opportunely in
the chair, Professor H. G. Seeley described, with character-
istic power of exposition, a new reptile from the Karroo beds
of South Africa, the skull of which clearly indicates the ex-
istence of a proboscis of some length, capable, as may be
judged from the muscular attachments, of being waved like
that of an elephant.

Although papers on physical geology perhaps somewhat
preponderated, workers in all branches contributed by their
presence to the success of these well-attended conferences.
It is not invidious to say that a gathering which included such
senior workers as Mr. W. Whitaker, Sir A. Geikie, Professor
Seeley, and Professor Lapworth, was certain to be stimulating.
Mr. H. J. Seymour, as local Secretary, organised a most
successful series of excursions ; remarkable among these were
the two whole days on the Saturday and Sunday. On the
former, Dr. T^Iatley conducted a party of sixty members over
the Carboniferous section from Rush to Skerries ; and on the
latter, some thirty members enjoyed a drive and walk, in
brilliant sunlight throughout, from Rathdrum to Glen-
malure, Glendalough, and the Vale of Clara.

Section D. — Zoology.

The zoologists of the Association were admirably housed in
the Royal College of Surgeons, Professor Alex. Fraser acting
as local secretar}^ and making excellent arrangements. Dr.
S. F. Harmer, F.R.S., of Cambridge, was President of the
Section, and local naturalists were gratified that Dr. R. F.
Scharff, of the National Museum, was accorded the honour of
a Vice-Presidency.

In his address. Dr. Harmer dealt particularly with the'mor-
phology and variability of the Polyzoa, a group in' which, as he
reminded the Section, an Irish zoologist, J. Vaughan Thomp-
.son, was the pioneer student, and G. J. Allman, another Irish
naturalist, author of the " classical monograph." Dr.
Harmer's own researches on the Polyzoa are known to all
zoologists. In a lucid and comprehensive survey of the
Polyzoan '^ colony," he discussed the function of the curiously
modified individuals known as '* avicularia,' supporting the
view that, "like the pedicellarige of Echinoderms, they are

1908. The British Association in Dublin, 225

defensive organs," and that their services arevahiable against
" encrusting organisms, including other species of Pol3-zoa ;
. . indeed, the enemies against which a polyzoon has to
provide are probably in a special degree the members of its
own class." Attention was called to the extreme variability
of the avicularia among the Polyzoa, and the difficulties raised
by this variabilit\'. " What conclusion can we draw from the
association in one and the same colony of the vicarious type
of avicularium with adventitious avicularia of the most special-
ized description ? How can we explain the fact that each
kind of avicularium occurs in certain species, but not in all
the species, of many distinct and not specially related genera?
And lastly, what is the significance of the fact that certain
species of a genus which is normally provided with avicularia
may be totall}- destitute of these organs ? " It is not surpris-
ing that Dr. Harmer, meditating on these problems in the
Cambridge of the twentieth century, suggests "that some of
our difficulties might be removed by appealing to the results
obtained by workers on Mendelian inheritance . . . that
the perplexing occurrence of vicarious avicularia in some of
the colonies of certain species may be interpreted as a rever-
sion due to the combination of two or more allelomorphs
that may not have occurred together in the parental forms."

The meetings of Section D were, on the whole, of very
great interest. Abstracts oi papers dealing, directly or in-
directly, with Irish questions are given below. Perhaps the
most striking feature was a joint discussion with Section K
on the "Determination of Sex," on Mondaj^ 7th September,
opened by Mr. L- Doncaster, and continued by Miss N. M.
Stevens, Mr. W. Heape, F.R.S., and Professor W. Bateson,
F.R.S. Mr. Doncaster, from breeding experiments with the
common Magpie Moth {Abraxas grossii lariat a\2ivA its variety
lacticolor, concludes that " sex determinants behave as Men-
delian characters, maleness and femaleness being allelomor-
phic with one another, and femaleness dominant. All
females are heterozygotes, carrying recessive maleness, and
producing male-bearing and female-bearing eggs in equal
numbers ; all males'are homozygoteS; carrying only maleness?
and producing only male-bearing spermatozoa." This theory
was supported by the remarkable researches detailed by Miss

A 5

226 The Irish Naticj-alist, November,

Stevens, through which Professor E- B. Wilson, herself, and
other American cytologists have demonstrated the presence
of an odd number of chromosomes (one less than the normal
number) in some spermatozoa of certain species of insects,
these spermatozoa apparently fertilizing female-bearing eggs,
those with the full number male-bearing eggs. Professor
Bateson also supported the theory' from breeding experiments
with Canary Finches. Mr. Heape, on the other hand, gave
reasons — derived for the most part from human birth-statistics
— in support of somatic influence on the determination of sex.

Kvolutionar}' problems of an older and simpler type were
raised on Thursday, 3rd, by Professor Poulton, Dr, F. A.
Dixe}', and Mr. J. C. Moulton, who exhibited and discu.ssed
series of butterflies, illustrating "convergent mimicry" of
distasteful forms. Embryologists were well pleased to
w^elcome Professor A. W. Hubrecht as a vice-president ; he
took the chair on Monda}' afternoon, September 7th, when
Professor J. P. Hill described the " Segmentation of the
Marsupial Ovum," and Professor E. W. MacBride "Gastrul-
ation in Amphioxus." These two authors defended respec-
tively the ancestral value of the monotreme yolked ^zz, and
the ectodermal nature of all the inpushed cells in the Amphi-
oxus gastrula. Both of these familiar positions were genially
attacked by the great Dutch embryologist. Later in the same
afternoon, Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., of the British
Museum, delighted the Section with a lecture on the "Evo-
lution of Fishes." On Friday afternoon (4tli Sept.), Professor
Cossar Ewart lectured on the " Wild Ancestors of the
Domestic Horse," expressing his belief that the North-western
and Libyan races of domestic horses are both derived from
Equus gracilis of the French Pleistocene.

Geographical zoology was represented by Dr W. A. Cun-
nington, who described his recent expedition to Lake Qurun,
in Upper Egypt; of very special interest were the announce-
ments of a freshwater gymnolsematous polyzoon with a
circular lophophore and eight tentacles, and of a freshwater
medusa with its hj^droid stage. Professor W. A. Herdman
contributed " Notes on a recent visit to the Ceylon Pearl
Bank," and Professor G. H. Carpenter gave an account of
newly-discovered Arctic and Antarctic Collembola,

19^8. The British Association in Diiblin.

227

On Tuesday, September 8th, the Section held a joint
meeting with I (Physiology) to consider the biological and
pathological relations of blood parasites, especially Trypano-
somes. R. Newstead contributed an account of the Bionomics
of Tsetse flies, while J. B- S. Moore and A. Breinl described
some newlj^-discovered features in the life history of the Try-
panosoma of sleeping sickness. When the flagellate parasites
disappear from the blood they are present as small, non-
flagellate cells in the spleen and marrow. Drs- Breinl and
Hindle gave a paper on the life history of Piroplasma canis.
Besides the ordinary amoeboid and " twinned " forms in blood
corpuscles, they detected two flagellate forms — one round, the
other oval, in the plasma of the vertebrate host. But they
had no results as to the life-C3'cle in the tick.

A discussion on nomenclature was opened on Fridaj^
morning, 4th September, by Mr. G. A. Boulenger of the
British Museum. He protested against the changes, in well-
known, classically-used names, that are supposed to be re-
quired by the " law of priority." Apparently Mr. Boulenger
carried the meeting with him, as a strong resolution on the
subject was passed.

The Section did not meet for business on Saturday, 5th
September, but a party of seventy paid an early visit to the
Zoological Gardens in Phoenix Park, where the Council
of the Royal Zoological Society entertained them at break-
fast in the Haughton House. This gathering was generally
admitted to have been ver}^ enjoyable, and much interest was
afterwards displa3^ed in the fine set of animals on view,
especially the three Chimpanzees at present in the Anthropoid
House, two well-grown litters of Lion-cubs, and the Pacific
Sea I^ions and Irish Grey Seals in their new pond. In the
afternoon, by kind invitation of Rev. W. S. Green, a party of
zoologists travelled to Kingstown and boarded the new
fisheries cruiser *' Helga." The vessel steamed out towards
Lambay, and practical demonstration of the admirable gear
and apparatus for collecting and preserving marine specimens

was given.

228 The hish Naluyalist. November,

Section E- — Geography.

■ The Geographical Section met in the Lecture Theatre of
the Royal Dublin vSociety — an ideal place for its meetings,
both as regards accommodation and lantern facilities. The
President (Major K- H. Hills, C.M.G., R.E.), chose as his
subject the present and future work of the Geographer,
especially with regard to the British Empire. It is interest-
ing to note that, speaking of survey work, he made a strong
appeal for a new primary survey of the British Isles, pointing
out that among modern national survej'S it was recognised as
one of the least accurate, the average error in triangulation
being far in excess of that which is to be looked for in good
modern work. During the meeting the Section had before it
papers dealing with almost every part of the world, and every
aspect of geography fiom survey instruments and school
geograph}^ to AIediterrane;4n man and Peruvian forests. Of
three papers dealing with Irish subjects; only one was read
by an Irishman — Rev. W. Spotswood Green ; the others being
contributed by Dr. C. A. Hill and Mr. Harold Brodrick, two
of a band of explorers who have been working energetically
at British caves and pot-holes for some 3^ears past.

Sub-section F. — Agricui^ture.

The votaries of Agriculture met as a Sub-Section of F
(Economics), being located in the Royal College of Science,
and with a chairman, vice-chairmen, and secretaries formed
in all essentials a distinct Section. Sir Horace Plunkett
presided over the meetings, and in a brilliant address dealing
with agricultural co-operation and the policy of small hold-
ings, especially as affecting Ireland, drew attention to the
need for a general revival in rural life and the part that
scientific instruction might be expected to take in bringing
the people " back to the land."

In the proceedings of the SubSection, economic and biolo-
gical subjects, were pleasantly mingled. The biologists
enjoyed a field day on Friday^ September 4tli, when Prof. W.
Bateson, F.R.S., opened a discussion on " Breeding and
Modern Theories of Heredity," giving a brilliant and lucid
account of the Mendelian principles. R. Punnet and Prof. J.

1908. The British Associatioii in Dublin. 229

Wilson followed from the same standpoint, while W. Heape,
F.R.S., insisted on the need of rational nutrition for the
mother. On Saturday, 5th September, one party visited
Colonel Everard's tobacco farm in County Meath, while
another were received at the Albert Agricultural College,
Glasnevin, and shown over the buildings and lands.

Section H. — Anthropology.

Section H met in the Royal College of Physicians under
the presidency of Professor William Ridgewuy. The pro-
gramme was a long and varied one, lasting the full five days,
and the meetings were well attended throughout, the excel-
lent acoustic properties of the lecture hall adding greatly to
the success of the Section. The President's address, " The
application of Zoological Laws to Man," in which he attacked
the almost universally-held theory that Europe was first
peopled by a non-Aryan race, and also called attention to
certain tendencies of modern legislation, which he deemed
unwise from the anthropologist's standpoint, was one of the
best and most original of the presidential addresses. Papers
which attracted much interest were those of Dr. Elliot-Smith,
dealing with the history of mummification in Egypt, and a
fully illustrated account of the Veddas, by Dr. C G. Selig-
mann. Considering that the Section met in Dublin, and
under an Irish President, Irish Archaeology was not as well
represented as it might have been ; but Dr. Scharff read an
important paper on the Irish crannog horse, and Mr. Goddard
Orpen furnished a contribution on the vexed question of Irish
motes, while Mr. Coffey and his assistant were responsible for
four fully illustrated papers, which included an account of
the distribution of gold lunulae in Ireland and portions of
Northern Europe, and a paper on a leather shield of Bronze
age type, recently discovered in Co. Longford, and presented
to the Royal Irish Academy. It was gratifying to hear the
President, when discussing these papers, tell the Section that
they had beside them, in the Royal Irish Academy's collection,
the best arranged Museum in the British Islands, and prob-
ably in Europe. Plenty of time was allowed for discussions
after each paper, and these were, in nearly every case, illum-
inating and useful.

230 The hish Naturalist. November,

Section K.— Botany.

The botanists were faithful to their craft, and the attendance
throughout the meeting was stead}'. The President, Prof F.
F. Blackman, D.Sc.> F.L-S., in choosing a physiological subject
for his address, set an example which was maintained in
many of the papers read — plant physiology bulking large in
the programme. This pabulum was varied by a good dis-
cussion on the origin of Dicotyledons, and by ecological
papers on the woodlands of Northern and Southern Eng-
land. Outside the meeting room, however, various diversions
lightened a rather heavy programme. Saturday was spent in
an excursion to the Murrough of Wicklow, where even the
physiologists condescended to field botany. A visit to the
National Herbarium, followed by tea, was much appreciated ;
a very successful Section dinner was held in Jury's Hotel ;
while the members of the British Vegetation Committee,
accompanied by some friends, including Prof Bower, Prof.
Weiss, and Prof. Praeger, spent the week before the meeting
in Connemara and Clare, and had also a day's outing on the
Dublin Mountains, studying the plant formations there.

Section L- — Education.

The fact that so distinguished a biologist as Prof. L- C.
Miall, F.R.S., presided over this Section caused naturalists to
take no small interest in its proceedings. The presidential
addres3 on useful knowledge made great but not excessive
claims for the value of science and its place in education
both scholastic and professional. A most suggestive feature
of the address was its insistence on the need of selection and
of concentration. " The truly useful knowledge is mastery.
Mastery does not come by listening while somebody explains,
it is the reward of effort." No wonder that in subsequent
discussions the President feared that lantern slides and
elaborate museum specimens meant only to be looked at may
not always help scientific education. A discussion of special
interest to naturalists on " Education in relation to Rural
Life" took place on Friday, September 4th. D. Houston,
F.L.S., G. Fletcher, F.G.S., and Rev. Dr. Foley were among
the speakers, and the value of nature studv was warmly
advocated.

1908. The Biitish AssociatioJi in Dublin. 23 [

ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS BEARING ON IRISH

NATURAL HISTORY.

SECTION C— GEOLOGY.
ON THE CAVE OF CASTLE POOK, iNEAR DONERAILE, CO. CORK.

BY R. J. USSHER. H. J. SEYMOUR, E. T. NEWTON, AND R. F. SCHARFF

Casllepook Cave, north of Doiieraile, consists of an extensive series of
deep parallel galleries in limestone. Most of them are narrow, with
vertical sides up to a certain level, where the walls recede with a wide
sweep, forming an arched tunnel. Near the top of this the galleries are
still spanned in places by an ancient stalagmite floor. Some of the sand
on which the latter was formed is still adhering to it underneath. Beds
of sand filled the lower parts of many galleries. This sand contained,
sometimes down to 12 feet, numerous remains, chiefly of Reindeer.

The geological evidence as to the age of the cave is unsatisfactorj'.
Only lolled and unstriated pebbles have yet been discovered in the cave,
and no foreign erratic. This would seem to indicate that the material
now in the cave, and hence the cave itself, is pre-Glacial in age, for
otherwise a pebble of the granite known to be widely distributed
throughout the overlying Boulder-clay might reasonably have been ex-
pected to occur amongst the large number of boulders found in the
various passages. No such pebble has, however, been found. The in-
ference, therefore, on more or less negative evidence, is that the cave
was formed in pre-Glacial times.

The bird remains found in the cave call for no special remarks. More
than half are referable to the Domestic Fowl, Turkey, and Duck, though
some of the latter may belong to the wild form. Like the bones of the
Rook, which are also numerous, the}- may have been brought in recenth*
by Foxes. The remainder all belong to such species as are now found
in the neighbourhood.

The Mammalian remains are of a very different character. It is true
that the bones of the Rabbit, Sheep, Ox, Horse, Pig, Fox, Cat, and Rat
seem mostly of comparatively recent origin. By far the greatest number
of the bones found belong to the Reindeer and Bear. The exceedingly
numerous bone splinters, the gnawed bones of Reindeer, and the presence
of many bones of eld and young Hytenas seem to indicate co-existence in
Ireland of the latter and the typicallj^ Arctic species. The Hyiena, which
had not previously been known to have ever inhabited Ireland, is closely
related to that now living in vSouth Africa. Other animals, whose re-
mains were probably dragged into the cave by Hyaenas, are the Mam-

232 The hish Nahualut, November,

moth, Irish Klk, Red Deer, and Wolf. Among the smaller Mammals
the bones and teeth of the Arctic I^emming {Dicrostonyx torquatus) and of
the Scandinavian Lemming (Z^ww«.s- /^///w/zi^) are very abundant. They
may have been brought in b}' the Arctic Fox.

No human remains or implements were found, except parts of modern
iron tools and charred wood, indicating the presence of man only within
quite recent times

In so far as Ireland is not generally believed to have been joined to
England by land in Glacial or post-Glacial times, the presence in the
country of the Mammoth, Irish Elk, and Hyaena apparently confirms
the opinion, arrived at from geological evidence, that Castlepook Cave
mast be a pre-Glacial one. This view is supported by the absence of
many animals from Ireland which seem to have made their first
appearance in England during the Glacial period.

PROBABLE CRETACEOUS AND CAINOZOIC OUTLINES OF THE

COAST OF CO. KERRY.

BY PROFESSOR GRENVII^IyE A. J. COI.K.

The dredgings made since 1901 by the Fisheries Branch of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland have amply
supported the conclusions then put forward,^ to the effect that the
geological structure of the sea-floor off western Ireland can be deduced
from a study of the stones lying on it from point to point. The most
interesting recent results are the discoveiy of abundant flints, chalk,
glauconitic chalk, and two specimens of Milioline limestone in dredgings
off the coast of Kerr}'. Mr. Worth's observations in 1908 on similar
materials in the English Channel thus receive confirmation from areas
tnuch further west, and it is clear that both the Cretaceous and F/Ocene
seas extended to an unknown distance in that direction, though we can
trace their boundaries fairly on the north-west. Many of the flints of
southern 1 1 eland may have been derived from local strata rather than
from ice-borne drift.

ON DOPPLERITE FROM SLOOGAN BOG, CO. ANTRIM.

BY R. WEI,CH, MR. I. A.

As early as 181 2, a black, gelatinous-looking substance was noted in
Irish l)Ogs by the late Sir Richard Griffith, who mentioned it in his
Report to the Bog Commission. Later, Mr. Moss (Registrar of the Royal
Dublin Society) noticed a jet-like substance in dried peat, which he now
believes was the .same substance. In 1903, Mr. Robert Bell, a member
of the Belfast Naturali.sts' Field Club, found a black, jelly-like ma.ss
occurring as veins in the lower or black-peat of Sloggan Bog, Co.

^ Cole and Crook, Report on Fisheries of Ire/and for 1901.

1908. The British Association iji Dublin. 233

Antrim, which seemed new to him. This was sent to Mr. Moss, who
came to the conclusion, after a careful analysis, that it was Dopplerite,
a mineral found in Germany about fifty years ago by Herr Doppler, a
mine inspector. As found, Dopplerite looks like a black jelly, but is
practically non-elastic, breaking very easily under tension, with a
conchoidal fracture like jet or glass. It dries into a jet-like mass, losing
most of its bulk, and where it saturates the surrounding peat, render-
ing the latter almost as hard as a brick. Mr. Moss describes the mineral
carefully in the Scientific Proceedings of the Royal Dublin Society for
July, 1903, and inthis Journal in the following month. He gives a list of
the places in which it has been found in Germany and Switzerland, and
mentions that in one case a stem of a tree, embedded in sand under
peat, was found quite converted into Dopplerite. Mr. A. W. Stelfox, in
recent years, noticed it in a bog in the West of Ireland; and I found it
plentiful, not in veins, as at Sloggan Bog, but in small isolated patches,
and saturating the peat, at Drumshambo, near Cookstown. Here the
dried peats cut from it were as firm as bricks. The only instance I can
find of its occurrence in the British Isles outside Ireland is in Co.
Durham, in a pitfall at Tantobie, where a substance was found in 1905 in
pockets and clefts that "seems to be Dopplerite from the description
given by Dr. G. A. Smytlie in the Proceedings of the University
of Durham Philosophical Society for 1906. There seems to be more
carbon in the Irish specimens than in the English examples. Mr. Moss
and Dr. Smythe both consider the substance well worth more attention
and research, the former stating that he considers it the nearest
approach to prussic acid occurring in nature.

OX THE IGNEOUS ROCKS OF THE OUTER BLASKET ISLAND.

BY PROF. J. JOI.Y, D.SC, F.R.S.

This contribution had reference to an investigation of the most
westerly of the Blasket Islands, the two small rocks known as the Foze
Rocks. A landing was effected in specially favourable w^eather and
samples of the rocks secured. These show that the two islands are
alike composed of black fine-grained lava, containing in parts many
vesicles and even pumiceous in structure. The sections show much
more or less turbid glass, with minute lath-shaped crystals and fine opaque
dust, probably magnetite. It is suggested that this represents part of
the lava plains of Silurian age which appear on the mainland and at
Tnishvikillane ; thus enlarging this volcanic area to one of the most
extensive in Great Britain.

234

The Irish Naturahst,

November,

UN A SKCTION OF THE LOWER COAL MEAvSUREvS AT
EMERALD PIT, DUNGANNON.

BY H. BOI^TON, F.R.S.K., F.G.S.

A shaft was sunk iu 1894-5 some little distauce to the north of the old
Druniglass Colliery, and was carried to a depth of 197 yards, penetrating
five coal-seams before reaching the Main Coal, which was known to the
miners as the " Congo "' seam. During the course of the sinking a
measured section was obtained of the strata passed through, and a col-
lection of fossils brought together. After work had commenced on the
deeper coal-seams, water broke into the colliery on two occasions,
causing its abandonment. A generalised section of the measures passed
through is as follows : —

Yds.

ft. in

Strata,

• •

» •

. 46

2 7

I.

Coal (inferior), .

*

• •

I 10

Strata.

■ <

•

3

2 2\

2.

Coal,

• • •

.

k

Strata,

• • «

•

. 65

2 3

0-

Coal (in thin partings

with shale),

•

2

0 5

vStrata,

• • %

.

• 44

0 II

4.

Coal,

•

■ •

3

Strata,

Ft. in.

a

• 25

0 5

f Top coal,

I ol

Brown shale,

7

5-

Coal. -1 Coal,

Inferior coal,
LCoal,

r 3'

9-*

( •

I

0 10

Strata,

• • •

•

5

0 6

6.

Coal,

• • >

•

•

3 3

Down to the level of the 4th coal, the strata consisted mainly of red,
yellow, and gre}- sandstones, with grey bind partings. Below the 4th
coal, black and grey shales predominated. At a depth of 133 yards from
the surface occurred a black shale containing a typical lower coal
measures Marine Fauna.

The following species have been determined : —

Brachiopoda —

Discina nitida.
Lingula sqiianiifonnis,
Spirifera trigonalis.
Cainarophoria isorhyncha ?
Choneles^ sp.
PPXKCYPODA—

Sanguinolitcs plicalus, Portlock.
Nttcula gibbosa,
Nnculana attenuata.
Protoschizodiis axiniforniis.
Parallelodon^ cf. Verneiiilliamis de
Kon.

Gasteropoda—

Pkuroioniaria^ cf. geiiuiinlifcra,

CKPHAI.OPODA—

Ortlioccras koninckianiiiii ? d'Orb.

Vermes—

Serpulites viembranaccns.

Fishes—

Palseouiscid scale and tooth.

1908. The British Association in Dublin. 235

THE LATKRITK AND BAUXITE ZONE OF NORTH-EAvST

IRELAND.

EV PROl'KSSOR GRKNVII,I,K A. J. COLE, F.G.S.

This paper was merely explanatory of au exhibit of the types of rock
formed during the interval between the basaltic eruptions in the North
of Ireland in Eocene times. It was urged, in agreement with the views
of Richardson and Tate, and Holden, that the red lateritic zone repre-
sents basalt altered in situ even down to depths of forty feet, the so-
called " volcanic bombs " in the layer being residual lumps of less
altered basalt. Such a tj'pe of alteration is clearly connected with the
climatic conditions of Eocene times. Some of the pisolitic iron-ore may
have accumulated on the surface of the laterite in pools formed during the
rainy seasons. The pale bauxites are derived from sporadic eruptions of
rhyolite, and the bi-pyramidal crystals of quartz in them prove this over
a wide area. The thin bauxitic layer, occurring as it does above the
pisolitic iron-ore, may be in part formed by wind-borne material.

NOTE ON THE OCCURRENCE OF (SO-CALLED) CAVE PEARLS.

BY HAROI<D BRODERICK, M.A.

Cave pearls, as thej- were first called in " Cave Hunting" (Professor
Boyd Dawk ins), seem to be of comparatively rare occurrence. They con-
sist of a nucleus of some foreign material, frequently a small pebble of
Yoredale rock (in one case a small fragment of lead ore), coated by
numerous concentric rings of calcite. All those found have been
formed in what might be called nests in the rock, into which drops
of water have fallen at comparatively long intervals from a considerable
height. Each falling drop will have the tendency to slightly turn the
nucleus, and also, by deposition, to coat it with a thin film of carbonate
of calcium ; this deposition is continued until what is called a cave pearl
is formed, ranging in diameter from "5 cm. up to 2 cm.

The three types with which I am acquainted come. from three separate
caves: i. The Blue John (Derbyshire). This type consists of a nucleus
of Yoredale Sandstone covered with layers of calcite, which become
harder towards the outside, the exterior being extremely hard, smooth,
and opaque; sp.gr. 275. 2. The Bagshawe (Derbyshire). This type
consists in man}' cases of a nucleus of Yoredale Sandstone, or, in one
case at least, of lead ore ; the concentric deposit in this type is some-
what translucent, the outer surface is slightly crystalline; sp. gr. 2*71.
3. Marble Arch (Co. Fermanagh). This type has a nucleus of Yoredale
Sandstone, while the covering is composed of carbonate which seems
to have included in it a considerable admixture of contained mud the
colour, is a dirty grey, and the deposit is comparatively soft ; sp. gr. 2*40«
As will be seen from the specific gravity in each case, the deposit is in
the form of calcite, a condition which might be anticipated from the
mode of occurrence.

236 The Irish Naturalist, Noveuiber,

OX TIIR IGNKOUvS ROCKvS AND ASvSOCIATKD SEDIMKNTARIEvS
OJ'^ THK TOURMAKEADY DKSTRICT, CO. MAYO.

liV C. J. GARDINER, M A., K.G.S. AND I'ROF. .S. H. RKYNOIvDS,

M.A., FG.S.

The district described lies along the western shores of Lougli Mask,
and has a length of about 4] miles with an average width of about a mile.
The oldest rocks are a series of grits, tuffs, conglomerates, red and black
cherts, and graptolitic slate met with chiefly in the south-eastern part of
the area. Graptolites have been found in the slate at three localities, a
large series having been obtained in the stream near Mount Partry.
These were examined by Miss G. L. Elles, and are of Upper Arenig age.
Succeeding these Arenig rocks is a series of grits and grittj' tuffs, asso-
ciated with a remarkable development of limestone breccias. A large
collection of fossils has been made from these rocks and examined by
Mr. F. R. Cowper Reed. The general character of the fauna, and
especially the presence of the genus Pliomera (Amphion) indicates that
these rocks are of Llandeilo age.

A great series of acid igneous rocks (felsites and rhyolites) plays a
prominent part, and probably includes both intrusion and contempor-
aneous members Small intrusions of various types of intermediate and
basic rocks also occur.

SECTION D.—ZOOL OG Y.
THE RESPIRATION OF I^AND LSOPODS.

BY E. I.. UNWIN.

Wood lice are derived from aquatic ancestors and the different species
are suited to different degrees of dryness. Trichoniscus pusillus soon dies,
unless kept very damp, while Porcellio scaler can live four or five days in
a dry box. Ligia oceanica^ Trichoniscus pusillus, Oniscus aselltis, Porcellio
scaler, and Arviadillidium viilgare foim a series showing transition from
damp to dry conditions of life, and a corresponding gradation from
simple gills to gills supplemented by air-tubes branching through some
of the abdominal exopodites.

THE MIGRATORY MOVEMENTS OF CERTAIN SHORE-BIRDS
AS OBSERVED ON THE DUBLIN COAST.

BY PROF. C. J. PATTEN, SC.D.

The majority of the author's observations, extending over twenty
years, on the migratory movements of shore-birds on the Dublin coast
have been incorporated in his work entitled *' The Aquatic Birds of
Great Britain and Ireland," published at the end of the year 1906; but he
has still continued to visit the scenes of his ornier hunting-grounds,
and, with the aid of trustworthy correspondents, he has collected further
information. Among the birds dealt with he referred particularly to the

190S. The British Associatioft in Dublin, 237

Sanderling {Calidris annaria). He had now stroug evidence to show that
this bird is found in adult phimage through the breeding season on the
Dublin coast. The observations of Mr. A. Williams, made in July, 1906,
jH this locality, on the vSanderling were of interest, as there was an un-
iisually large gathering of adult birds recorded. In many ways the
Turnstone repeated the migratory movements of the Sanderling, an 1 was
found throughout the year in adult plumage on the Dublin coast. The
author, moreover, had dissected the genitals of this bird, shot at the
height of the breeding season on the Dublin coast, and had found quite
ripe ova. He believed the time would come when the Turnstone would be
discovered breeding on the Irish sea-board, or perhaps along the shores
of inland lakes. The movements of the Little vStintwere apparently
irregular — a few pairs usually appeared during some autumn seasons,
but in 1902 he had records of flocks from the locality in question.
Reference was also made and personal observations described of the ex-
traordinary tameuess of certain shore-birds on their first arrival on the
Dublin coast, such species often only remaining a few days.

AN INQUIRY INTO THE FEEDING HABITS OF BRITISH
^ BIRDS.

BY C. GORDON HEWITT, M.SC.

It is becoming increasingly difficult, with the introduction of scientific
methods into agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, for zoologists
studying economic problems to form a definite opinion with regard to
the economic status of many species of the birds of our islands, such as,
for example, the Rook, Jay, Starling, Chaffinch and other finches.

This difficulty is entirely due to the almost complete absence in this
country of any precise information as to the food habits of our birds.
There exists a large amount of evidence obtained from observers, such
as fruit-growers, gamekeepers, sportsmen, and others; and although
some of this may be and is useful, much of it has been distorted. It is
necessary in order to obtain as accurate a conception as possible of the
economic status of an}- species of bird is the actual dissection and re-
cording of the contents of the crops and stomachs of a large number
of individuals killed, not only in different months of the year, but
also in different localities.

Such evidence is the only real and safe guide, and observational
evidence, after careful selection, must only be taken as supplementar}-.

Very little work of this nature has been accomplished in this countr}'.
The Biological Survey Bureau of the United States Department of
Agriculture furnishes an excellent example of the kind of work that
should be carried cut. The Central Bureau for Ornithology of the
Hungarian Department of Agriculture is doing similar work.

It is proposed to form a British Economic Ornithological Committee,
as such work can be best carried out by a number of biologists working
together. The Board of Agriculture have promised to help the inquiry.

23S The hish NaturalisL Noveuiber,

NOTES. ON TIIR DISTRIBI'TION OF IRISH FRESHWATER

(.AIITES HYDRACHNID.E).

BY J.N. IIALBRRT, M.R.I. A.

The mites in .cifeiieral are among the most widely distributed animals,
and the Hydrachnid^ are no exception to the rule. The winged insect
hosts to which these mites attach themselves during their parasitic larval
stage are very effective agents in the spreading of the species. It has
been suggested that the freshwater mites may be divided into two great
faunistic groups, according to the nature of the waters they inhabit,
and these two divisions serve equally well for a preliminar}" grouping of
the Irish species from a distributional point of view. One group con-
tains those widely distributed species inhabiting the standing and
slowly-flowing waters of lowland lakes, ponds, etc., of a comparatively
high temperature. To the second group belong those interesting forms
found iu waters of a constantly lower temperature, especially those of
cold highland lakes and streams. These forms possess a more restricted
range, typicall}' northern and alpine in character, reaching their
greatest development in Scandinavia and the alpine regions of Central
Europe.

THE develop:\ient of LITTORINA.

BY W. M TATTKRS.\rj., M.SC.

The eggs of L. litorea, each enclosed in a hat-shaped capsule are laid
freely on the shore, not aggregated together in a gelatinous mass.
There aretrocosphere and veliger larval stages. L. Utorea lives low down
in the zone of Laminaria and Fitciis serraliis. L. ohtusaia lives higher among
Fitcus: vesicidosus ; its larva leaves the egg as a veliger, L. ritdis and
L. neritoides which live near high-water mark are both viviparous.
Thus the genus exhibits three stages in the evolution of land from
marine moUusca, with the suppression of larval forms with successive
specialisations of habitat.

THE VAvSCULAR SYSTEM OF vSTYLODRILUS.

BY ROWT.AND SOUTHERN, B.vSC.

The genus Stylodrilus has hitherto been distinguished from other
European genera belonging to the Oligochcnete family Lumbriculidae
by the complete absence of the blind contractile appendages of the blood-
vessels which are so characteristic of this family. The new species in
vestigated (but not yet described) from the River Annalee, County Cavan,
undoubtedly belongs to the genus Stylodrilus, but differs from all other
species in the posse.ssion of very simple contractile appendages to the
dorsal vessel. These blind .sacs are restricted to the posterior end of the

j9o8. The British Association in Dublin. 239

worm, and are simpler in structure than those of an}^ other Lumbriculid.
This species thus forms an interesting link between the normal lyumbri-
culid type and the aberrant genus Stylodrilus. The relations of the
dorsal and ventral vessels to the intestinal blood-sinus are also in-
vestigated, and shown to differ considerably from the condition t_vpical
of the Oligfochaeta.

SECTION E. — GEOGRAPHY.
IRELAND— HER COASTS AND RIVERS.

BY RKV, W. SPOTSWOOD GRREN, CB.

This paper described the succession of events in the geographical
history of Ireland from the time that the river valleys were being
sculptured and the present configuration of the country determined
through the great Arctic and forest periods to the coming of man into
the island, the evolution and admixture of races, and finally dwelt upon
the beauty spots with which Ireland abounded, and which the author
hoped that many M^ho had come to the British Association might go and
see for themselves.

MITCHELSTOWX CAVE.

BY C. A, HII.L, M.A., M.B.

Mitchelstown Ct-ve, the largest yet discovered in the British Isles, is
situated in County Tipperary, in the valley of the Blackwater. There
are actually two separate and distinct caves. The existence of one, the
" old" cave, is now forgotten, though this cave was known and exhibited
in 1777. The "new" cave, first discovered in 1S33, is now the only one
shown to visitors. It was first described by Dr. Apjohu, of Dublin, who
partially explored and surveyed it in 1834, and published a map, which
has been the basis of all others up to the present time. It was further
explored by M. Martel, of Paris, in 1895, and described by him, and was
al.so visited by Dr. Lyster Jameson, of Dublin, who described the cave
fauna found therein. Very little is known of the full extent of the caves
even at the present day, and no reliable plan or map exists.'' The cave
was visited in 1905 by the author, who took many photographs, now
shown for the first time, and also explored portions hitherto unvisited.
The cave was found to be of much greater extent and complexity than
was previously imagined.

There is great need for systematic exploration and surveying, as the
existing plan of the "new" cave has been found inaccurate and mis-
leading, and practically nothing is known of the "old" cave. Geologi-
cally the " new " cave is of great antiquity, as evinced by the enormous

' The cave has been since thoroughl}' explored and mapped by Dr.
Hill, Dr. A. Rule, H. Brodrick, and R. \^., Praeger. An account will
shortly be published in the Irish Naturalist,

240 The Irish NaiuralisU November,

size and inimber of the stalactite and stalagmite foimations. There is
no evidence of present active water-action, the cave being practically
dry, except at two points erroneously called " the River." The explored
passages aie estimated at a mile and a quarter in length.

THK IMARPJ.K ARCH CAVKvS IN CO. FERMANAGH.''

BY HAROI^D RROBRTCK, M.A.

Three streams flow down the northern slope of Cuilcagh and sink into
the limestone at three points about a quarter of a mile apart ; the central
stream goes by the name of the Monastir. The narrow limestone valley
through which it runs is cut off, at its lower end, by a limestone cliff 130
feet high. The cave at the base of this has a total length of 40 yards,
and ends in a fissure of unknown height. Within 40 yards of the top of
the cliff is a pot-hole (Pollbwee) 100 feet deep, with a pool and a narrow
passage 60 feet in length at the bottom. Further north is an opening in
the moor called Polhiagapple ; this is a pot-hole with a diameter of So
feet and a depth of 60 feet. Its floor is composed of jammed boulders,
below which the river can be heard ; a high cave with good stalactitic
deposits leads from the bottom of this pot. About 150 yards further
north is Cradle Hole — a pot-hole So yards in diameter and 120 feet deep ;
at the base are two caves in which the stream is met with ; upstream the
passage, 15 feet wide and 25 feet high, has been explored for 55 yards,
but has not been surveyed. The downstream cave is from to to 25 feet
high and 30 feet wide ; it is 104 yards long and ends in a pool within
about 20 feet of the upper end of Marble Arch Cave. The roof seems too
low to admit of passage. The Marble Arch Cave is entered from lower
down the hillside. At the upper end of the stream course is a pool, pro-
bably the continuation of the one met with in Cradle Hole. The stream
flows for 123 yards along the "Grand Gallery," through boulders and
shingle, to the 'Junction." The " Grand Gallery " is from 5 to 20 feet high
and about 15 feet wide. At the Junction the roof is at least 50 feet high ;
from here the stream turns to the left and then to the right, filling the
whole of the passage ; it here forms a lake at least 10 feet deep in the
centre. At S4 yards from the Junction a beach is reached and 10 yards
further the open air, at the floor of a wide pot-hole 60 feet deep ; from
this beach the stream flows under low arches to another lake, from which
it emerges into the open just above the Marble Arch itself. A high-level
passage leads from above the beach to the shore of this lake, and a
second branch leads through boulders to the open at the bottom of a
wide pot-hole 30 feet deep, in the floor of which is also another opening,
which will be referred to later.

From the Junction a dry passage runs to the rights and at a distance of
45 yards becomes 20 yards wide and about 40 feet high ; the floor rises to

■• A full account of these caves, with plans, will be published shortly
in the Irish Naturalist,

1908. The British Association in Dublin. 241

the left, but the passage coutiuues forward to the right. To the left the
rising floor is composed of boulders and saud, cemented together and
covered with stalagmite. At the upper end of the slope is a fine collec-
tion of stalactites, A low passage 15 feet wade leads from here into a
fissure cave 30 feet high and 50 feet long. The low-level passage at the
bottom of the boulder slope continues for 93 5'ards, 15 to 25 feet in height
and about ro feet in width, to the ' Pool Chamber.' This is about 15
yards in diameter, and 20 feet high, and has a still pool at its lowest
point. Beyond this chamber the passage continues 15 feet wide and
about 4 feet high, and in 12 yards is blocked with boulders, A climb of
about 15 feet vertically upwards through these boulders leads into the
bottom of a chamber about So feet high and 25 yards in diameter, the
floor of which is entirely composed of a slope of large boulders. The
upper end of the boulder slope leads to the bottom of a narrow pot-hole
30 feet deep, for the descent of which ladders are necessary. At the far
corner of this chamber there is a small hole leading, between jammed
boulders, into the floor of the pot hole into which the high-level passage
opens, and within 20 feet of the end of the passage. The portion of the
cave beyond the Pool Chamber and the two openings there were un-
known before this year. Fluorescine put into the Monastir Sink at
11.30 a.m. in dr}' weather was clearh' visible at Cradle Hole at 1045 a.m.
the following day, and at 6.45 the same evening began to emerge at the
Marble Arch spring.

SUB-SECTION F.— AGRICULTURE.

THE EDUCATIONAL WORK OF THE IRISH DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE.

BY PROF. J R. CAMPBEIyT,, B.SC.

There was an agricultural school in Ireland as early as 1826 ; those
interested in this early venture wdll find an account of it in Thackeray's
" Irish Sketch Book." In 1838 the Commissioners of National Education
began their system of agricultural instruction, wdiich they continued up
to the creation of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruc-
tion in 1900. It was as a demonstration farm in connection with such
lessons that the present Albert Agricultural College, Glasnevin, was
founded in the same year, 1838. I^ater, about twenty agricultural schools
were established in various parts of the country. In 1900, when the
Department of Agriculture was established and charged with the duty of
providing agricultural education in Ireland, all that remained of the pro-
vision made b}' the Commissioners were two institutions — one the Albert
Agricultural College, Glasnevin, and the other the Munster Institute,
Cork. Agriculture can only be taught by men who have had a system-
atic training in science and practice, and teachers in elementary schools

242 The Irish Naturalist, November,

can best help agriculture by giving a sound general education with
" Nature-study " as an influence pervading the atmosphere of the
place. At present, in Ireland, agricultural education is carried on in
provincial winter schools, by itinerant instructors in the counties, in
large provincial agricultural stations, such as Ballyhaise, Clonakilty,
and Athenry, at the Albert College, Glasnevin, and at the Royal College
of Science. The agricultural courses at the Royal College of Science and
at the Albert College are ample for training in the technology of agri-
culture. There is, however, a class of the community whose position and
influence in the nation demand that the}' should have clear and sound
ideas on agriculture in its broadest aspects. Those destined for public
life, members of the clerical, legal, and other learned professions, journa-
lists, administrators, teachers, and all those whose position demanded
for them a liberal education — for such full provision should be made in
our educational system. Agriculture, as now taught in most universities,
both in Great Britain and elsewhere, being largely concerned with the
details of an industr}-, belongs to the domain of technology, and not to
pure science or to the humanities But agriculture can also be treated
as a branch of the wide subject of national economics. Its importance
in the national life is such as to demand from all public men a knowledge
of its history, development, laws, potentialities, and relation to our
social and economic sj'stems — a knowledge which too few public men
possess. Agriculture, taught as a profession, is alread}' fully provided
for by the Department, whose business it is to supply instruction of this
nature to those engaged in the industry, or intending to be agricultural
leaders, teachers, or scientists. To the universiiv belongs the function
of vshapiug the general higher education of the class indicated, and it is
to be hoped that agriculture, in its humane aspect, will receive from the
new Irish colleges the attention it merits.

IRISH SOIL MAPS.

BY T. HALIvESSV, B.A.

The work of preparing soil maps of Ireland was begun in 1837, but
abandoned in 1840. Since then very little had been done until a few
years ago, when the work was resumed under the direction of Professor
Cole. In soil mapping the physical properties of the soils, rather than
their chemical composition, are the important matters to consider. The
important thing to take into account is how the soil gets up water to
the crops rather than what it is composed of Farmers show that they
know this b> classifying soils as clays, loams, and sands, rather than as
potash or phosphoric soils. In a district a little over a mile .square, of
which a .soil map was shown, nine different sorts of soil had been found.
The work done has shown that it is not necessar}' to make a detailed
map of Ireland, but that it is quite sufficient to make a drift map, and to
take samples in the various drifts in Ireland and describe them.

1908. The British Association in Dublin. 243

IN-BREEDING, MENDELISM. AND THE ELUCIDATION OF

LIVE-vSTOCK HISTORY.

BY PROF. J. WII.SON, M.A., B.SC.

(i.) Having discovered the animal or plant desired, it should be the
breeder's chief endeavour to keep his stock pure ; and in order to do so
he must give great consideration to the question of in-breeding.

(2.) Indeed, it may be necessary to revise the Darwinian pronounce-
ment on iu-breedii:g. It is a bold thing to suggest that Darwin's ideas
about in-breeding may be wrong; but so many of our breeds of domestic
animals have been brought to the position they occup}' by severe in-
breeding that the subject requires, at least, reconsideration. If we look
round among wild polygamous animals, we find in-breeding the rule
rather than the exception. Deer are a good example. The strongest
male retains command of a flock until he is ousted by some other animal
who is in all probability a younger brother or a son of the previous
master male.

The greatest stock-breeder yet known in Britain was Robert Bakewell,
a Leicestershire farmer, who was born in 1725 and died in 1795. He
established the Leicester long-horned breed of cattle and the Leicester
breed of sheep, and he also took a hand at improving the breed of horses
we now call the "Shire." The pedigree of his greatest bull, called D
(born about 1772), is known and shows BakewelVs procedure. Bakewell
searched the country for the very best animals he could find, and bred
from them ; then unable to find other animals as good, bred from those
in his possession.

D's pedigree : —

A Westmoreland bull Twopenny

A cow from Canley called Comely^ Twopenny ^Their daughter^D

Comely

Bakewell's D was the sire of a still better bull called Shakspear, born
about 177S, belonging to Mr. Fowler, of RoUright, in Oxfordshire.
Shakspear's dam was also a daughter of Twopenny.

Marshall writes of these tw^o bulls: — " D is the sire of Shakspear, by
another daughter of the same bull, and is probably the most robust in-
dividual of the longhorned breed ; while D himself, at the age of 12 or 13
years, is most active and higher mettled than bulls in general are at 3
or 4 years old.''

One of the Collings, the early breeders of the Shorthorns, was a pupil
with Bakewell while Hugh Watson, the firstof Aberdeen Angus breeders,
was a pupil with one of the Collings. These breeders employed Bake-
well's methods ; copied them almost to the last detail.

(3.) Mendelism is evidently going to be of great service to the his-
torian of live stock. For instance, history lells that the shorthorn breed
of cattle is a combination of two races — a red race and a white. Mendel-
ism confirms this, since the cross of red with white among shorthorns
gives reds, w^hites and roans (hybrids) in the proportion required by
*' Mendel's Law." History also shows that the Dexter Kerry is a cross

244 The Irish NattDalist. November,

between the native Kerr)^ cattle and some other intruding breed, in all
probability a red breed brought from the south of England. There are
several theories as to the origin of the Dexter, each in succession trying
to give a more satisfactory explanation of the facts than that given by
its predecessor. The oldest theory is that the Dexter originated in the
hands of a Mr. Dexter, agent to Lord Hawarden. But this Mr. Dexter was
dead 50 years before he was credited with having originated the breed.
Besides, Dexter lived in Tipperar}', far away from the couutr}- the
Dexters come from. The next theory got over that difficulty by fixing
upon Dexter's grandson, a coastguard officer who lived in Kerry. But
unfortunately he '' never had anything to do with cattle."

But, according to another theory, since the Dexters are a Kerry
breed, and the coastguard officer had nothing to do with them,
the man who really originated them must have been someone called
Dexter, who lived in Kerr}', away up in the north, near where the coast-
guard officer lived. Who could he have been ? The cattle must have
originated in some out-of-the-way place. Did the Knight of Kerry
ever have a steward called Dexter ? Of course he must. The Dexters
originated, therefore, with the Knight of Kerry's steward called
Dexter.

Others, not satisfied with any of the.se theories, tell us that in Kerry
stout-bodied, .short-legged animals, and even men, are called Dexters ;
that the Dexter breed of cattle were " sports "from the Kerries, and
that of course they came to be called by the local name describing such
animals.

Unfortunately, here again there is a strong suspicion of the cart being
put before the horse. The original Mr. Dexter was an Englishman
who was a well-known importer and breeder of Leicester sheep. These
.sheep, which were much stouter and shorter-legged than the native
sheep, came to be called '-Dexters." They .spread over the south-west,
and along with them spread the word to express an animal of their
type.

But against all these theories we must place the fact that animals
of Dexter type were to be found elsewhere than in Kerry, and that too
early and too far away for any of the Dexter family to have had any-
thing to do with them. They were to be found all over Ireland wherever
the native cattle were being pushed out by intruding races — by Long-
horns, Herefords, Shorthorns, and Devon.s. Presumably these Dexter-
looking animals were crosses between the native and the intruders.

Down iu the south there were only two intruding races, the Long-
horns and the Devons. But the Longhorus could not have given rise
to the present Dexters, for the colours and size of the two breeds are in-
consistent. We are thus driven back on the Devon breed, and
Meudelism shows clearly that the Dexter is a hybrid breed, the original
races being a slender black race and a stout red one, like the Devon
breed of cattle. To bring this home, we need only set a red Dexter and
a red Devon cow side by side.

1908. The British Association in Dublin, 245

S0:\IE IRISH EXPERIMKNTvS ON WARBLR -FLIES.

BY PROF. GKO. H. CARPENTER, RSC, MR. I. A.

For the past four years experiments have been carried on by the
Irish Department of Agriculture as to the life-history of the warble-flies
and the effect of the commonly accepted means for checking their
attacks on cattle. The experiments were, for the most part, carried on
at Balhhaise, Co. Cavan.

In January of this year, a first report of these experiments was pub-
lished in the Department's lourual by the writer and Mr, J. W. Steen.
The most important practical result of the experiments has been to
show the uselessness of dressing cattle either with carbolic "dip," oil
and tar "smear," or paraffin emulsion with the object of preventing egg-
laying.

For example, six yearlings were smeared all over every day from May
till September, 1906. In 1907 they showed warbles averaging over 30
per beast. Four calves sprayed all over daily during the same period
showed an average of 15 warbles per beast the next spring. The average
number of warbles on untreated animals at the same time was 31 for
heifers and it for calves.

In the spring of 1907 a systematic squeezing-out and destruction of
maggots was set on foot : 2,000 maggots were obtained from 194 head of
cattle on the Ballyhaise farm, an average of nearly 11 per head. The
good effect of this operation has been strikingly shown in the spring of
the present year, when from 166 head of cattle only 694 maggots were
obtained — an average of 4'2. Equally instructive is the fact that five
cows grazed on the ovitskirts of the farm, and therefore open to the
attacks of flies from the surrounding country, had an average of 16
warbles per beast, while 94 cows grazed near the centre of the farm had
an average of only 3 warbles per beast. Observations show that the flies
lay their eggs usually on the legs, very rarely on the backs of cattle.
During the summer of 1906 six calves were muzzled by day and tied up
between stakes at night, so as to prevent them from licking themselves.
All but one of these had warbles in the spring of 1907, whence it was sur-
mised that the maggots ma}- gain entrance through the skin, and not,
as is now generally believed to be the case, through the mouth. During
the summer of 1907 two calves were muzzled and tied, with additional
precautions. These were the only two calves on the farm that as year-
lings are entirely free from warbles this spring (1908). It is likely,
therefore, that the protection from licking in the 1906 experiments was
in some way incomplete. During the present summer six calves are
being again treated in this way, and it is hoped that the method of
entrance by the mouth will thus be conclusively tested.

Hypoderma bovis seems to be far commoner in Ireland than H. lineata.
In both species the interval between the emergence of the maggot from
the beast's skin and the appearance of the fly is about seven weeks.

246 The Irish Nahiralist, November,

BARLKV-GROWING AND SELECTION IN IRELAND.

BV HERBKRT HUNTRR, B.SC.

After dealiug with the manner of origin of many of the varieties of
cereals which are to-day in cultivation and the methods of improvement
adopted by early workers, such as Le Conteur and Sherriff, the author
proceeded to describe some of the leading varieties of barley in use in
Ireland to-day. Some recent experiments in the cultivation of this cereal
carried out b}' the Department of Agriculture in Ireland were referred
to, and the main conclusions oi these investigations dealt with. The
special requirements of ])arley for malting purposes were described,
together with the effect of pure and mixed seed on the quality of the
produce. The author then proceeded to enumerate the various methods
adopted for the production of pure seed supplies, and showed bj' actual
examples from experimental single-ear cultivations of Old Irish
Chevallier and Archer varieties the existence of man\- closely related
strains of the same variety. The constancy of the characteristics of
each type was then dealt with, and their adverse influence on a pure-
seed suppl}' demonstrated.

The existence of "quality" in barley as a specific character was
pointed out, and the possible lines of improvement indicated.

As good "qualit)'" and high yield do not appear to be co-existent
in present-day varieties, selection of the forms possessing these
characteristics in the highest degree must eventually lead to hybrid-
isation. In all cases, however selection of varieties with demonstrated
characteristics must precede hybridisation, as this process results in
forms new rather in the combination of definite characters than in the
production of intensified ones.

It was pointed out that, whether dealing with hybrids or pure natural
varieties, it is desirable to propagate seed for commercial purposes from
single grains or ears, as this method results in seed possessing a mini-
mum amount of variation in anv direction.

SECTION H.— ANTHROPOLOGY.

vSOMK REMARKS ON THE IRISH HOPSE AND ITS EARLY

HISTORY.

BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D., F.I,.S.

That the modern Connemara pony possesses certain features of re-
semblance to Arab horses is well known, and has been recently
emphasised by Professor Ewart in his description of the various Irish
breeds of ponies. This character is currently believed to be due to a
comparatively recent introduction into Ireland of Eastern stock.
Professor Ridgeway not only puts the date of this introduction further
back, to pre-Christian times, he contends that these supposed Eastern
horses were imported from France, and were originally of Libyan
origin.

1908. The British Associatio7i in Dubliii. 247

The most complete remains of the Horse discovered in Ireland were
obtained by Mr. George Coffey in the Craigywarren crannog, Connty
Antrim. The human implements and weapons found with them imply
that the occupation of the crannog dates back to early Christian times.
The horses were then, no doubt, domesticated. Their resemblance to
the Arab type of horse is quite as striking a feature as that in the modern
Connemara pon}\

The remains from a tumulus and from Irish bogs, marls, and caves in
the Irish National Museum are less complete, but they all indicate that
in still more remote times a small race of horse, apparently similar to
that of the crannog period, lived in Ireland. It is important to note that
some of these remains probably belonged to wild races.

The available evidence seems, therefore, to support the view that the
resemblance of the modern Connemara pony to the Eastern or Ivibyan
race of horse is not entirely due to human introduction of foreign stock,
but to the fact that the wild horse of Ireland possessed the same charac-
teristics as the latter and transmitted them to the existing ancient
domestic breeds.

EXCURSIONS AND ENTERTAINMENTS.

The Dublin meeting was notable for the number of enter-
tainments provided ; indeed reception.s, garden-parties
and various festivities crowded almost too quickly one upon
the other. On the opening da}', Wednesday, 2nd September,
the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress were "At Home " in the
Mansion House during the afternoon, and man}^ earlj'-arrived
members enjo3''ed the civic hospitality. At noon on Thurs-
da}', September 3rd, a large part}^ accepted Messrs. Guinness's
invitation to visit the St. James's Gate Brewery. The garden
part}' given the same afternoon at Trinity College by the
Provost and Senior Fellows was somewhat spoiled by rain.
In the evening a brilliant gathering attended the conversazione
given at Eeinster House b}' the Council of the Royal Dublin
Society. A large series of scientific exhibits was arranged
in the reading room and librar}', and by permission of the
authorities the whole of the National Museum was thrown
open. Two ver}^ interesting lantern displays were given
during the evening. Rev. W. S. Green showing cinematograph
views of fishery life on the west coast, and Dr. E. M'D.
Cosgrave illustrations of old Dublin. On Friday afternoon.

248 The Irish Natiiralist. November, 1908.

September 4th, there was a special performance of Irish pla3^s
at the Abbey Theatre, and Messrs. Jacob entertained a large
part}' at their biscnit factor}'. Two semi-private parties were
given the same afternoon, 200 members being invited by the
Royal Astronomer and Mrs. Whitaker to the observatory' and
gardens of Dunsink, and another 200 b}' Dean and Mrs.
Bernard to the historic close of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Saturda}', September 5th, was the day for excursions. The
special excursions organized by the various natural history
sections have already been mentioned. The official outings
were mainly of antiquarian interest. Among the places visited
were (1) the Boyne Valley (including New Grange, Mellifont
and Monasterboice) ; (2) the Devil's Glen and Glendalough,
Co. Wicklow ; (3) Killaloe and lyOugh Derg ; (4) Athlone
and Clonmacnoise ; (5) the Rock of Cashel and H0I3' Cross ;
(6) the Dargle and Powerscourt, Co. Wicklow. On the last
named excursion the party were kindh^ entertained on their
return journey by the Earl and Countess of Meath at Kil-
ruddery. The Dean of Clonmacnoise both guided and
entertained the Athlone part}-. The weather was fair if
somewhat dull. For members who stayed in town, the
Council and Principal of Alexandra College gave an aftenioon
reception, and the Classical Association of Ireland, provided
a most interesting evening conversazione.

On the afternoon of Monday, 7th September, a very large
garden party was given by Lord and Lady Ardilaun at St.
Anne's, Clontarf, while on Tuesday, 8th, the local committee
entertained over 2,000 guests at the Zoological Gardens. In
the evening there was another special performance of Irish
plays at the Abbey Theatre, and a brilliant reception by Lord
and Lady Iveagh at St. Stephen's Green, where^ in spite of the
very wet weather, the invited guests enjo\'ed themselves
thoroughly. On Wednesday, September 9th, the Lord Lieu-
tenant and Lady Aberdeen gave the closing entertainment
— a garden party at the Viceregal Lodge. Fortunately the
weather cleared up just in time for this gathering, and the
guests enjoyed a fine if cool afternoon in the beautiful grounds.
Here scientific friends met for a parting chat, to talk over the
work and pleasure of the meeting, and to express hopes for a
reunion at Winnipeg in 1909. , ..,

HENRY CHICHESTER HART

To jacc page 249. |

December, 190S. The Irish Nahualist. 249

HENRY CHICHESTER HART.

Henry Chichestkr Hart was born at Raheny, Co. Dublin,
on Juh' 29th, 1847, and died at his beautiful residence, Carra-
blagh, on the shores of Lough Swilly, on August 7, 1908,
aged 61 years.

His mother delighted in gardens and wild flowers, and his
father, Sir Andrew S. Hart, was a distinguished mathe-
maticiaU; and Vice-Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, so
that his son's ability and taste for botanj^ were doubtless
hereditary. Donegal was the native county of the family,
and when about seventeen ^xars of age, Henr}', in com-
pany with his eldest brother, George V. Hart (now K.C., of
Woodside, Howth), began to scour the mountains of Donegal
each summer for wild flowers.; and the two brothers determined,
by means of that well-known and ingenious key in Bentham's
British Flora, to make out the name of every plant gathered.
Benth^m was, indeed; the British botanist's bible in the
sixties of the last centur}', and the writer of this notice well
remembers the keen interest taken at that period in ascertain-
ing the correct name of a species by comparison with the key
above referred to.

Hart distinguished himself in three spheres of activity —
phj'sical, scientific, and literar}^ the combination of which
in a single individual is exceptional. He entered Trinity
College; Dublin, in 1866, and took his B.A. Degree with
honours in 1S69 by obtaining a Moderatorship in Experi-
mental and Natural Science. He was a well-known athlete,
tall (6 feet r inch) and handsome, a powerful swimmer, and
the champion walker for some years at the College Races,
his chief competitors being his 3 ounger brother, William Ho
Hart, W. J. Craig, who subsequently became, like himself, an
eminent Shakespearian scholar, and Abraham Stoker, after-
wards the late Sir Henry Irving's secretar}^ and biographer.

Hart was conscious of his athletic superiority, and most
walking companions who could not keep up with him were
left behind unnoticed, and for this reason many of his bota-
nical expeditions were made alone. The writer's only chance
of keeping up with him in the mountains was to suggest
the ascent of some difficult gully or a traverse along the ledge

A.

250 The Irish Natuialist, December

of a nasty precipice. A common interest, liowever, in the
stndy of nature made these expeditions specially enjoyable.
In the survey of a new district no naturalist is ever likel'S^ to
approach Hart in the amount of ground covered in a single
day, and some of his records, where the plant is confined to a
scarcely accessible situation on the face of a cliff, are never
likely to be verified by the ordinary explorer. He used to say,
"Always look for alpines in Ireland high up on the north-
east face of the precipice.

For a wager with the writer, Hart walked from Dublin to
the summit of Lugnaquilla, the highest of the Wicklow
Mountains, (about 75 miles) and back in less than 24 hours,
keeping to the hills much of the way. The time-table of this
extraordinary performance is now before me. He was accom-
panied by Frederick Cullinan (now Sir Frederick Cullinan,
C.B.), also a member of the Alpine Club, who equalled Hart
in endurance, if not in speed.

In 1889, in company with the writer, Hart ascended the
Weisshorn (14,800 feet) and the Dent Blanche (14,300 feet), in
Switzerland. The days were fine and five or six other parties
were climbing the same peaks independently. Hart proposed
to give them all at least an hour's start, and, notwithstanding
these tremendous odds, the Irishmen on each occasion reached
the summit first.

In 1895, when Mr. Haskett Smith was writing "Climbing
in the British Isles," it was Hart who contributed the Irish
portion. It ma}' be well to warn readers of these little
volumes, that some walks and climbs in this country men-
tioned cherein, in a light and airy fashion, would be quite
impossible for an ordinar}' man to accomplish in the times
given.

Hart was indifferent to weather, and treated rain, wind and
mist, even amongst mountains, as negligible quantities.
vSmall incidents are often the best indications of character.
The following may be mentioned : — By appointment he
turned up at Fassaroe one dreadful day to botanize on the
cliffs around Powerscourt Waterfall and to hear, if possible, the
Wood- Wren Well knowing that if the expedition failed the
incident would for years afterwards be a theme for ridicule,
a few slices of bread were hastily wrapped up, and we started

igo'S. Henry Chichester Hart 251

in torrents of rain, absolute silence being observed regarding
the atmospheric conditions. Both wet to the skin "in no
time," Hart deliberately kept walking amongst the scrub,
briarsj and long grass b}- the river's edge, so as to discourage
his companion. To prove utter indifference to moisture, the
writer walked into the river and sat down on a submerged
stone and began to eat lunch. Hart, with the utmost
nonchalance and without sa3'ing a word, did likewise.
Saturation was soon complete. All rivalry ceased; and friend-
ship prevailed during the remainder of the day.

Physical and scientific qualifications induced the Govern-
ment to select him as naturalist to H.M.S. "Discovery" when
that vessel started on the Polar Expedition in 1875, under the
command of Captain Nares. Colonel Fielden, who was
naturalist to H.M.S. " Alert " on the same expedition, writes :
*' Physically, he was I think the finest man I ever knew."
Hart published his results in the Joiirnal of Botany and the
Zoologist.

The Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund in 1883
enlisted his services in a widely different region, when sending
out an expedition to examine the geological structure of the
Jordan Valley and Western Palestine. Several collateral sub-
jects were kept in view. Professor Hull, F.R.S., then Director
of the Irish Geological Surve}-, was in command, and amongst
the other members of the Expedition was Major H. H.
Kitchener, R.E. (now Lord Kitchener). Hart added consider-
ably to the recognized flora of the district traversed.

In the preface to the second edition of the Cybele Hibernica,
1898, the editors thus refer to his contributions to Irish botany :
" No attempt will be made here to estimate the precise share
" contributed by each of many field-workers to the advance in
" Irish botany which is marked by the publication of the pre-
" sent edition. The broad results alone are of general interest,
"but it seems only just that particular mention should be
" made of the services of Henry C. Hart, who has done more
" to further our knowledge of Irish plant distribution than
" any other explorer of recent years." When on a tour in the
Scottish highlands, he discovered Arabi's alpina (with which
he had been familiar in Greenland) near the summit of one of
the Cuchullin mountains in Skye, a most interesting addition
to the alpine flora of the British Isles.

A 2

252 71ie Irish Natiitalist. December,

Hart's keen eye was well shown when he found the rare
R Kbits Chammiionis after it had been lost for sixt^'-six years.
Though not the originator of the search expedition, it was he
who re-discovered the plant. There were two mountains
separated by a shallow valley. He took one and I took the
other. Both of us had almost reached the respective summits,
when my friend waved his hand and shouted. When I joined
my companion, he said, '' It is within a circle of thirty yards
from where I stand." Notwithstanding the small area to be
examined, the plant was not detected by me for nearly ten
minutes.

The botany of the British Polar Expedition, 1875-6, and
three reports on the Flora of Palestine were, apart from his
work in Ireland, Harf s chief contributions to botanical litera-
ture. His " Flora of Howth " and " Flora of Donegal " were
published in book form. Eight reports and papers on Irish
botany appear in the Procecdmgs of the Roj^al Irish Academy,
1881 to 1890. What I believe to be a complete bibliograph}^ of
his papers, &c., 45 in number, relating to the Irish Flora up to
1901 is given in Praeger's "Irish Topographical Botany."

Though botany unquestionably occupied the first place in
Hart's wTitings, birds, mammals and shells, were alwaj's studied
with interest. From 1878 to 1898, many notes appear in the
Zoologist and a few in the Irish Nahiralist. In 1888 he wrote
a book on the animals of the Bible. Latterly he had been
assisting the Rev. W. C. Piercy in compiling Murray's Bible
Dictionary.

In recent 3^ears purel}' literary work engrossed mOvSt of his
attention. He edited " Othello," " Love's Labour's Lost,"
" Measure for Measure," and the " Merr,v Wives of Windsor "
for the " Arden " Shakspeare, and Ben Jonson's Works for
the " Standard Librar}^" his knowledge of Elizabethan
literature being remarkably wide and wonderfuU}' minute.
Having no regular occupation, he w^as enabled to pursue his
studies without the hampering ties of business, of professional
life, or of official routine. Exploration in one form or another
was most attractive to him, since the physical side of it was
especially congenial to his athletic nature. Every expedition
was discussed and thrashed out beforehand with his life-long
friend, the late A. G. More — the central figure in Irish
natural history for over thirty years — on whose co-operation

1908. Henry Chichester Hart. 253

and encouragement he could always rely with confidence.
More s personality greatly attracted him, especially the gentle,
persuasive, cheer}- and sanguine manner, and the enthusiasm
with which a new plant-locality was greeted. After More's
death, he said '' half the pleasure of a discovery had vanished,"
and less interest was certainly taken by him in botany.

His garden at Carrablagh was a source of delight, and
nothing gave more pleasure than to show a friend, one bj-
one, the many rarities therein. No more delightful walking
companion could be imagined. Botany, zoology, and natural
histor}^ in its widest sense, folklore, local songs, habits, and
expressions were all discussed in turn. He left a great deal
of MS., chiefl}' relating to Ben Jonson and Shakespeare, as
well as collections of Ulster and other proverbs, songs, etc.

He was buried at Glen alia, in a spot chosen by himself,
amidst the beautiful scenery and surroundings of his ancestral
home, and' in the count}^ which he loved so -well, and among
whose wild glens and valleys he had spent the happiest days
of his life.

Richard M. Bakkington.

H. C. Hart's Papkrs and Notes on Zooi^ogy.

A. — Ornithology.

(i.) Ill the Zoologist,

1878 " Wood-Wren in Ireland.'" p. 34S.

„ "The Grey Wagtail gregarious at roosting time." p. 390.

,, '•'■ Tree-Pipit in Ireland.' p. 454.

1879. ''Wood-Wren in Co. Wicklow."' p. 341.

18S0. '■' Notes on the Ornithology of the British Polar t^xpedition
1875-6." pp. 121, 129, 204, 214.

,, "vSupposed occurrence of the Tawny Owl in Ireland." p. 255.

,, •' Blackcap in Ireland." p. 512.

1881, " Birds roosting in Reeds." p. 63.

,, " Supposed occurrence of the Crane at Howth." pp. 259, 307.

„ •'• Occurrence of the Blackcap in Donegal.'' p. 336.

1883. " The Note of the Manx Shearwater." p. 81.

,, *' Birds of Lanibay Island." pp. 155, 225.

„ " Cormorants resorting to Presbwater Lake in Summer.' p. 257.

1889. " Woodcock can-3ing its Young." p. 454-

1891. '• Notes on the Birds of Donegal." pp. 297, 334, 377, 421, 459,

254 ^^'^ Irish Naturalist. December,

1892. "Additions to the Avi-faiina of Donegal.'' pp. 32, 108, 191,

270.

„ '• vSand-INIartiu in Donegal." p. 270.

,, " Ruddy Sheldrake in Donegal." p. 359.

, , '■ Elacktailed Godwit in Donegal.'" p. 361.

., " Iceland Gull in Lough Swilly." p. 412.

1893. "Additional Notes on the Birds of Donegal." p. 22.
,, "Wood-Wren and Blackcap in Wicklow." p. 225.

„ " Sabine's Snipe in Donegal." p. 459.

1S94. " Cuckoos calling on the wing." p. 340.

1896. "Wood-Wren in Donegal." p. 195.

,, " Nesting Habits of Cormorants in Donegal." p. 231.

(ii.) In the Irish Natiiraiist.
1S93. ''Sabine's Snipe — a Correction." p. 324.
T907. ' Grasshopper Warbler at Lough Swilly." p. 47.

B.— Other Zooi.ogicai^ Papers and Books.

18S0. " Pine Marten in Ireland." Zoologist, '^. \^.

1881. '* Red Deer formerly in Donegal." lb., p. 336.

1886.:-' "Voices from the Irish Woods." Dublin, Sealy, Bryers and

W^alker.
1888. -'Scripture Natural History: the Animals mentioned in the

Bible." London ; Religious Tract vSociet}-.

1891. " Natterer's Bat in Donegal." Zoologist., p. 271.

1892. "Notes on Marine Mollusca collected in Donegal and Dublin.'

Zoologist, pp 51, 105, 139, 181.
,, "Spirula, lanthiua and Velella at Lough vSwilly." Zoologist,

p. 414.
1899. Black-Fish at Lough vSwilly. Irish Naturalist, p. 26.
„ Lesser Rorqual at Lough S willy. lb., page 28.

H. C. Hart's Papers and Notes on Botany.

In addition to those mentioned in List in " Irish Topographical
Botany," p. cxxii.

1880. "The Botany of the British Polar Expedition," 1875-6. Jotmi.

Botany.
1885. " Report on the Botany of Sinai and South Palestine." Trans.

Roy. Ir. Acad., vol. xxviii., p. 373
1S85 " Botany of the Jordan Valle}- and Western Palestine." Quart.

Journ. Pal. Expl. Coi/imittci', pp. 231-286.
1887. " Irish Hepatics and Mosses." /oum. Dot.
1887. " Arabis alpina in Skye." fouru. Bot.
1891. "Some account of the Fauna and Plora of Sinai Petra and

Wady 'Arabah." London (Palestine Exploration Fund),

4to
1896. Measurement of a Scotch Fir Stump, /;. Nat. p. 189.

Irish NATrRAi.iST, Vor.. XVII.]

[Pi, ATE lo.

P^i^UMA PuKi'UKASCKNS, Budde-Luucl.
Dorsal and T.ateral Views. Maguified 9 times.

To face pa^e 255.

T9C)S. 255

ELUMA PURPURASCHNS.
A WooDLOusE New to the British Isles.

BY DENIS K. PACK-BERESFORD, B.A., M.R.I. A.

(PI.ATE 10.)

Ix the October number of the Irish Naturalist (p. 206, supra),
I recorded the capture during the latter half of the month of
August last, of a large number of specimens of what I believed
to be an ArmadiUidiunij on the southern cliffs of the Hill of
Howth. Dr. R. F. Scharff, who has most kindly made inquiries
for me into the identity of this species, now informs me that
it proves to be not an Armadillidium, as I had thought, but
to be referred to the closely allied genus of Eluma.

This genus, which until quite lately contained only the
single species E. purpurasceiis^ was described by Prof. Budde-
Lund in his work on '* Crustacea Isopoda Terrestria,"
published in 1885, and though closely related to the genus
Armadillidium, has not previoush^ been found in the British
Isles. It may perhaps be remarked here that Prof. Budde-
Lund distinguished these two genera — Armadillidium and
Eluma — from Armadillo and other allied genera by the
presence of the very broad and flattened uropods, which in
the latter genera are small and rounded.

The characteristics which distinguish Eluma from Arma-
dillidium will be apparent from the following translation of
Prof. Budde-Eund's definition of the genus : —

ElyUMA.

The exterior auteniiLe slightly shorter than half the leugth of the
hod), hairy. The second segment of the scape wider but hardly lougei
than the fourth segment ; flagellum biarticulate.

The interior antennae conical, very small.

The eyes simple, very small.

The upper margin of the clypeus plain, not lobed.

The triangular frontal lobe depressed in the middle, forming on each
side, with the prominent oval lateral lobes, the groove for the anteuuLL-.

The vertical marginal line reaching the frontal line.

The lateral plate of the first body-segment slightly divided behind.

The telson nearly triangular.

The exopodites of the first and second pairs of pleopods modified as
trachese.

The uropods short, equal in both stxes, extending beyond the telson,
but not beyond the lateral plates of the penultimate segment : the
basal segment wide, oblique, four-sided, very unequally divided ; the
terminal segment laminate and tlattened.

256 The Irish Naturalist. December,

The points by which Eluma is to be distinguished from
Armadillidium can be easily seen from the foregoing descrip-
tion. For instance, the simple eye, the slightly divided corner
of the lateral plate of the first segment, and the telson not
extending as far back as the uropods on either side of it;
'vhereas in Armadillidium the eye is always compound, the
corner of the lateral plate of the first segment is always un-
divided, and the uropods never extend beyond the telson.

The following is a translation of Prof Budde-Lund's
description of the species E. purMirascens^ which at the time
he described it was the onh^ species of Kluma known. Prof
Verhoeff of Bonn, has, how^ever, lately described another
vSpecies from the Island of Teneriffe, which he calls Eluma
Helleri.

El<UMA PURPURASCENS.
't Armadillidium cdlaium, Miers, Proc Zool. Soc. Land., 1877.

Oblong-oval, ver)' convex, smooth, rather shiny, closely and minutely
punctured, clothed with thick short hairs.

The basal joint of the flagellum of the antennae shorter by half than
the terminal, narrow at the base, the tubercle of the antennae thick,
oblique.

The frontal lobe shortly triangular, slightly convex or flat in front,
rising slightl}' over the frontal margin. The line of the frontal margin
slightly curved on both sides, merging in the middle into the upper
margin of the frontal lobe.

The posterior margin of the first body-segment slightly curved on
both sides, with the lateral edge thickened, the upper part slightly fur-
rowed, the lower part slightlv and not very inievenly divided. The
lateral plates of segments 3-4-5 rectangular.

The telson short, shorter than wide, rather shorter than the uropods,
nearly triangular, with the apex rounded, nearly flat above.

Colour purplish, or pale purple,

Length, 11 mm. Width, 4-4.8 mm. Height, 2.5 mm.

Most of the characteristics described above can be easily
made out by the aid of a hand-lens ; the colour is, however, by
no means so distinct, in fact, it was not until I got the speci-
mens in spirit under a good strong light, that I could see it at
all, and then only in some specimens.

The general colour of the animal to the naked e)'e is a pale
coffee colour, and it may quite easily be passed over at first
sight as a young specimen of Arniadillidium vulgarc. I did
in fact so pass over two or three specimens, and it was not

fgoS. Pack-Bkresford. — Eliuna picrpurascens. 257

until I was struck by the very uniform brown cplour in so
man}^ specimens that I exsmined one with a lens, when its
distinct character at once became apparent. The younger the
■specimen the paler the colour, and I found many very young
specimens that were pure white.

The measurements given correspond very well to the
majority of specimens, but I found a good number which were
considerably larger, being as much as 12 mm. in length,
5 mm. in width, and 3 mm. in height.

I was under the impression when I first found it that this
was a shore haunting species, as I took it in such numbers
amonge-t the shingle and debris at the base of the cliffs in
compau}^ with Ligia oceanica. Philoscia Couchii, and Po7'cellio
scaber Subsequently, however, I found it extended all up the
cliffs, and even as high on the hill as above the Baily Post
Office, and I have since learnt that in the Island of Tenerifife
it is found at a height of 800 metres.

The chief interest I think in finding a species of this sort,
which is evidently a wanderer far from its original home, is
to stud}^ its present distribution in the worlds and to draw
what inferences one can.

Prof. Budde-Lund, in his work already referred to, gives the
following localities. He saj'S : — " This species is commonest
in the Island of Madeira." " I have seen some from Caj-enne,
taken by Don Gelski." " Two specimens taken by Prof.
Reinhardt, in the Island of Nicobar, and described b}' CL
Kroyer, under the name of Armadillidiicni piirptirasceiis are
preserved in the Museum at Copenhagen."

M. Adrien Dollfus refers to the curious distribution of
E. purpurascens in many of his papers on Woodlice.

In a paper on the terrestrial Isopods of North Africa\
published in 1896, where he records the finding of this species
in Algeria, he says: — "Recognisable at once by its single-
lens eye, Eluma pitrpitrascens has a considerable Atlantic dis-
tribution. The centre is vvithout doubt the Islands of the
Azores, Madeira, and the Canaries, but it is found again so far
awa}^ as Cayenne,"

■■ A. Doivi<FUS. " Les Isopodes terrestres dn Nord de I'Afrique du Cap
Blanc a TripoH." Mem. Soc, Zool. Frame, vol. ix., 1906, p. 528.

A 3

258 7 he Irish Naturalist. December,

In a previous paper^ on the geographical distribution of
Armadillidians in Europe, published in 1895, he sa3-s : — "The
genus Elunia is entirelj' western, and contains only one
species, E. p7irp2irasccns B.-L-, a woodlouse of a purple-red
colour, remarkable for its simple eyes. Ver}' abundant in
the Atlantic archipelagos, in the Canaries, the Azores and
Madeira ; it occurs again at Cintra (Portugal), and in Western
Algeria, but the most curious fact about it is its range
northwards to the French Department of Les Charentes,
where it is acclimatised from Angouleme to Royan (ver}-
common twent}' years ago in this locality, it has become
much rarer lateh"), and southwards to Ca3^enne !"

In yet another paper on the woodlice of Spain,'- he records
it from Constantina in the Sierra Morena, and in the same
paper referring to its French locality of Les Charentes, he
saj's, " where it has certainly been introduced." I am in
hopes that, now that it has been found again so much
further north, M. Dollfus may change his view on this point.
I cannot find that M. Dollfus refers in an}^ of his papers to
Prof. Budde-Lund's record from the Island of Nicobar, but
even omitting that record, it can be seen that this species
has a very wide distribution round the shores of the Atlantic ;
it must therefore be ancient, and may be undoubtedly classed
as an addition to the list of Lusitanian species which are
such an interesting element in the fauna of Ireland.

These southern species must in all probability^ have migrated
northwards in ages long past, at a time when these islands had
a land connection with the Continent, and when the climate
was much warmer than it is now, and must, in fact, be re-
garded, as Dr. Scharff points out, as one of the most ancient
elements in our fauna. How tliey managed to reach these
islands, and then to survive what is known as the Glacial
period, are amongst the most interesting problems discussed
by Dr. Scharff in his books on " The History of the European
Fauna " and " European Animals."

Fenagh, Co. Carlo w.

* A. Doi.LFT^S : " vSur la Distribution Geograpbique des Armadillidiens
eu Europe." ym Congres Into-. Zool , Leydeu, 1895, p. 357.

^ Id.: " Catalogue raisonne des Isopodes terrestrCvS de 1 Espagne." Ann.
Soc. Espan. Hist. Nat., vol. xxi., 1892..

i9oS. 259

RECORDS OF SOME IRISH WOODEICE

With Note ox Eluma purpui?ascens.

by richard s. bagnall, f.e-s.

During a few days spent in Ireland at the beginning of Sep-
tember, 190S, I collected several woodlice, and purpose shortly
to record those species which occurred in the Glasnevin
gardens and hot-houses. In the following short list of truly
indigenous forms Ehtina purpurasce^is is of exceptional in-
terest, the genus being previously unknown from the British
Isles or Central Europe. Eluma is, in fact, another link in
that interesting chain of South European species which in
these islands are so strongly represented in Ireland as lo
make the stud}^ of Irish natural histor}^ highly important.

Armadillidiuvi album, DoUfus,^ a rare species allied to
Eluma, which was discovered on the Devonshire coast this
year, is another relic of the Eusitanian group, described in
Dr. Scharff's very interesting works on the European fauna-.
Mr. Denis R. Pack-Beresford was fortunate enough to discover
E. purpurascens at Howth, near Dublin, in August of this year,
and is giving a full account of it. >.Iy specimens were mostly
found at the foot of a hedge-row, from which we beat out the
P3'renean Weevil ( OHorrhyncJnis anropiinctatusj another
representative of the same faunistic group.

TRICHONISCID^.

Trichoniscus pusillus, Brandt.— No doubt connnon and widely
distributed. Near Lurgan. on the shore of Lough Neagh ; Howth,
Portniarnock, and Dubhu, September, 1908.

ONISCID^E.

Porcellio scaber, Latr ) From the same locaUties as 7\ pusillus ;

Oniscus asellus, L. > common.

Phiioscia muscorum, vScop. — Portniarnock, Lurgan, common.

P. Couchii, Kin. — On vSeptember 5th I saw a single specimen of
what was undoubtedly this interesting species, on the shore near
Howth, but the too close attention of two wasps, prevented me from

' BaGNALI., R. S. — " On Annadillidium album, Dollfus, a rare woodlouse
new to the fauna of Great Britain." Zoologist^ pp. 152-4, 190S.

* SCHARKF, R. F.— " The History of the European Fauna," 1899.
" European xAnimals,'" 1907.

26o TJic Irish N'aturalist. December,

capturing the Philoscia. On mentioning this to INIr. Beresford he told
me that P. Couchii occurred commonly at Howth. this species being one
of his recent interesting additions to the Irish fauna, and belonging
like the Eluuia, to the ancient Lusitanian group.

Cyllsticus convexus, De Geer. — A rare species in Ireland, of which
I can record a single specimen from a heap of vegetable refuse on the
sea-shore near Howth, September 5th, 190S.

ARIYIADILLIDIID^E.

Eluma purpurasccns, Rudde-Lund. — In large numbers under
sods and in vegetable refuse in hedge-rows near Portmarnock station
September 4th and 6th, and a single example with Cylisticus at Howth.

My specimens have been examined b\' Prof. Budde-Lund, of Copen-
hagen, and the Rev. Canon Norman, F.R.S., to whom ni}' thanks are
due ; and Canon Norman has also kindly sent me specimens collected by
himself in Madeira, pointing out that the Irish examples have decidedly
stronger pubescence.

Armadillldium vulgare, I^atr.— Portmarnock ; with Eluma and
equally ccmmou.

\Vi n latou-on-Ty ne.

IRISH SOCIETIES.

EOYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

Recent gifts include two Kestrels from Mr. W. R. Woodrow, three
Doves from Mr, Buckland, a Peregrine Falcon from Dr. ]MacDowel
Cosgrave, a Landrail from Mr. Crawford Donnelh^, a Sparrow-hawk fron>
Mrs. E. C. Murphy, two jNIute Swans from Mr. Nathaniel Hone, two
Rabbits from Mr. C. Treacy, some Brown Trout from Mr. R. T. Black-
burne, a Muscovy Duck and Drake from Mrs. Newell, a Lizard from JNIiss
vSnowden, a pair of Pochards from Dr. Phillips, a Pluto Monkey from
Dr. Beauchamp Doole}-, an Angolan Vulture from Capt. Corsellis, a
Hedgehog with young from ]\Ir. V. Usslicr, a Siamese Cat from Mr. J.
N. Lentaigne. a IMarmoset from Miss Taylor, a Barnard's Parrakeet from
Mr. W. W. Murphy, a Badger from Mr. P\ Hughes, a pair of Barn Owls
from Mr. Rea, ten Golden and Amherst Pheasants from Lt.-Col. Butt, a
Ring-necked Parrakeet from Mr. Taplin, a Guinea-pig from ISIr. J.
Dolphin, a pair of Cayuga Ducks from Mrs. Morgan, a Buzzard from
]\Ir. J. INI. Johnson, a Curlew from Capt. C. O. Ibbetson, a vSalamander
from IVIr. T. Carton, a young Barn Owl from Mr J. Caddow, four Doves
and two Pigeons from Mr. C. C. Sloaue, and a Green Plover from Mr.
V. Carton A Green Monkey has been temporarily deposited in the
(hardens, and two Toucans have been bought.

The birth of a litter of three Pumas in September was a noteworthy
event, as these great '" American Lions "' have rarely bred in the Gardens.

1908. P) oceedings of his h Societies. 261

The tawiiy mother, with her three vSpotted young, playing in thesunshine
formed a beautiful sight for several weeks, but, unfortunately, she was
not able to rear the cubs, and two of them died. It is hoped that the
third may be saved by hand-feeding. Two litters of Lion cubs
were born in October — one of them from •'"Conn "and "Vesta" in the
open-air den ; the other from "Niger" and "Nigeria," the two West
African lions given by H. I\I. the King.

The Council lately decided to publish some of the missing records of
the Society which had been collected from old Dublin papers by the
late Mr. Caesar Litton Falkiner and Professor D. J. Cunningham. During
the many changes through which the Society has passed, the reports of
the Society of about twenty years were lost, and it was only by hunting
up the old newspapers that some of these have been found, and are now
printed. The period referred to covers from 1840-1860. The number of
copies is limited. vSonie extra copies have been retained and these can be
obtained from the Hon. vSecretary of the vSociety.

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB.

May 13 The Club met at Leinster House. Prof. G H. Carpenter

(President) showed the first larval stage of the Apple Sucker (^Psylla
niali.')

Dr. G. H. PethybridGE exhibited the parasitic fungus Ustilago
longissima, Sow., which he had collected on the shore of Lough Melviu
Co. Fermanagh, growing on the leaves of Glyceria fluitaiis. It has pre-
viously onl}' been recorded in Ireland as growling on G. aqiiatica on
the banks of the Boyne and at Enfield.

R. Southern exhibited a polychaet worm, BraiithioJiuna veskulosum
(Mont.), belonging to the family vSabellidae. It was first described by
the English naturalist Montagu from the South Devon coast, about 100
years ago. It lives in sandy tubes near low- water mark. The species is
chiefly remarkable for the presence of a single compound eye, just below
the tip of each gill filament. The Irish specimens were obtained at
Ross shore, on the west coast, this being its first Irish recoi'd. It occurs
on the shores of the English Channel and the Mediterranean.

W. F. GuNN showed leaves of carnations attacked by Uromyces dianthi
(Niessl.>, and also a slide of the uredospores. The latter are spheroid or
elliptical, pale brown, with thick walls, and are produced in blisters or
pustules on the surface of the leaves. It is a difficult parasite to eradic-
ate, and burning the affected plants w^ould appear to be the only certain
and effective procedure in severe cases.

It was agreed to hold the annual excursion on June 20, and to visit the
Devil's Glen, Co. Wicklow.

October 14.— The Club met at Leinster House.

Dr. G. H. PethybridGE (President) exhibited the fungus Dichomera
Sauhinetti (Mont.), Cooke, which is new to Ireland. It was found growing
parasitically on the bark of young trees of Vbmis moutana, var. vegeta, at
the Department of Agriculture's Forestry Station, at Avondale, Co,

262 The Irish Nahu-alist. l^ecember,

Wicklow. Out of about 300 young trees, it was difficult to fiud ex-
amples without the funirus ou them, and mau y have already been killed.
Whether the others will throw the disease off or not remains to be
seen. Saccardo records it on twigs of Buckthorn, Klder, and Oak in
France, Italy, and Great Britain, but not on Kim, and apparently not as
a parasite. The fungus has, in all probability, been introduced with
the young trees which, although purchased from an Irish firm, probably
came from France.

Prof. G. ir CarpknteR showed a new species of Pallenopsis from
the Indian Ocean, dredged off the coast of British East Africa by Mr
Charles Croslaud. The species, which is remarkable for a series of
beautifully-pinnate sensory bristles on the legs, will shortly be des-
cribed in a paper to be communicated to the Linnean Society.

R. Southern exhibited a pol3'chaet worm, Autolyttis pictus (Ehlers),
belonging to the family Syllidye. This species is coloured iu a very
regular and striking way. and is also noteworthy for its life-histor}',
which shows periods of budding, alternating with normal sexual repro -
duction. The specimen shown was the asexual nurse-stock. It was
dredged in two fathoms in Malahide Inlet, by the Dublin Ba}' Marine
Biological Committee. It has not previously been recorded from
Ireland, but occurs round Great Britain, in the Mediterranean, &c.

W. F. GUNN showed a specimen of an Aphis, Lachmib viviinalis [(Pass.),
which was found feeding in large numbers on the bark ot a Weeping
Willow at Blackrock. The species is fairly common in Britain, and
sometimes proves ver}- harmful to willows and osiers. It is a compara-
tively large Aphis, and has a peculiar horn-like eminence on the centre
of the dorsum, the use of which is not certainly known. Buckton, in
his monograph of the genera, says that " although the apex is furnished
W'ith several minute pores, the organ may be regarded as blind, or im-
perforate. It has not the function of a nectary, but probably that of an
odoriferous gland.'"

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

Jui^v 11-14. BuNCRANA AND DISTRICT. — Forty-scveu members and
friends joined this excursion, which proved to be of a most enjoyable
character. The weather was not all that could have been desired, but
the long day that was .spent in the open air turned out quite fine. The
party left Belfast at 8 25 a.m. on vSaturday, July 11, and just caught the
12 o'clock train for Buncraua at the Lough Swilly Railway. The Lough
Swilly Hotel, Buncraua, was the headquarters, and here lunch was
served immediately on arrival. After lunch, the drive to Duuree Head
was commenced in heavy rain, but, in spite of thi.s, the whole programme
for the afternoon was carried out. On arrival at the head, the naturalists
explored the river and the mountain, while the other members were
taken over the modern fort by kind permission of the Colonel in charge.
At 6 o'clock the return drive to Buncrana was begun.

190S. Proceedings of Irish Societies. 263

The next day being vSuuday, ineu)bers were free to make their own
arrangements. Many of them explored the places of interest in the
neighbourhood of Buncrana, whilst some visited the sand-dunes and
strand of Culdaff, on the eastern shore of the peninsula. On Monday
morning, a special train conveyed the party to Ballyliffin, where the
entire day was spent on the very extensive sand-dunes there. The day
was beautifully fine, and the members made the most of their oppor-
tunities for studying the fauna and flora of the district. In the after-
noon, some members from Londonderry joined the party, and a most
enjoyable day was spent. The 6.55 train brought the members back to
Buncrana. After dinner, the usual business meeting was held, the
President being in the chair. On Tuesday, 14th, the party left the hotel
at 9.15 on cars, the destination being the Mintiaghs Lakes, situated
among the mountains amid typical Donegal scenery. On reaching
Lough Fad, the members explored the shores of the lakes and the sur-
rounding country, making their way slowl}- down to the lower lake, over
a mile distant. Cars w^ere remounted, the hotel reached at 2 o'clock,
and after luncheon a special train at 3.25 conveyed the party to London-
derry. Here conveyances were in waiting to bring the members to the
INIunicipal Museum, Biook Park, w^here they were received by several
members of the Derry Corporation, and Mr. D. C. Campbell, the
founder and Honorary Curator. The members were conducted through
the Museum, the scheme of the exhibits explained, and the more in-
teresting specimens pointed out by Mr, Campbell. The 5.40 train was
taken to Belfast, dinner being partaken of ^v^ route.

Large collections of insects, crustaceans, spiders, and mollusca were
obtained and preserved for future examination.

Jui,Y 25. Excursion to Lagan Canai,. — Forty members and friends
travelled by the 2 o'clock train to Hillsborough, from whence a walk of
less than a mile brought the party to Newport Bridge. P'rom this point
the walk down the canal to Lisburn was begun, and 2\ hours being-
allowed for it, there was ample opportunity for collecting the many
forms of plant and animal life with which the canal abounded. At 5.30
tea w^as served in the Temperance Institute, Lisburn, and after tea the
usual business meeting was held, the Vice-President, W. H. Gallway, in,
the chair. One new member was elected.

August 8. Excursion to Carwngford.— Forty-eight members and
friends travelled by the 9.30 train to Cailingford. On arrival the party
scattered, a large contingent climbing Carlingford Mountain, and com-
ing back laden with botanical spoils. The chief interest of this excur-
sion was archaeological, and the Priory and old castles were inspected
with much interest. At 5 o'clock the members had tea, and outside
the railway station the usual business meeting was held, the President
(Robert Patterson) in the chair. Two new members were elected. The
President's prize for the best list of birds noted during the day, was won
by Mrs. Nevin H. Foster.

August 29. Excursion to Dundrum. — The last excursion for the
season was attended by thirty-two members and friends, who travelled

2^4 *^^^ Irish Naturalist. December,

by the 12 o'clock train to Dundrnm. After inspecting closely the well-
known castle, the party proceeded on foot to Slidderyford cronileac, and
from thence scattered over the Newcastle sand-dunes, where the
Secretary found a very perfect arrow-head. Heav}- rain came on, which
impeded the work of the collectors. After tea in Newcastle, the business
meeting was held, the President in the chair. Belfast was reached at
S.30.

The Report and Proceedings of the Belfa.st Naturalists' Field Club for
1907-8, recently issued, again contains a record of a good 3'ear's work.
The eight field meetings (including the Cork Field Club Union Confer-
ence) and twenty winter meetings held, were well attended. Attention
is drawn to the excellent discoveries made by members among the jVIol-
lusca and Land Isopoda. The most interesting of the several illustrations
is a photograph by R. Welch o{ Spirantiies Romanzoffiana in flower in situ
on the shores of Lough Neagh.

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

October 3,— Excursion to Avondai^e Forestry Station. —
Twenty-two members and visitors left Dublin by the to. 15 train from
Harcourt-street. On arrival at Rathdrum, Mr. A. C. Forbes, the
Director of the Department's Forestry vStation, who acted as
conductor during the day, met the part3^ The woods on the western
banks of the Avon were traversed, during which many fine species of
Fungi were obtained. On arrival at Avondale the real work of the ilay
commenced, Mr. Forbes taking the party through the arboretum and
the forest plots, pointing out the different varieties of trees the station
was testing, and discussing the probabilities of success. He also drew
attention to the fine timber (Turke}- oaks, planes, Spanish chestnuts,
&c.) which had been planted by the Hayes family over a hundred years
ago, when the Avondale estate was in their possession. The members
returned to Dublin by 6.5 train from Rathdrum.

November 3- — Conversazione. — The twenty-fourth winter session
was opened by a Conversazione held in the Royal Irish Academy House
(by permission of the Council) and attended by a large number of mem-
bers and visitors. The meeting opened at 7.30. and at 8.30 the President
(Geo. H. Peth3'bridge, Ph.D.) took the chair, and after welcoming the
visitors and explaining to them the special objects ofthe Club, introduced
Mr. P. E. DAI.T.INGER, B. A. (Hon. Sec. Oniagh Field Club), who delivered
a lecture on "The Camera in the vService of Natural History." The
lecturer dwelt principally on the great simplification which had taken
place during recent years in photographic methods, and the many lines
of investigation which could be aided by the use of photography.
The use of the camera in the .study of animal life was also dealt with at
.some length as well as its possibilities in photo-micrography, and Mr
Dallinger showed a very beautiful series of lantern .slides of birds and

1908. ProceedinQ;^ of Irish Societies. 265

insects, and also a number of auto-clironie slides. The President
thanked the leclurer on behalf of the Club, and the members returned
to inspect the exhibits, of which the following is a list -.—J. Adams.—
Botanical Photographs: (i) vScotch Pine in situ, at 1,700 feet, Glenmalure ;
(2) " Peat Mushrooms," at 2,fK)o feet, near Kelly's Lake, Co. Wicklow.

C. F. Baii, Insectivorous Plants. Prof. Barrett. — Meteorological

Instruments. J. Bayi^ey Buti^er and vStafford Johnson.— Small
Aquarium, containing Marine Animals and Algae. Prof. Carpenter. —
vSome Irish P:riophyidae (Gall-mites), with their galls. Prof. Carpenter
and Isaac vSwain, B.A. — A new Devonian Isopod {Oxyuropoda ligioia'cs),
from Kiltorcan. Prof. G. A. J. Cole — vSamples of the Archaean Floor
of Europe, from Finland, vScotland, and Tyrone. J. M. DuFFY. — Trigono-
ceras parado.xiciti/i, vSow. ; Asymptoceras ciassilabrum^ Foord ; from Lower
Carboniferous Limestone, St. Doulagh's. G. P. Farran and S. W. Kemp-
— Marine Animals, dredged off West of Ireland, showing adaptation to
deep sea conditions (Dept. of Fisheries). A. H- Foord.— Rocks from
Switzerland. W. F. Gunn. — (i) Nature Prints of Sisyrinchiuvi californi.
cum ; (2) Microscopic Exhibit. J. N. Hai^berT. — Paromola Cuvieri
(Ris.so), from the South Coast of Ireland. Prof. Johnson. — ( i) Card
Bibliography of Irish Botany. (2) Album of Wild Flowers painted
from nature by the Hon. Frederica and the Hon. Katherine Plunkett.
Miss KnowIvES. — (i) Photographs and Specimen of (l) Atropa Bdladonua,
Coney Island, Co Clare ; (2) Leucojuni (xstivitm, Ballinacurra Creek,
Limerick. (3) Typha sp. growing in the Shannon at Limerick. W. J.
Lyons —Some Meteorological Graphs. A. R. Nichoi.S — A "Water-
house " Museum Microscope, and 12 vSlides of Echinodermata, Polyzoa
&c. G. H. PEThybridge. — (i) Photouraphs of Botanical interest ; (2)
A Species of Claviceps, producing large '-eigots" in Triticum juucetini,
from the North Bull ; Ts) Potatoes attacked by " Black Scab," with
Microscope Section, showing the "spores; " (4) Some recent additions
to the Irish P\ingus Flora. R. Lr.. Praeger.— Specimens illustrating
the different sections of the genus Saxifraga. R. F. Scharff. —Remains
of Mammoth, Irish Elk, Reindeer, Bear, Hyaena, Wolf, and other
animals obtained in Irish caves. Rowland Southern.— Annelids new
to Ireland. MiSS J. Stephens. -Alcyonarian Corals obtained off the
Irish Coast. Isaac Swain.— Photographs illustrating the geology
around Dublin. R. WELCH.— Photographs of the Coralline Strand,
Mannin Ba}-, and sample of the Coral vSand.

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

The Council have arranged for a short course of free popular after-
noon lectures in the theatre of the Royal Dublin Society during the
winter months. The first lecture, which has been fixed for Wednesday-
December 9th, at 4.15, will be delivered by Prof G. H. Carpenter, and
the subject will be " Our Friends in the Monkey House."

266 The h'ish Naturalist. December,

REVIEWS.

A BOOK ON BEES.

The Lore of the Honey Bee. Ry Ticknkr Edwardes. Pp.
xxii. + 277. 24 illustrations. London: Methiien and Co., 1908,
Price, 6.f.

The impression that this book leaves is that the author loves his bees
and has carefully studied their habits. The volume is in no sense of the
word a text-book on bee-keeping, nor does it deal with the methods of
managing bees for profitable honey-production ; but it contains an
account of the history of bee-keeping, of many of the legends connected
with bees in ancieut times, and of the salient facts of their life-historv
as we know them at present.

In the introduction the author claims for bee-keeping the right to be
called the oldest craft under the sun. In support of this claim he
mentions the fact that many nectar-producing plants, such as the apple,
pear, blackberry, and plum, flourished in the later Stone Age, while the
elm — a famous pollen-producer— is known to have existed even earlier.
'Therefore," he states, though we must confess ourselves- unable to
follow his logic, " it would be as unreasonable not to infer that the
honey bee was ready on the earth with her stores of sweet food for man,
as that man did not speedily discover that store.'' He goes on to say that
wax was used in the Bronze Age for the casting of ornaments and
weapons, while the Egyptians, by their use of the bee in their hierogly-
phic symbols as an emblem of royalty, showed some knowledge of the
insect. Although Mr. Edwardes cannot trace the actual time when bees
were first domesticated, he indulges in some ingenious, if far-fetched,
speculations as to man's beginning as a bee-keeper.

In the first chapter, entitled "The Ancients and the Honey Bee," the
author gives us an account of some of the quaint beliefs held by Virgil,
Pliny, and others concerning the life-history of the insect. Virgil
believed that in windy weather bees carried with them small pebbles as
counterpoises, much as ships carry ballast; he also held the extraordinary
notion that swarms of bees could be spontaneously generated from the
decaying carcases of oxen. This latter belief was widespread among the
ancients, and the only explanation oiTered is that drone flies, whose
larvae feed on decaying flesh, were mistaken for bees.

The bee-masters of the Middle Ages, according to Mr. Edwardes, made
very little attempt to investigate the life-history of bees owing to the
difficulty of observing them in the old-fashioned hives, and it was not
until Huber's leaf hive was invented that any real progress in bee-
knowledge was made. Coming to our modern knowledge of the life-
history of bees, Mr. Edwardes deals, sometimes in rather fanciful
language, with the main facts of bee life. He maintains for example
that in the way they build their combs and in many other of their
actions thev exhibit reason rather than instinct.

19'^S. Notes. 267

Mr. Edwardes displays an intimate knowledge of bee life. In one
point alone is he guilt}^ of a trifling inaccuracy. He says that in remov-
ing dead brood from the hive, bees always fly some distance away before
depositing it. This is not invariably the case. I have seen drone brood
scattered about on the grass just beneath the hive entrance, and have
noticed sparrows devouring it there. H^'s observation that a cast or
second swarm will leave a hive in any weather agrees with our own
experience. We have known one to leave on a dull afternoon just
previous to a very heav}- shower of rain. The book should provide
pleasant and interesting reading for all bee-lovers.

G. O. vSherrard.

The Story of the Sea and Seashore. By W. Pkrcivai, Westet^l,
F.L.S.. M.B.O.U. Pp 343 ; 128 illustrations and 8 coloured plates.
London : Robert Culley. Price, ^s. net.

*

We have everj- sympathy with the attempt to popularise natural
history at which Mr. Westell so perseveringly labours, but we are con-
strained to say that his treatment of " Sea and Seashore" subjects be-
trays no special qualification for the handling of that task, and the
merits of the book seem to consist almost entirely in the eight coloured
plates and 128 other illustrations with which it is furnished. If the
matter had been compressed into a volume of half the size, we believe
that it would have been quite as readable as well as equally instructive.
The different subjects, too, are very disproportionately treated. Sea-
weeds, for instance, are discussed in the same chapter — a short one of
twenty-four pages — with the seashore plants ; some half-dozen species
of each are figured, and a very few others briefly noticed. One is almost
tempted to think that the writing of this chapter at all may have been
an afterthought. Of the birds, fishes, marine mammals, crustaceans
and mollusca, the author has more to say, and it is possible that his
occasional efforts to be amusing may assist some of his readers in their
efforts to digest the instructive aud descriptive passages. But the
rapidity with which books conceived on this plan are now produced is
almost calculated to make one quake.

C. B. M.

NOTES.

BOTANY.

Notes on Irish Plants.

Rev. P:. S. Marshall's paper, " Notes on ' the London Catalogue,' ed. 10,"
which appears in the Journal of Botany for September and October, contains
some notes on Irish plants that ought not to be overlooked by the
worker.

:6.S The Irish Naturalist, December, 190S.

The Burnt Q-round on Howth Head.

Perhaps it \\\c\\ be desirable to add a lew remarks to iny previous com-
munication on this subject. And. lirst, let me say, that had the fire been
one of ordinary intensity, I should not have thought it worth referring
to. But it occurred after a period of continued drought, and the thin
layer of peat below the vegetation smouldered for a long time after the
brunt of the fire had passed. It is quite true that towards the edge of
the burnt area some of the vegetation escaped, but in making out my
list of species I avoided these places, selecting the more central region
where the fire had done its work most completely. In fact, as I men-
tioned, I came across only one individual of Bracken and one of Whin
which were sprouting from the old stems.

Although seedling "Whins were one of the most dominant species still,
the total number of individuals was few, as there are still large patches
of ^soil devoid of vegetation of an}' kind. These seedlings were most
numerous on one side of the burnt ground, and near this spot there is a
clump of Whins growing on the area just outside the burnt zone. On
the date of my last visit (5th Sept , 1908), the wind was blowing direct!}-
from the clump of Whins over the spot where the seedlings were. But
higher up, and nearer the centre of the burnt area, some seedlings were
observed, and numerous charred stems of the old Whin bushes. The
distance in this case is too great, I fancy, for the seeds to have been
ejected by the explosion of the fruit of the parent plant, or to have been
carried by wind, and there is a strong probability, therefore, that they
survived the fire. But 1 suggested the possibility of this in my previous
account of the species observed. I may add that Ulex Gallii does occur
on the burnt ground, as it is now in flower. Other seedlings higher up
may prove to be U. europcviis.

With regard to most of the other species observed, I do not see any
necessity to assume that they survived the fire. The wind, at an altitude
of 500 feet, could easily carry them the required distance. Aim prcccox
increases in number of individuals towards the edge of the burnt area
just outside which the parent plants may still be found growing. But it
we assume that this and other species (except Whin) survived the fire,
the seeds must have been already present on the surface of the soil. They
must have been carried to these places by wind or other agenc} , and, if
wind could transport them before the fire, there is nothing unreasonable
in assuming that the same agent could carry them after it. As I stated
in the July number of the Iristi Nafura/isl, my list of species was made
two years after the fire, not three.

J. ADA:\rs.

Roval College of Science. Dublin.

VOL. XVII. Ko. 1

JANUARY, 1908.

iiijjt'

\- '.'.''

*<r,

w

'^ ,^^m^

h

51 iBciitljljj Souvnal

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

•

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROvSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

EDITED BY

Pkof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

robert patterson, f.l.s., m.r.la.

Price 6d.

.X ■»

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Belfast: 17 Doneoall-st. ^y

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Edited by T. SHEPPARD, f.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

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with the assistance as referees in special departments of

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THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

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PHCENIX PARK, DUBLIN.

Open daily from 9 a,m. {Sundays from 12 noon)

till dusk.

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FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUROPE

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The Museum, Dublin.

depaut:\ient of agiricultljre and technical
instruction for ireland.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

No.

1.

The Warble Fly.

}^o.

50.

2.

Out of Print.

1 »

51.

3!

Out of Print.

If

52.

4.

Workmeir.s Compensation Act.

> f

53.

5.

Out of Print.

} y

54.

6.

Cliarlock Spraying.

f )

55.

7.

Flu Ice in vSheep.

F>

06.

8.

Timothy Meadows.

* >

57.

9.

The Turnip Fly.

1 >

58.

10.

Wire worms.

f f

59.

11.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

f >

60.

12.

Out of Print.

1 '

61

13.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

r t

62.

14.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

1 1

63.

15.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stulls Act

1906, Regulations.

if

04.

10.

Sheep Scab.

17.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.

a

65

18.

Swine Fever.

19.

Early Potato Growing.

tr

06

20.

Calf Rearing.

21.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.

ft

67

22.

Basic Slag.

23.

Dishorning Calves.

> i

08

24.

Care and ^ Treatment of Premium

Bulls.

it

09

25.

Fowl Cholera.

26.

Winter Fattening of Cattle.

tt

70

27.

Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.

28.

Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.

>»

71.

29.

Flax Seed.

30.

Poultry Parasites— Fleas, Mites, and
Lice.

t y

72

31.

Winter Egg Production.

1 1

73

32.

Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.

3:J.

Profitable Breeds of Poultry.

i y

74

3i.

The Revival of Tillage.

35.

The Liming of T-and.

y «

75

3r,.

Field Experiments— Barley.

I »

70

37.

„ Meadow Hay.

, ,

77

.38.

Potatoes.

) t

78

39.

Mangolds.

>»

79

40.

Oats.

y y

80

41.

Tmnips.

XI

81

42.

Permanent Pasture Grasses.

>i

82

43.

The Rearing and Management of

t y

83

Chickens.

> 1

84

44.

" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.

, f

85

45.

Ringworm on Cattle.

86

4(i.

Haymaking.

• 1

87

47.

The Black Currant Mite.

n

88.

48.

Foul Brood or Bee Pest.

))

89.

49.

Poultrv Fattening.

for

Copies of the above leaflets can he obtain
to the iStcreturij, Department of A<jricvUnrc ar,
M err ion- street, Dublin. Letters of applicatiu

Portable Poultry Houses.

Tlie Leather-Jacket Grub.

Flax Experiments.

The Construction of a Cowhouse.

Calf Meal.

The xA.pple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of jMilk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Buildings.

" Redwater " or " Blood-Murrain

in Cattle.
Varieties of Fruit suitable

cultivation in Ireland.
Forestry : The Planting of Waste

Lands. ■ i^ i .

Forestry : The Proper IMethod of
Planting Forest Trees.

Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter -Belt
and Hedgerow Tiinber.

Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.

Forestry
ber.

The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

Some Common Parasites of the
Sheep.

Barley Sowiiig.

American Gooseberry IMildew.

Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

Home Buttermaking.

The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

Catch Crops.

Potato Culture on Small Farms.

Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

Cultivation of Osier^■.

Ensilane.

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

Dirty Milk.

Barley Thrc^shing.

The Home Bottlir.g of Fruit.

The Constructiou of Piggeries.

id free of charge and post free, on application
d Technical Distruclion for Ireland, Upper
n so addressed need not be stamped.

Felling and Selling Tim-

\^ I Xm a, ijh^ no: a &i sotst

ITatnraUsts, Farriers, and Taxileralsts,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in tlie National Museum, Kildare-street.

HKAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CEMVUS

GIGAN7EUS, GENERAIvLY IN STOCK,

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s- 6d. PER ANNUM, POST FREE,

THE ANNALS OP SCOTTISH NATDEAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D , F.R.S-, F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &c.,

Natural History Department, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "Tlie Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the piiblication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc, and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE -STREET.

NOTICE.

CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding;
number. Short Notes will be Inserted* If space permit. If received
before the I5th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to \vrite their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers in the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the followlngr prices :—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .-, ... 4 O j 6 pp. ... ... 8 O

4 pp. .. ...6 0 I 8 pp. ... ... 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for identification.

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science, Dublin,

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library, Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Gle7tbafik^ Holywocdy Co. Down.

Vol. xvli., No. 1.

January, 1908.

CONTEXTS.

Bythiiiia Leachii, an addition to the Irish Fauna, with Notes on
its Distribution, and also on tliat of Planorbis corneus. — R,
Welch, M.R.I.A. (Plate 1),

Page

Irish Societies; —

Royal Zoological Society. Belfast Naturalists' Field Club,
Dublin Microscopical Club. Belfast Nat. Hist, and Phil. Society,
Dublin Naturalists' Field Club,

6

The Ship-worm and Wood-boring Crustaceans in Kingstown
Harbour. — Nathaniel Colgan, M.R.I. A.,

Reviews : —

J. W. Tutt's ''British Alucitides"— (G.H.C.).

Moss Exchange Club's " Census Catalogue of British Mosses." — (R.L1..P.),

F. Bouskell's '* Stray Notes from South Kerry."— (J.N.H.),

15
18

'9

Notes :—

The Extinction of Cryptogamic Plants and the Need for a Lichen

Exchange Club. — A. R. Horwood,
Central Committee for the Survey and Study of British Vegetation,
Hypnum hamulosum. — Rev. C. H. WADDEiyiy, B.D,,
Scarcity of Wasps.— W. E. Hart,
Testacella haliotidea and other MoUusca in Co. Kerry. New Localities

for Vitrea hibernica. — B. R, Lucas,
Exotic Land Mollusca at Belfast.— R. Wet^ch, M.R.I.A., . .
MoUusca of Bushy Park, Dublin.— A. W. SteIvFOX and R, Welch, . .
New Irish Cephalopods,

Breeding of the Red-throated Diver.— Robert Warren,
Boulder at Narin. — Prof. Grenviij.E A. J. Cor.E. FG.S.,

20

21
22

22

22

23
23
24

24
24

TERMS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN ** IRISH NATURALIST."

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Quarter Page,

From

s. d.
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6 o

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ALFX THOM AKD CO., MVITEP, DUULIK.

VOL. XVII. No. 2.

FEBRUARY, 1908.

-'\V^A**'(i

^

a iBontijlB Journal

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZQOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,

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CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY, ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALISTS' FIELt) CLUB.

EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, E.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER B.A., B.E., M.R.LA.,

AND

robert patterson, f.l.s., m.r.la.

Price 6d.

^^^:

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:^

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Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
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THE! 3>J"-A.TrJIl..A.IjIST?

j4 Monthly Illustrated Journal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

Museum, Hull. Technical College. Huddersfield ;

•WITH the assistance AS REFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F.G.S., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

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Loudon: A BROWN & SONS, Ltd., 5, FARRINGDON AVKNUK, K C.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVENPENCE.

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NATUR

A WEEKLY. ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

J'RICE SlXFENCl].

fM,

"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of the day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientific works ;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientiiic discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
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For particulars, and also for Terms and Privilej^es of Membership
of the Society, apply to —

R. F. SCHARFF, Hoti. Sec, R.Z»S.,

Tht Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

Xo.

LIST OF THE D E P A RT fVl E N T'S LEAFLETS.

Portable Poultry Hon es.

The I.eather-Jacket Grub.

Flax Kxporinients.

The Coiistruetiou of a Cowhouse.

Calf Meal.

The Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Buildings.

or " Blood-Murrain

1.

The Warble Fly.

So.

50.

2

Out of Print.

I »

51.

:i

Out of Print.

1 1

52.

4.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

y i

53.

5.

Oal of Print.

ti

54.

6.

Cliarlock Spraying.

)i

55.

7.

Fluke in Slieep.

t*

50.

8.

Timothy Meadows.

»i

57.

9.

Tiie Turnip Fly.

f f

58.

10.

Wireworms.

f t

59.

11.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

ft

GO.

12.

Out of Print.

> '

01

13.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

ft

02.

14.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

1 r

03.

15.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stutfs Act.

1900, Regulations.

t>

64.

10.

Sheep Scab.

17.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.

it

65.

18.

Swine Fever.

19.

Early Potato Growing.

9f

66.

20.

Calf Rearing.

21.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.

tt

67.

22.

Basic Slag.

23.

Dishorning Calves.

»f

68.

24.

Care and ' Treatment of Premium

Bulls.

tt

69.

25.

Fowl Cholera.

2(5.

Winter Fattening of Cattle.

91

70.

27.

Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.

28.

Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.

9t

71.

20.

Flax Seed.

30.

Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and
Ijice.

9*

72.

31.

Winter Egg Production.

tt

73.

32.

Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.

3:i.

Profitable l>r(^eds of Poultrv.

99

74.

3i.

The Revival of Tillage.

35.

The Liming of Land.

99

75.

3(>.

Field Experiments— Barley.

f *

70.

37.

„ .Meadow Hay.

t >

77.

38.

„ „ Potatoes.

t >

78.

39.

„ „ ■ Mangolds.

tt

79.

40.

Oats.

99

80.

41.

Turnip.s.

99

81.

42.

Permanent Pasture (brasses.

9>

82.

43.

The Rearing and Management of

ly

83.

Chickens.

tt

84.

44.

" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.

t *

85.

45.

Ringworm on Cattle.

9t

80.

40.

Havmaking.

tt

87.

47.

The Black Currant Mite.

J>

88.

48.

Foul F.rood or Bee Pest.

))

89.

49.

Poultrv Fattening.

for

Cop
to ifie Ht
M err ion

Red water "
in Cattle.

Varieties of Fruit suitable
cultivation in Ireland,

Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter-Belt
and Hedgerow Tijnber.

Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.

Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

Some Common Parasites of the
Sheep.

Barley Sowing.

American CJooseberry ^^ildew.

Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

Home Buttennaking.

The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

Catch Crops.

Potato Culture on Small

Cultivation of Main Croj)

Cultivation of Osiers.

Ensilage.

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

Dirty Milk.

Barley Turcshing.

The Home Bottling of Fruit.

The Construction of Piggeries.

les of t/ie above leaflets can he oUnincd free of charge and post free, on opplication
cretary, Department of Agriculture and Tecfinical Instrurlion for Ireland, Upper
utreei.' Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not be stamped.

F'ai'ins.
Potatoes.

■\w T jLm jlm I A, isa: s ss s o r<r

ITaturalists, Furriers, a&d Tazllermistt,

3, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTI^ERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANTEUS, GENERAIvLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY.

A OUARTERI.Y MAGAZINE,

"^ EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists^ Union ;
JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S,, &c.,
Natural History Department^ Royal Scottish Museum^ Ediniurgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "Th.e Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Origina] Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contril|uting to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil, Observations on Life Histories,
etc., and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles oi* Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding;
number. Short Notes will be Inserted, If space permit. If received
before the 15th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices s—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .- ... 4 O j 6 pp. «. ,^8 0

4 pp. .. ... 6 0 I 8 pp. ... ... 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT tO Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identlflcatlonu

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library, Dublin.

Robert Patterson,

Glenba7ik^ Holy wood., Co. Down

Vol. xvll., No, 2. February, 1908.

CONTENTS.

Page

Additions to the Fungi of the Counties of Dublin arid Wicklow.

— Rev. C. ToRREND, S.J.. .. .. .. .. 25

Additions to ** Irish Topographical Botany " in 1906- 1907. — R.

IrLOYD Praeger, B.A., . . .. .. .. 2S

News Gleanings, . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Review : —

J . Lewis Bonhote's " Birds of Britaiu "- (R,P.) , ... • • • • 3^

Irish Societies; —

Roj-al Zoological Societ}\ Dublin Microscopical Club, . . . . 40

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, Belfast Nat. Hist. Phil. Society, . . 41

Obituray : —

Lord Kelvin (Prof. J. Joly, F.R.S.), • • . . • • • • 41

Admiral Sir F. L. M'Cliutock (A.R.N.), . . . . . . . . 42

Rev. S. A. Brenan (R.LL.P.), .. .. •■. •• •• 43

E. A, L. Batters (R.Li*. P.), . . . . • . . . . . 43

Notes : —

Vitrina pyrenaica in Ireland. — Rev. E. W. BowelLj . , . . 44

The Red-necked Phalarope in Ireland, . . . . . . . . 44

Black-cap in November. — Rev. Canon T. B. Gibson, M.A., . . . . 44

Scarcity of Sparrows in Co. Clare. — D, C. Parkinson, . . .. 44

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■r 1^

.<>«•

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Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
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j4 Monthly Illustrat<'d lournal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. sheppard, f.c.S., and T. w. woodhead, f.l.s,,

Museum, Hull. Technical Collbqe, HuDDsaanKLD ;

' "WITH THE ASSISTANCE AS REFEBEES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

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T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST. F.L.S.

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NATURE.

^■■■■■■■■■IBaHBHiHBBBBI^aHHMail^HBHi^BaHHHHIBM

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

I'BIfJE SIXPJ£NCE.

"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
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Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scienti^c discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the fVoceedings of the Principal
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of current scientific interest.

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Cheque*! jmd Money Orders to be made payable to Macmillan & Co., Ltd., St. Martini's -ST.,

London, W.C.

THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THS

^

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND, )

PHCENIX PARK, DUBLIN. j

I

Open daily from 9 a,tri. (^Sundays from 12 noon} ]

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FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUROPE '

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i

j

A pair of Zebras just arrived from Africa.

TWO CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS. i

I

BEFJiJESHMENT BOOM OBEA ALL THE YEAH.

•1
Donations ot Animals (Irish or Foreign) thankfully received,

SURPLUS STOCK OF BEASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALE) OR KXCHANGE:. |

1

J
For particulars, and also for Terms and Privileges of Membership «

of the Society, apply to —

i

R. F. SCHARFF, Hon. Sec, U.Z.S., j

The Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

Xo. 1. The Warble Fly. -N"o. 50. Portable Poultry Hou es.

2. Out of Print. " ..51. The Leather-Jacket Grub.

3. Out of Print. „ 5-. Flax Experiments.

4. Workmen's Compensation Act. ,, 53. The Construction of a Cowhouse.

5. Out of Print. „ 54. Calf Meal.
G. Charlock Spraying. „ 5rx The Apple.

7. Fluke ia Sheep. .. 56. Cultivation of the Root Crop.

8. Timothy Meadows. ,, 57. Fruit Packing.

9. The Turnip Fly. ,, 58. Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

10. Wireworms. ' ,. 59. Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

11. Prevention of White Scour in Calves. „ GO. The Packing of Butter.

12. Out of Print. .. 61 The Care of :^Tilk for Creameries.

13. Contagious Abortion m Cattle. ,, G2. Plans for Creamery Buildings.

14. Prevention of Potato Blight. „ 63. " Red water " or "Blood-Murrain"

15. Fertilizers and Feeding Stuifs Act, in Cjittle.
1900, Regulations. ,- 64. Varieties of Fruit suitable for

16. Sheep Scab. cultivation in Ireland.

17. The Use and Purchase of Manures. „ 65. Forestry : The Planting of Waste

18. Swine Fever. Lands.

19. Early Potato Growing. ., 66. Forestry : The Proper Method of

20. Calf Rearing. Planting Forest Trees.

21. Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes. „ 67. Forestry: Trees for Poles and Tim-

22. Basic Slag. ber.

23. Dishorning Calves. ., 68. Forestry : Trees for Shelter and

24. Care and ' Treatment of Premium Ornament.
Bulls. .. 69. The Prevention of Tuberculosis in

25. Fowl Cholera. Cattle.

26. Winter Fattening of Cattle. „ 70. Forestry : Planting, Management,

27. Breeding and Feeding of Pigs. and Preservation of Shelter-Belt

28. Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue and Hedgerow Tunber.
Quarter. .. 71. Forestry: The Management of Plan-

29. Flax Seed. tations.

30. Poultry Parasites— Fleas, Mites, and ,, 72. Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
Lice. - ber.

31. Winter Egg Production. ,, 73. The Planting and Management of

32. Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys. Hedges.

3.3. Profitable Breeds of Poultrv. ,. 74. Some Common Parasites of the

3i. The Revival of Tillage. " Sheep.

3.3. The Liming of I^nd. ,. 75. Barley Sowing.

36. Field Lxperiments — Barley. ,, 76. American Gooseberry IMildew.

37. j^ ^^ Meadow Hay. ,, 77. Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

38. „ „ Potatoes. ,, 78. Home Buttermaking.

39. „ ,1 Mangolds. ,, 79. The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

40. " „ Oats. „ 80. Catch Crops.

41. ^^ ^_ Turnips. ,,81. Potato Culture on Small Farms.

42. Permanent Pasture Grasses. „ 82. Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

43. The Rearing and Management of ,, 83. Cultivation of Osiers.
CJiickens. " ,. 84. Ensilace.

44. " Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves. ,, 85. Some Injurious Orchard Insects.
', 45. Ringworm on Cattle. „ 86. Dirty Milk.
, 46. Haymaking. .. 87. Barley Threshing.
, 47. The ]>lack Currant Mit«. „ 8S. The Home Bottling,' of Fruit.
, 48. Foul Hrood or Beo Pest. „ 89. Tlie Construction of Piggeries.
, 49. Poultry Fattening.

Copies of the above leaflets can he obtained
to the Secretary, Department of Agriculture and
Merrion-6treet, I)nhl\n. Letters of application

free of charge and post free, on application
Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
so addressed need not be stamped.

ITaturalista, Furriers, aad TtxlAermlsts,

2, DAME-STEBET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CEKVUS

GIGANTEUS, GENERALLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 78. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE,

THE AMALS OF SCOTTISH NATDEAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J, A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;
JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Proftssor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &C.,
Natural History Detriment, Royal Scottish Musetim^ Edinburgh.

Tliis MapaKine— a continuation of "Tbe Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871— is entirely devote*
lo the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and ineluaes Papers
ccntrilniting to the elucidatiou of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations onXife Histories,
eio,,ana Notes recording the occurrence of uncommon species and other usefm and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, C ft STLE- STREET.

NOTICE.

CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History arc Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding:
number. Short Notes will be Inserted, If space permit. If received
before the I5th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to v/rlte their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the followlnfi^ prices :—

s. d. s. d,

2 pp. .. .^ 4 O I 6 pp. ^ ..8 0

4 pp. .. ...6018 pp. ... .» 90

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning- proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regrardlng
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM &, CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identfflcatlone

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library, Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Glenbank^ Holywoody Co. Down>

Vol. xvii., No. 3.

^Marcli, 1908.

CONTENTS.

On Limncea prcetenuis, n. sp., and L. glabra, Miill. — Rev. E. \V.
Bowp:i.l (Plate 2),

Page

45

Reviews: —

Baker and Batch's ''Netherworld of JMeiidip."— (R. Lr,. P.^,
Badeii-Powell's ''{tcieuce Year Book," .. ..

Notes on the Kerry Flora, 1907.— R. W. Scuu.v, F.L-S.,

vSome Irish Brambles. — R. A. Phillips,

49
49
50
54

Notes : —

Trichouiscus pygmaeus, Sars.— A Woodlouse new to Ireland,— N£vjn
H. Foster. .. .. .. .. ,.

Morning Flight of Sea Birds over Dublin.— R. Lt. Praijger,

Ornithological Notes from Londonderry. — D. C. CAMPBEr^r^,

Short-eared Owls. — E. H. FIvKTCHER,

Richard's Pipet in Co. Dublin,

Wood-pigeon Dipththeria,

Little Bittern in Co. Donegal,— R. M. Barrixgtox, F.L.S., . .

Irish Societies; —

Royal Zoological Society,
Dublin Microscopical Club, . .
Belfast Naturalists' Field Club,
Dublin Naturalist's Field Club,
Irish Society for Protection of Birds,
Irish Field Club Union,

56
57
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A ]\[onthly Illustrated /ournal of

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Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

MUSEUM, Hull. Technical Collbqe. Hudderspikld ;

WITH THE ASSISTANCE A3 REFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OP

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TWO CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
liEFRESHMENT llOOM OPEN ALL THE YEAli,

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SURPLUS STOCK OF BEASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALF OR EXCHANGE.

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of the Society, apply to —

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The Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OF AnillCULTURE AND TECPINICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

Xo. 1. The Warble ny. .Vo. 50. Portable Poultry Houses.

The leather-Jacket Grub.

Flax Experiments.

I'he Construction of a Cowhouse.

Calf Meal.

The Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes,

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Buildings,

" Pvedwater " or "Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament,

The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter- Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.

Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

Some Common Parasites of the
Shee)").

Barley Sowing.

American Gooseberry Rfildew.

Scour and \A'asting in Young Cattle.

Home Buttermaking.

The Cultivation of Sjnall Fruits.

Catch Ccj^jMi

Potato Cimure on Small Farms.

Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes,

Cultivation of Osiers.

Ensilaire,

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

Dirty Milk.

Barley Threshing.

The Home Bottling of Fruit.
Tlie Cunstruction of Piggeries,

Copies of the above leaflets can he ohtaincd free of charge and post free, on application
to the Secretary, Department of Agricvllurc and Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
Merrion-titrcet, Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not he stamped.

1.

The Warble ¥\y.

Xo.

50,

2.

Oat of Print.

1 1

51,

3!

Out of Print.

)*

52.

4.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

» t

53,

5.

Out of Print.

i t

54.

6.

Charlock Spraying.

1 1

53.

7.

Fluke in Sheep.

t }

56.

8.

'I'liuothy Meadows.

>i

57,

9.

The Turnip Fly.

; t

5S.

10.

Wirew(jrius.

1 1

59,

IL

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

ft

60,

12.

Out of Print.

t •

61

13.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

} f

62,

14.

Prevention of Potato Blight,

I f

63.

15.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stall's Act

1906, Regulations.

>t

64.

16.

Sheep Scab,

17.

The Use and Purchase of ilanures.

>t

65.

18.

Swine Fever,

19.

Early Potato Growing.

tf

66.

20.

Calf Rearing,

21.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.

t>

67.

22.

Basic Slag.

23.

Dishorning Calves,

9 9

68.

24.

Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.

f )

69.

25,

Fowl Cholera.

26.

Winter Fattening of Cattle.

f 1

70.

27,

Breeding and Feeding of Pigs,

28.

Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter,

)i

71.

29.

Flax Seed.

30.

Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and
Lice,

t}

72.

31.

Winter Egg Production.

IJ

73.

32.

Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.

33.

Profitable Breeds of Poultrv.

ti

74.

31.

The Revival of Tillage,

35.

The Liming of Land,

If

75.

36.

Field li^xperiments— Barley.

1 >

76,

37.

„ „ ^Feadow Hay.

t >

77,

38.

„ „ Potatoes,

i>

78,

39.

„ „ Mangolds.

>»

79,

40,

Oats.

1 1

80,

41,

Turnips.

i>

81.

42,

Permanent Pasture Grasses.

t>

82.

43,

The Rearing and Management of

>i

83.

Chickens.

»>

84.

44.

" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves,

1 1

8.^,

45.

Ringworm on Cattle,

1 1

8(5,

46.

Haymaking.

1 1

87,

47,

The HIack Currant Mite.

»>

88,

48,

Foul Hrood or Bee Pest.

»

89.

49.

Poultry Fattening.

yTV^ I JL. TL. I A. li/L a & s o ra

Naturalists, Carriers, aad Taxlltrmlsts,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Desii^ers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street

HKAD AND ANTI^ERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANTEUS, GENERAIvLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE AMALS OP SCOTTISH NATCEAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &C.,
Natural History Departments Royal Scottish Museum, Ediniurgk.

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,* founded in 1871— i« entirely deroted
to tke publication of Oritritf^l Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Pai^srs
eonlrihuting to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil, Obaecvations onXife Historte«,
et«..»n& Note* recording the occurrence of uncommon species and otner useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE-STREET,

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all t3ranche8 of frfsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding
niimiaer. Short Notes will be Inserted. If space permit. If received
before the 15th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following: prices :—

s. d. s. d.

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Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM Si, CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identification.

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library, Dublin.

Robert Patterson,

Glenbank^ Holy wood, Co. Down

Vol. xvH., No. 4.

April, 1908.

CONTENTS.

Some County Dublin Holothurians — Nathaniei. Cot^gan, M.R.I. A.,

The Determination of Sex in the Woodcock — R. F. Scharff,
Ph.D., F.L.S., . . ....

Irish Societies; —

. Ro3'al Zoological Society, . . . . . .

Dublin Microscopical Club, ....

Dublin Naturalist's Field Club,
Belfast Naturalists' Field Club,

Notes : —

Irish Algje.

Mosses of Co. Dublin.— Rev. Canon H. W. LETT, M.A.— D. M'Ardi^k,

Erophila praecox & Vicia Orobus, — Corrections. — R. hi-,. Praeger,

Oxyria digyna in Co. Clare. — A correction. — Miss M. C. Knowles,

Notes on Irish Birds, .. .. .. .. ..

Sea-gulls in the City o! Dublin - W. J. Wii^i^iams,

Morning Flight of Gulls across Central Scotland.— J. A. HarviE
Brown, F.R.S.E., . .

Morning Flight of Black-headed Gulls.— R. J. Ussher, D.I,.,

Great Shearwaters & Fulmars. — R. J. USSHER, D.Iv., . .

Pink-footed Goose in Co. Roscommon. — Hon. H. G. O. Bridgeman,

Mayo Birds, . . • •

Coastal Features in Co. Waterford,

The Soil Geology of Ireland, . .

Reviews : —

W. C. M'Intosh's " British Annelids."— (R. Southern, B.Sc),
M.J, Nicholl's " Three Voyages of a Naturalist, "(G.H.C.),
W. P: Py craft's " Book of Birds."— (G.H.C.),

Obituary :

Rev. W. R. I JNTON, . .
RoRERT Pride,

News Gi^eanings : . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page
69

72

73
74
75
76

76

77
77
78
78
78

80
81
81
82
82

82
83

83
86
87

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MAY, 1908.

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^ HaoitHjlg Journal

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EDITED BY

Pkof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R, LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

ROBERT PATTERSON, F.L.S., M.R.I.A.

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THE IRI5H NATURALIST for 1908 (twelve parts) will be sent to any
Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
Son, Ltd.t 40 Lower Sackvllle-street* Dublin.

A Monthly Illustrated /ournal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. 8HEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

MUSEUM, HULL. TECHNICAL COLLBQE. HUDDERSFIELD

WITH THE ASSISTANCE AS REFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

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T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

This Journal is on© of the oldest Scientific Periodicals in the British Isles, dating hack fco 1833.
London: A BROWN & SONS, Ltd., 5, FARRINGDON AVENUE, EC.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVENPENCE.

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NATURE.

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

l^JtlCE SIXPENCE.

"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of the day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientific works ;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientific discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
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appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
Scientific Societies and Academies of the World ; and Notes on all matters
of current scientific interest.

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THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THR

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SPECIAL RATES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AND

• EXCURSION PARTIES.

FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUROPE

INCLUDING THE PAIR OF NIGERIAN LIONS GIVEN BY H.M. THE KING.

A pair of Zebras just arrived from Africa.

TWO CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
BEFliBSHMEyT JiOOM Orijy ALL THE YEAH.

Donations ot Animals (Irish or Foreign) thankfully received,
SURPLT'S vSTOCK OF RKASTvS AND BIRDS FOR SAIJ-: OR EXCHANGE.

For particulars, and also for Terms and Privileges of Membership
af the Society, apply to —

R. F. SCHARFF, lion. Ser., u.x.s..

The Museum, Dublin

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE D E P ART IVI E N T'S LEAFLETS.

No. 1. The Warble ¥]y.

„ 2. Out of Print.

„ '^. Out of Print.

„ 4. Workmen's Compensation Act.

,, 5. Out of Print.

„ 6. Charlock Spraying.

„ 7. Fluke in Sheep.

,, 8. Timothy Meadows.

., 9. The Turnip Fly.

,, ](). Wireworms.

,, 11. Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

„ 12. Oat of Print.

„ 13. Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

„ 14. Prevention of Potato Blight.

„ 15. Fertilizers and Feeding Stutis Act,

1906, Regulations.

,, IC. Sheep Scab.

„ 17. The Use and Purchase of Manures,

,, IvS. Swine Fever.

„ 19. Early Potato Growing.

„ 20. Calf' Rearing.

„ 21. Diseases of Poultry: — Gapes,

„ 22. Basic Slag.

,, 23. Dishorning Calves.

„ 24. Care and ' Treatment of Premium

Bulls.

,, 25. Fowl Cholera.

„ 2<). Winter Fattening of Cattle.

,, 27. Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.

„ 28. Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.

„ 29. Flax Seed.

,, 30. Poultry Parasites— Fleas, Mites, and

]Jco.

„ 31. Winter Egg Production.

,, 32. Rearing and Fattening of Turke3-s.

, 33. Profitable Breeds of Poultry.

„ 31. The Revival of Tillage.

,, 35. The Liming of I^nd.

,, 30. Field Experiments— Barley.

„ 37. „ „ Meadow Hay.

.. 3S. „ „ Potatoes.

.. 39. ,. „ Mangold.s.

,. 40. „ „ Oats.

„ 41. „ ,, Turnips.

,, 42. Permanent Pasture Grasses.

„ 43. The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.

„ 44. " Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.

,, 45. Ringworm on Cattle.

,, 4fi. Haymaking.

„ 47. The I'laok Currant Mite.

„ 48. Foul Brood or Bee Pest.

,, 49. Poultry Fattening.

Coyies of the above hofiets can he obtained free of charge and post free, on application
to the Secretary. Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Inland. Upper
Merrion-istreel,' iJubltn. Letters of application so addressed need not be slamptd.

No. 50. Portable Poultry Kou.-es.

,, 51. The Leather-. racket Grub.

,, 52. Flax Experiments.

,, 53. The Construction of a Cowhouse.

„ 54. Calf Meal.

,, 55. The Apple.

,, 56. (Cultivation of the Root Crop.

,, 57. Fruit Packing.

,, 58. Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

,, 59. Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

„ 60. The Packing of Butter.

,, 61. The Care of Milk for Creameries.

,, 02. Plans for Creamery Buildings.

,, 03. " Redwater " or "Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

,, 64. Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

„ 65. Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

„ 66. Forestry : The Proper ■Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

„ 67. Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

„ 68. Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

„ 69. The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

„ 70. Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter-Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

,, 71. Forestry: The Management of Plan-
tations.

,, 72. Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

,, 73. The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

,, 74. Some Common Parasites of the
Shpe]\

,, 75. Barley Sowing.

,, 76. American Gooseberry iSfildew.

,, 77. Scour and Wastimr in Young Cattle.

,, 78. Home Buttermakinti.

„ 79. The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

,, 80. Catch Crops.

,, 81. Potato Culture on Small P^irms.

,, 82. Cultivation of Main Crop PutaLoes.

,, 83. Cultivation of Osiers.

,, 84. Ensila-ie.

,, 85. Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

,, 8(). Dirty Milk.

,, 87. Barley Tiiroshing-

„ ^^. Tlie Houic Bottling of i'ruit.

„ 89. Tlie Construction of Piggeries.

\P%r T Xm Ju, I A. :Dii(L S &: S O TST

tTatniaUsts, Furriers, a&& Taxidermist*,

2, DAME-STEEET. I3UBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HKAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANJEUS, GENERALLY IN STOCK,

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 78. 6d. PER ANNUM, POST FREE,

THE ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J, A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S-, F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &C.,
Natural History Department, Royal Scottish Museum^ Edinburgh,

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and incluaes Tapers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc., and Notes recording the occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh . DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding:
number. Short Notes will be Inserted* If space permit. If received
before the 15th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following: prices :—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .. ... 4 O I 6 pp. ... ..8 0

4 pp. .. ...6018 pp. ... .» 90

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT tO Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identlflcatlone

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science, Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library y Dublin.

Robert Patterson,

Glenbank^ Holywood^ Co. Down

V«l. xvH., Nt. 5.

May, 1 90S.

CONTENTS.

Vertigo moulinsiana, Diipiiy. — An additioti to the Irish Fauna

R. A. Phillips (Plate 3), . . . . . 89

On the Anatomy of Vitrina pvrenaica. — Rev. K. W. Bowkll

M.A. (Plate 4)> ••-..! 94

The Occurrence of High Level Shelly Drift in the Killakee

Valley, Co. Dublin. — J. de W. Hinch, , . . '99

Notes : —

Kanunciilus Lingua — An erroneous Record— H, C. Hart. F.L.vS.

& R. Lt,. PRAEGER,

Supposed occurrence of the Spoonbill.— Hon, H. G. O. Bridgeman,

100

lOI

Irish Societies; —

Royal Zoological Society,
T)ul)lin Microscopical Club,
Dublin Naturalists" Field Club,
Belfast Naturalists' Field Club,

!OI

J02

104

TERMS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN ** IRISH NATURALIST."

WH07.E Page, . .
Half Page,
Quarter Page,

9. d.

From 10 O"] According

»j

6 o
4 ^

to
Position.

A Redtiction giveyi for a Number- 0/ Insertions.

A.I.KX. THOM AND CO., T.IMITBD. DUBLlK.

HF vol. XVII. No. 6.

JUNE, 1908,

m:.»1

i'Jjj

'.m

Skkm

Jsl

r>>

' I

fe^

a jaomtlB Journal

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROvSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAvST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

DUBLIN NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB,

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB.

EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

ROBERT PATTERSON, F.L.S., M.R.I.A.

Price 6d.

^V;4^

:,:.:.^»i*-* "^

DUBLIN : EASON & SON, Ltd.
,/ ; -£, 80M1D.ABBEY-ST.&40LK Sackville-st.

" BEI,FAST: 17 DONEGAI,I,-ST.

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Kent & Co., Ltd.

:-;:;!- ::::rn:z::-:;:x'3

•»- -•;'•• -

mm\i,' HI mini

■IH,

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THE IRIdH NATURALI9T for 1908 (twelve parts) will be sent to any
Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
Son, Ltd., 40 Lower Sackvllie-street. Dublin.

the: j3<a--A.TXJii.ja.ijiisT

A Monthly Illustrated /ournal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.
Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.G.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

MU.SEI AI, llUl-L. TECHNICAL COLLEGE. HUDDERSFIELD

WITH THE ASSISTANCE AS UEFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F.G.S., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

This Journal is one of the oldest Scientific Periodicals in the British Isles, dating back to 1833.
Loudou : A BROWN & vSONS, I^Td., 5, FARRINGDON AVENUE, EC.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVENPENCE.

Annual Subscription, Os. *id., post free; through Booksellers, 6s. Net,

Coaimuuicatioiis to be addressed to the Editorsof the Naturalist, The Museum, Hull.

NATURE.

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

I' RICE SIX ¥ EN CIS,

"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of the day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientific works ;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientific discussion

and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which •
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
Scientific Societies and Academies of the World ; and Notes on all matters
of current scientific interest

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO *' NATURE."

a s. il- ( To all places Abroad.) £ s J.

Yearly 1 8 0 i Yearly .. 1 10 6

Half- Yearly 0 14 6 Half-Yearly .. - 0 15 6

Quarterly 0 7 6 Quarterly .. .. 0 8 0
s'e A chiirge of Sixpence is- luude for r-hanying Scotch and Irish Cheqiies.

Cheques and Money Orders to le made payable to Macmillan & Co., Ltd., St. Ma»tin's-st.,

LOKDON, W.C.

THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

PHGENIX PARK, DUBLIN.

Open daily from 9 a-in. (SiinfJat/s from 12 }ioon}

till dusk.

Admission, Is., except Saturdays, 6d., and Sunday

Afternoons, 2d.

Children, Half-price.

SPECIAL RATES EOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AND

EXCURSION PARTIES.

FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUljOPE

INCLUDING THE PAIR OF NIGERIAN LIONS GIVEN BY H.M. THE KING.

A pair of Zebras just arrived from Africa.

TWO CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
liF.FJli:Sll}l EyT 11 OOM OTE^ ALL TJIE YE AIL

Donations of Animals (Irish or Foreign; thankfully received.
SURPLUS STOCK OF RKASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALE OR KXCHANGE.

For particulars, and also for Terms and Privileges of \feni])ership
of the Societ}^ apply to —

R. F. SCHARFF, Hon. Sec, 1LZ,S.,

The Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECUNJCAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE D E P A RT IVl E NT'S LEAFLETS.

No

1.

o

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
U.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
2.3!
24.

25.
20.
27.

28.

29.
30.

31.
32.
33.
31.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.

44.

4.">.
4().
47.

48.
49.

The Warble I'ly.

Out of Print.

Out of Print.

Workineii'.s Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Sheep.

Timothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wireworms.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stufts Act,

1900, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.
Basic Slag.
D i s h orn i ng Cal ves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera.
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed.
Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Egg Production.
Rearing aiul Fattening of Turkeys.
Profitable Breeds of Poultry.
The Revival of Tillage.
The Liming of Land.
Field Experiments — Barley.

„ Meadow Hay.

Potatoes.

,, „ jNIansiolds.

Oats.'
Turnips.
Permanent Pasture Grasses.
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle.
Haymaking.

The Black Currant Mite.
Foul Brood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening.

.\o. 50.
.. 51.

t »

52

r f

53

t f

54

55

1 7

56

1 1

57

t f

58

t »

59

; t

60

61

ft

62

f t

63

It

64

9$

65

fy

66

ff

67

>}

68

If

69

ft

70

Copies of the above Icafiets can he obtained
to the Secretary, Department of Ayricnllurc and
Merrion-street, Dublin. Letters of afjAicatwu

Portable Poultry Houses.

The Leather-Jacket Grub.

Flax Exporimcuts.

The Construction of a Cowhouse.

Calf lAIeal.

Tlie Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing,

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamer v Buildings.

" Redwater " or "Blood-Murrain "

in Cattle.
Varieties of Fruit suitable for

cultivation in Ireland.
Forestry : The Planting of Waste

Lands.
Forestry : The Proper Method of

Planting Forest Trees.
Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.
Forestry : Trees for Shelter and

Ornament.
The Prevention of Tuberculosis in

Cattle.
Forestry : Planting, Management,

and Preservation of Shelter-Belt

and Hedgerow Timber.
Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.
Forestrv : Felling and Sellino; Tim-

ber.
The Planting and Management of

Hedges.
Some Common Parasites of the

Sheep.
Barle}' Sowing.

American Gooseberry Mildew.
Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.
IFome Buttormakinsr.
The Cultivation of Small Fruits.
Catch Crops.

Potato Culture on Small Farms.
Cultivation of INIain Crop Potatoes.
Culti\ation of Osiers.
Ensilage.

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.
Dirty Milk.
Barley Threshing-
The Home Bottlin<,' of Fruit.
The Construction of Piggeries.

free of charge and post free, on apjplication
Technical Instruct 1071 for Inland, Vpper
so addressed need not be stamped.

,, 71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

i ().

77.

/S.

79.

80.

81.

82.

83.

84.

8.-..

80.

87

88.

89.

"vsr X jLm tlm ij^ :dvx. s &: sore

ITatnralists, Furriers, and Taxidermists,

3, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

G1GAN7EUS, GENERALLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE AMALS OF SCOTTISH NATllHAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Menibet- of the Bntish Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Proftssor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &c.,

Natural History Department, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh,

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc.,and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding
number. Short Notes \vlll be Inserted. If space permit, If received
before the I5th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices : —

s. d. s. cL

2 pp. .. ... 4 O I 6 pp. ^ ... 8 O

4 pp. .. ...6018 pp. ... .» 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints w^hen returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identlflcatlonr

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin.

R Lloyd Praeger,

Natiottal Library^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Glenbank^ Holy wood, Co. Down.

Vol. XYtt., Mo. 6. Juue, 190S.

CONTENTS,

Page
Dublin Marine Biological Committee — Nathaniel Colgan,

M.R.I.A., ,,..... 105

Shell-beariug Drifts of Co, Dublin— J, R. Kilroe^ . . 115

Wild Bird Protection in Co. Dublin — Alexander Williams,

R.H.Ar, .. . . . , ,119

Reviews : —

The Insect Book.— (J. N. H.)i «• — .. .. « 122

Ornamental Water-FowL—(R. F. S.)r .. .. — .. 125

Irish Societies; —

Royal Zoological Society, ., ,, ., .. ., 124

Dublin Microscopical Club, ., .. ... ., .. 124

Belfast Natural Historj' & Philosophical Society, . . . . . . 125

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, .. .. .. .. 125

Cork Naturalist's Field Club, .. ... .. .. .. 127

News Gleanings, . . . - . . .12s

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t»

4

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Position.

A Reduction given for a Number of Insertions.

ALEX. THOM AND CO., LIMITBD, DUBLIN*

VOL. XVII. No. j.m
JULY, 1908.

a jreoitttlj) Journal

I

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIEl Y,

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

DUBLIN NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.

EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

robert patterson, f.l.s., m.r.i.a.

Price 6d.

DUBLIN : EASON & SON, Ltd.

v'lfJ /% 80M1D.ABBEY.ST.&40LK Sackvii.i,e-st. I »,

l':^A 'v^ BEI.FAST : 17 DONEGAH-ST.

r^

-mmir .hiMniib^

London :
SiMPKiN, Marshall, Hamilton,
Kent & Co., Ltd.

[|tf/Hfl»lHiiWiyiHHin«MBiiiMaiiiiii

m

THE IRISH NATURALIST for 1908 (twelve parts) will be sent to any
Address for Ss. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
Son, Ltd.* 40 Lower Sackvllle-street, Dublin.

.4 Monthly lilnstratcd /oitrnal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOOOHEAD, F.L.S.,

MUSEUM, IIULL. TECHNICAL COJ.LEGE. HUDDERSFIELD

■VTITH THE ASSISTANCE AS liEFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT, F.LS., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F.G.S., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

This Journal is one of the oldest Seientiflc Periodicals in the British Isles, dating back to 1833.
London : A BROWN & SONS, Ltd , 5, FARRINGDON AVRNUE, E C.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVENPENCE.

Annual SuhncyiptioUf 6s. Od., post free; through Booksellers, (is. Net,

Comnmnicatioiis to be addressed to the Editors of the Naturalist, The Museum, Hull.

NATUR

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

J'JtICJS SIXPENCE,

(

"NATURE" contains Originai Articles on ali subjects ccnting within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of ihs day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientifc woiks;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientific (liscussion
and 0? intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
Sc'entifrc Societies and Academies of the World ; and Notes on a'l matters
of current scientific interest.

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L^'NDON, ^^'.C'.

THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

PHC£NIX PARK, DUBLIN.

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Admission, Is., except Saturdays, 6d., and Sunday

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FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUI{OPE

A pair of Zebras just arrived from Africa.

THREE CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
BEFBESHMENT 11003I OPEN ALL THE YEAB,

Donations of Animals (Irish or Foreign) thankfully received,
SURPLUS vSTOCK OF BEASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALE) OR KXCHANGE.

For particulars, and also for Terms and Privilec^es of Membership
of the Society, apply to —

R. F. SCHARFF, Hon, Sec, B.Z.S.,

The Museum, Dublin.

r

DEPARTiMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE D EPART IVl ENT'S LEAFLETS.

Xo

1.
2

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.

18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

25.

20.
27.
28.

29.
30.

31.
32.
33.
31.
35.
30.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.

44.

45.
40.
47.
48.
49.

The Warble IHy.

Out of Print.

Out of Print.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Slieep.

Timothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wkeworms.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stulfs Act,

190G, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures,
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.
Basic Slag.
Dishorning Calves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera.
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, ur Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed.
Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Egcr Production.
Rearing and Fattening of Turke3's.
Profitable Breeds of Poultry.
The Revival of Tillage.
The Liming of Land.
Field Experiments — Barley.

,, „ Meadow Hay.

„ „ Potatoes.

Mangolds.
Oats.
Turnips.
Permanent Pasture Grasses.
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle.
Haymaking.

The Black Currant M\te.
Foul Brood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening.

No. 50. Portable Poultry Houses.

,,51. The Leather-Jacket Grub.

,, 52. Flax Experiments,

,, 53. I'he Construction of a Cowhouse.

„ 54. Calf .Meal.

,, 55. The Apple.

,, 56. Cultivation of the Root Crop.

,, 57. Fruit Packing.

,, 58. Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

,, 59. Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

„ 00. The Packing of Butter.

,. 01 The Care of i^Filk for Creameries.

,, 62. Plans for Creamery ]5uildirigs,

„ 03. " Redwater " or " Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

„ 64. Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

„ 05. Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

„ 66. Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

„ 67. Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

„ 68. Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

,, 09. The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

„ 70. Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter- Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

„ 71. Forestry: The Managen*ent of Plan-
tations.

„ 72. Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

„ 73. The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

,, 74. Some Common Piirasites of the
Sheep.

,, 75. Barley Sowing.

,, 70. American Gooseberry Mildew.

,, 77. Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

,, 78. Home Butteriuakingr.

„ 79. The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

„ 80. Catch Crops.

,, 81. Potato Culture on Small Farms.

,, 82. Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

,, 83. Cultivation of Osiers.

,, 84. Ensilacre.

,, 85. Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

„ 8(). Dirty Milk.

,, 87. Barley Threshing.

„ 88. The Home Bottlin-r of Fruit.

„ 89. The Construction of Piggeries.

Copies of the above hafeis can be ohtnincd free of charge and post free, on application
to the Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
Mcrrion- street, Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not be stamped.

ITataralists, Furriers, and Taxidermists,

3, DAME-STEEET, 1>UBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HKAD AND ANTIvERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISK DEER, CERVUS

G1GAN7EUS, GENERALITY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6d. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D , F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE. F.L.S., &C.,

Natural History Department, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.

This Majrazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturahst,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the i-ublication of Original Ma,tter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
con'.rihuting to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc., and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, C « STLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Artfclcs or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the IVIonth, for Insertion In the succeeding:
niimber. Short Notes will be Inserted. If space permit, If received
"o*?fore the 15th of the IVIonth. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their comtnunlcatlons on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices :—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .« ... 4 O I 6 pp. ^ .« 8 O

4 pp. .. ...6018 pp. ... .„ 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints w^hen returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints shouid b2 sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOIYI & CO.,
87 IVIIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason dcSon,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural .History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identlflcationo

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin*

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library ^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Gle7ibank^ Holy woody Co. Down

Vol. xvH., No. 7. July, 1908.

CONTENTS.

J. X'SSHER,-

Page

The Occurrence of Paromola Cuvieri in Irish Waters.— J. N

Hai^bert, M.R.I. a. (Plate 5), . . . ^ 129

The New Flora of Burnt Ground on the Hill of Howtli. — J.

Adams, M.A., . . . , . . . 133

Armadillidium pictum, an addition to the Britannic Fauna,

— Nevin H. Foster, M.B.O.U. (Plate 6), . . . 135

Irish Societies; —

Ro3'al Zoological Society. Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, ' . . . . 137

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, .. .. .. .. 13S

13'^
139

140

Notes : —

Galium Cruciata Scop, ia Co. Down.— W. J. C. ToMUNsox,

Migrants at Rockabill. — Richard M. Barrington, M.A.,

A Disaster on Migration. — Robert Patterson, F.Iy,S.,

Fecundity of the Chaffinch. — E. P. Butterfield,

Supposed Occurrence of a Wild Cat in the West of Cork.— R

■*-'.•*-»•, •• «. •« •• •• •• «• 140

Reviews : —

A. T. Gillanders' " Forest Entomology."— (G. H. C), .. .. 141

J. W. Tutt's '' British Butterflies " (vol. ii.).- (G H. C), . . . . 142

TERMS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN *MRISH NATURALIST."

s. d.
WhOI^E Page, .. .. .. From 10 o"*! According

Half Page, . . . . . » » 6 o J- to
Quarter Page, .. .. „ 4 6j ^''^'^'^''^

A Reduction given for a Number 0/ Insertions.

ALKX. TfiOM AKD CO., LIlflTBD. DUBLIK.

\" '■'

•-;-;i

VOI^. XVII. No. 8.i

AUGUST, 1908

•^*>

x\

a ittontijlg Sournal

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAvST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,

BELFAST NATURALISTvS' FIELD CLUB,

DUBLIN NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB,

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB.

EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

robert patterson, f.l.s., m.r.la.

Price 6d.

LM

^vj

^)i^ViH .; DUBLIN: EASON & SON, Ltd.

''^Vl■^ /^8oMiD.ABBEY-ST.&4oLK SACKVII.1.E-ST.

^WL.-Ly% Belfast; 17 DoNEGAi.i,-ST. ^i^

'\n;; r^ London :

SiMPKiN, Marshall, Hamilton,

r:^> cr-.^ ,- - KENT & Co., LTD.

^^>>-, : ^

THE IRISH NATURALIST for 1908 (twelve parts) will be sent to any
Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason anH
Son, Ltd., 40 Lower Sackvllle-street. Dublin.

the: 3\rj^TXJii.jaLXjisT

.4 Afonthly Illustrated journal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

Museum, Hull. Technical College, Hoddersfield

with the assistance a9 rbfereeg in special departments op

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S.. F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F:G.$., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

Tliifs Journal is one of the oldest Scientific Periodicals in the British Isles, dating back to 1833.
London: A BROWN & SONS, LTD., 5, FARRINGDON AVENUE, EC.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVEN PENCE.

Annual Subsevijition, 6s. 6d,, post ft'ee; through BooJcsellers, 6». Xet,

Conimuuicatious tobe addressed to the Editorsof the Naturalist, The Museum, Hull.

NATURE.

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

J-HIC'E SIXPENCE.

"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of the day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientif!c works ;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientific discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
Scientific Societies and Academies of the World ; and Notes on all matters
of current scientific interest

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO "NATURE.

j>

Yearly •• .. ..180
Half- Yearly 0 14 6

( To all places Abroud.) £ s. d.
Yearly .. 1 10 6

Half-Yearly .. ^ 0 15 6

Quarterly .. .. 0 7 6 Quarterly .. .. 0 8 0

/'» A charfc'e of Sixpence is made Jor changing Scotch and Irish Cheques.

Cheques und Money Orders to be made payable to Macmillan & Co., Ltd., St. ]\Iartin'6-ST.,

LUNDON, W.C.

THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

PHGENIX PARK, DUBLIN.

Open daily from 9 a.m. (^Sundays from 12 noon)

till dusk.

Admission, Is., except Saturdays, 6d., and Sunday

Afternoons, 2d.

Children, Half-price.

SPECIAL RATES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AND

EXCURSION PARTIES.

FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUROPE

Seals and Sea-lions in their New Pond.

THREE CHIIYIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
liEFllESHM ENT llOOM OBEN ALL THE YEAB,

Donations of Animals (Irish or Foreign) thankfully received,
SURPLUS STOCK OF BEASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE.

For particulars, and also for Terms and Privileges of Membership
of the Society, appl)' to —

R. F. SCHARFF, Hoiu Sec, Ji,Z,S.,

The Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OF ArjRICULTtJRE AND TEClINrCAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

Xo

1. The Warble V\y.

2. Out of Print.

3. Out of Print.

4. Workmen's Compenaation Act.

5. Out of Print.

6. Charlock Spraying.

7. Fluke in Sheep.

8. Timothy Meadows.

9. The Turnip Fly.

10. Wii-e worms.

1 1. Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

12. Out of Print.

13. Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

14. Prevention of Potato Blight,

15. Fertilizers and Feeding Stuffs Act.

1906. Regulations.

16. Sheep Scab.

17. The Use and Purchai^e of Manures.

18. Swine Fever.

19. p]arly Potato Growing.

20. Calf Rearitig.

21. Diseases of Poultry: — Gapes.

22. Basic Slag.

23. Dishorning CaU'es.

24. Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.

25. Fowl Oiolera.

26. Winter Fattening of Cattle.

27. Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.

2S. Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue
Quarter.

29. Flax Seed.

30. Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.

31. Winter Egg Production.

32. Rearing and Fattening of Turkevs.

33. Profitable Breeds of Poultry.
3 J. The Revival of TilUxge.

3r». The Liming of Land.

36. Field Experiments — Barley.

37. „ „ Meadow Hay.

38. „ ,. Potatoes.

39. „ „ Mangolds.

40. ., „ ()ats.
4L .. „ Turnips.

42. Permanent Pasture Grasses.

43. The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.

44. " Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
4.">. Ringworm on Cattle.

46. Haymaking.

47. The Black Currant Mite.

48. Foul Brood or Beo Pest.

49. Poultrv Fattening.

.Vo.

50

1 »

51

52

1 1

53

1 r

54

1 1

55

1 f

56

1 1

57.

> »

58.

59.

;>

60.

61

jt

62

1 1

63

tt

64

tt

65

t*

66

tf

67

tt

68

tt

69

ft

70

71

72

1 1 # ^•

,, 73.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87

88.

89.

Portable Poultry Hou-es.

The Leatlier- Jacket Grub.

Flax Exporiments.

'J'he Construction of a Cowhouse.

Calf xMcal.

The Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

F^'uit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Biiilditigs.

" Red water " or ""Blood-Murrain "

in Cattle.
Varieties of Fruit suitable for

cultivation in Ireland.
Forestry : The Planting of Waste

Lands.
Forestry : The Proper Method of

Planting Forest Trees.
Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.
Forestry : Trees for Shelter and

Ornament.
The Prevention of Tuberculosis in

Cattle.
Forestry : Planting, Manngoment,

and Preservation of Shelter-Belt

and Hedi^erow Timber.
Forestry

tat ions.
Forestry : Felling and Selling Tiu\-

ber.
The Planting and Management of

Hedges.
Some Common Parasites of the

Sheep.
Barley Sowiisg.

American (K)oseberry Mildew.
Scour and U'astino; in Yoimsc Cattle.
Home ButterMuaking.
The Cultivation of Small Fruits.
Catch Crops.

Potato Culture on Small Farms.
Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.
Cultivation of Osiers.
Ensilage.

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.
Dirty Milk,
liarley Threshing.
The Home Bottlinp; of Fruit.
Tiie Construction of Piggeries.

The Management of Plan-

Copie$ of the above leaflets can be obiaincd free of rharyc and post free, on application
to the Secretary. Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
Merrion-itreet, Dublin. Letters of applicatnm so addressed need not be stamped.

"W X 3L. H. I .^ 3VC S &i S O PJ*

Katur»lUts, Furriers, a&d Taxidermists,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HKAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANJEUS, GENERALLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATCllAL HISTORL

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;
JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &C.,

Natural History Departvient, Royal Scottish Musettm, Edinburgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871— is entirely devoted
to the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Historiea,
etc, and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History arc Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding
number. Short Notes will be Inserted, If space permit, If received
before the 15th of the month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices :—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .- ... 4 O j 6 pp. ^ ^ 8 O

4 pp. .- ...6018 pp. ... ... 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, IVIESSRS. A. THOIYI & COi,
87 lYilDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT tO lYIessrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identification.

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin*

R. Lloyd Pra^ger,

National Library, Dublin.

Robert Patterson,

Glenbaiik^ Holy wood, Co, Down.

Vol. xvii., N«. S.

August, 1908.

CONTENTS.

Page
145

On the Division of Ireland into Biological Sub-provinces — B3' J.
Adams, M.A. (Plate 7), .

The Extinction of Cryptogamic Plants in Ireland. — By A. R.

HoRWOOD, . . . . . . .151

Reviews : —

F,W. Gamble's ''Animal Life."— (G. H.C.), ... .. .. 157

C. Janet's " Anatomic du Corselet et Histolyse des Muscles chez la Reiue

de la Fourmi."— <G. H. C), .. .. .. .. 158

Notes :—

The New Flora of the Burnt Ground on the Hill of Howth.— G. H.

Pethybridge, Ph.D., ., .. .. .: .. 160

Note on Dicranium Scottii.— Rev. Canon H. W. LETT, M.A., .. 161

Mayo Mosses and Liverworts, a correction. — ^^D. McArdle, . • ..* 161

Botanical Notes from Co. Antrim. — C. J. Lii^tY, . . .. .. 162

The Woodlice of Ireland.— D. R. Pack Beresford, M.R LA., and N. H.

Foster, . . . . . • • . . . • • 162

Testacella Mangel at Cork.— R. Wei,ch, M.R.I. A., . . . . . . 163

Testacella haliotidea in the North of Ireland.— R. F. Scharif, Ph.D.,

F.L'*!''^ • "» • • ••• • • • • ••• ^^3

Irish Societies; —

Royal Zoological Society, .. •• .., .. .. i^j

Belfast Naturahsts' Field Club, ., .. ... ... 164

Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, ... .. .. .. 164

TERMS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN "IRISH NATURALIST."

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Quarter Page,

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SPECIAL DUBLIN BRITISH ASSOCIATION NUMBER.

VOL. XVII. No. 9.

SEPTEMBER, 1908.

i=^ l«'r,

fe^

:^>

*ijj/i^

1 »>

^j

a HiloiitijlB journal

OF

GENERAL IRISH NATURAL HISTORY,

ORGAN OF THE

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

DUBLIN MICROSCOPICAL CLUB,

BELFAvST NATURAL HISTORY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY,

BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

DUBLIN NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB,

CORK NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB,

LIMERICK FIELD CLUB,

ULvSTER FISHERIES AND BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION.

TYRONE NATURALIvSTS' FIELD CLUB.

EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

robert patterson, f.l.s., m.r.la.

Price 6d.

IN. ^

■'•S>5^

utiuiHw .HifiniiLi;

DUBLIN : EASON & SON, Ltd.
;. 80M1D. ABBEV-ST.&40LK vSackville-st.
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i^^..^

fWfffW((mniniiiiniHii

iiwwiiiiiiipnin'tf '^

THE IRISH NATURALIST for 1908 (twelve parts) Will be sent to any
Address for 5s. Subscriptions should be sent to Messrs. Eason and
Son, Ltd., 40 Lower Sackvllle-street, Dublin.

the: 3»--A.TXJI^-A.3L.IST

A Monthly Illustrated /onrnal of

NATURAL HISTORY FOR THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.

Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S.,

Museum, Hull. Technical College, Huddersfield

"WITH THE assistance AS REFEREES IN SPECIAL DEPARTMENTS OF

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S.. F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F.G.S., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

This Journal is one of the oldest Scientific Periodicals in the British Isles, dating back to 1833.
London: A BROWN & SONS, Ltd., 5, FARRINGDON AVENUE, EC.

PRICE SIXPENCE NET. BY POST SEVENPENCE.

Annual Stibscviption, 6s. Od,, post free; through JiookseUers, 6s. Xet.

Comuiuiiicationstobe addressed to the Editorsof the Naturalist, The Museum, Hull.

NATURE.

A WEEKLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

l^ItlCE SIXPENCE.

" NATURE " contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
the domain of Science, contributed by the most eminent scientific writers
of the day. It also contains Reviews of all recent scientific works ;
Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scientific discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable papers which
appear in foreign journals ; Reports of the Proceedings of the Principal
Scientific Societies and Academies of the World ; and Notes on a!l matters
of current scientific interest.

SUBSCRIPTIONS TO "NATURE."

£ s. d. I ( To all places Abroad.) £ s. d.

Yearly 18 0! Yearly 1 10 6

Half-Yearly 0 14 6 j Half-Yearly .. .. 0 15 6

Quarterly .. .. 0 7 6 1 Quarterly .. .. 0 8 0

t/^-! A charjje of Sixpence is made for changing Scotch and Irish Cheques.

Cheques and Money Orders to be made payable to Macmillan & Co., Ltd., St. Mautin's-st.,

London, W.O.

THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

OF THS

ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND,

PHGENIX PARK, DUBLIN.

Open daily from 9 a.iri. (^Snnddys f'ro)ii^'\2 noon)

till dusk.

Admission, Is., except Saturdays, 6d., and Sunday

Afternoons, 2d.

Children, Half-price.

SPECIAL RATES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AND

EXCURSION earth: s.

m

FINEST COLLECTION OF LIONS IN EUI^OPE

Seals and Sea-lions in their New Pond.

THREE CHIIVIPANZEES ARE NOW IN THE GARDENS.
liBFllESUnEyT nOOM OrEN ALL THE YEAR.

Donations ot Animals (Irish or Foreign) thankfully received,
SURPLUS STOCK OF BEASTS AND BIRDS FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE.

For particulars, and also for Terms and Privilec^es of Membership
of the Society, apply to —

R. F. SCHARFF, Hon. Sec, li.Z.S.,

The Museum, Dublin.

DEPAirniENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE D EP ART IV! E N T'S LEAFLETS.

No.

1.
2,

3!

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

25.
20.

27.

28.

29.
30.

31.
32.
33.
3 k
35.
30.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.

44.
4.5.
40.
47.

48.
49.

The Waible Fly.

Old of Print.

Out of Print.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Sheep.

Timothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wireworms.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stuffs Act,

1900, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes,
Basic Slag.
Dishorning Calves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera,
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed,
Poultry Parasites— Fleas, :Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Egg Production.
Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.
Profitable Breeds of Poultry,
The Revival of Tillage,
The Liming of Laud.
Field Experiments— Barley,

Meadow Hay.

Potatoes.

Mangolds,

Oats.

Turnips,
Permanent Pasture Grasses,
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle,
Haymaking.

Tlie mack Currant Mite.
Foul P-rood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening,

No, 50. Portable Poultry Hon e^.

,, 51. The Leather-Jacket Grub,

,, 52. Flax Experiments.

,, 53. The Construction of a Cowhouse,

„ 54, Calf Meal,

,, 55, The Apple.

,, 56, Cultivation of the Root Crop.

„ 57. Fruit Packing. '

„ 58, Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

,, 59. Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

„ 60, The Paclving of Butter.

,, 61 The Care of Milk for Creameries,

,, 62, Plans for Creamerv Buildings,

„ 63. " Redwater " or "'Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

,, 64. Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

„ 65, Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

„ 66, Forestry : The Proper ilethod of
Planting Forest Trees.

„ 67, Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

„ 08. Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

,, 69. The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

„ 70. Forestry : Planting, ^Management,
and Preservation of Shelter- Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

,, 71. Forestry: The Management of Plan-
tations.

„ 72. Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

,, 73. The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

,, 74, Some Common Parasites of the
Slice p.

,, 75. Barley Sowing,

,, 70. American Gooseberry Mildew.

,, 77. Scour and \\'asting in Yoimg Cattle.

,, 7S, Home Buttcrmakin^,

„ 79. The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

,, 80. Catch Crops.

,, 81, Potato Culture on Small Farms.

,, 82. Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

„ 83, Cultivation of Osiers.

,, 84, Fjusilauc.

,, 85. Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

„ 80. Dirty Milk.

,, 87, Barley Tiiroshing.

„ 88, The Home Bottling' of Fruit.

,, 89, Tlie Constructiou of Piggeries,

Copies of the above kafiets can he ohtnined free of charge and post free, on apphcatwn
to the Secretary, Department of Agricvltvrc and Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
Merrion- street,' Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not he stamped.

"VSr I J^ JLm I J^ IS/L S &: s o ]\r

ITatiiralists, Furriers, a&l Tazidermiats,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTI^HRS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANTEUS, GENERAIvI^Y IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6d. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OP SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &c.,

Natural History Depai tment, Royal Scottish Museum^ Edinburgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "Tbe Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Oricrinal Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes I'apera
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc., and Notes reeordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful aad interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOHGLAS, 10, CASTLE -STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the IVIonth, for Insertion In the succeeding
number. Short Notes will be Inserted. If space permit. If received
before the I5th of the IVIonth. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices :—

s. d. S. d.

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Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
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Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, IVIESSRS. A. THOWI & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to IVlessrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred

to authorities for Identlflcatlono

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin,

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library ^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Gle7ibank^ Holy wood, Co. Down

Vol. xvii., No. 9. September, 190S.

CONTENTS.

Pa ore

»^

Bird Life in Dublin Ba}'. — Alexander WilliaMvS, R.H.A., .. 165

Dublin Marine Biology Committee— A new Irish Gephyrean. —

Rowland Southern, B.Sc. (Plate 9), . . .. . . 171

On two Collembola new to the Britannic Fauna. — Prof. G. H.

Carpenter, B.Sc, .. .. .. .. .. 174

REVIEW'S : —

British Association Handbook to Dublin and District, — (R. W.), .. 179

Irish Societies; —

Koyal Zoological Society, Dublin Naturalists' Field Club, .^ .. 1S5

Notes :—

Flora of Burnt Ground at Howth. Biological Subdivision of Ireland. —

R. ]^i.OYD Praeger, .. ... .. .. ... 1S6

Dicranum Scottii. — D. McArdlE, .. .^ .. .. 1S7

Sounds of Sei.smic Disturbance. — G, H, Penti^axd, ., ... j88

TERMS FOR ADVERTISEMENTS IN ** IRISH NATURALIST.

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QuAKTEii Page,

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OCTOBER, 1908.

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EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
R. LLOYD PRAEGER, B.A., B.E., M.R.I.A.,

AND

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^ AFouthly Illustrated /otirnal of

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Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S,,

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with the assistance as keferees in special departments of

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S., F.L.S^ GEO. T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S.,

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T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST, F.L.S.

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"NATURE" contains Original Articles on all subjects coming within
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The Museum, Dublin.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

No.

i>

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
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25.
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31.
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30.
37.
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40.
41.
42.
43.

44.
45.

40.

47.
48.
49.

The Warble Fly.

Out of Print.

Out of Print.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Sheep.

'J'itiiothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wiieworms.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stutfs Act,

1900, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseai4es of Poultry : — Gapea.
Basic Slag.
Dishorning Calves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera.
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed.
Poultry Parasites— Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Egg Production.
Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.
Profitable Breed!> of Poultry.
The Revival of Tillage.
The Liming of Land.
Field Experiments— Barley.

„ „ Meadow Hay.

„ ,. Potatoes.

Mangolds.
Oats.
Turnips.
Permanent Pasture Grasses.
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle.
Haymaking.

The Black Currant Mite.
Foul lirood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening.

•»

No. 50. Portable Poultry Kou.^es.

,,51. The Leather-Jacket Grub.

,, 52. Flax Experiments.

,, 53. The Construction of a Cowhouse.

„ 54. Calf Meal.

,, 55. The Apple.

,, 56. Cultivation of the Root Crop.

,, 57. Fruit Packing.

,, 58. Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

,, 59. Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

,, GO. The Packing of Butter.

,, 61 The Care of Milk for Creameries.

,, 62. Plans for Creamery Buildings.

„ 63. " Redwater " or " Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

,, 64. Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

„ 65. Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

„ 66. Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

„ 67. Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

„ 68. Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

,, 69. The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

,, 70. Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter-Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

„ 71. Forestry: The Management of Plan-
tations.

,, 72. Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

,, 73. The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

,, 74. Some Common Parasites of the
Sheep.

,, 75. Barley Sowing.

,, 70. American (gooseberry Mildew.

,, 77. Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

,, 78. Home Buttermaking.

„ 79. The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

„ 80. Catch Crops.

„ 81. Potato Culture on Small Farms.

,, 82. Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

,, 83. CUiltivation of Osiers.

,, 84. Ensilaize.

,, 85. Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

„ 80. Dirty Milk.

„ 87. Barley Threshing.

„ 88. The Home Buttling of Fruit.

„ 89. Tlie Construction of Piggeries.

Copies of the above leaflets can he obtained free of charge and post free, on application
to (he Secretary, Department of Agricvlture and Technical Instruction for Ireland, Upper
Merrion- street,' Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not be stamped.

KataralUts, Furriers, and Tazidtrmists,

3, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildar.e-street.

HEAD AND ANTI<ERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANTEUS, GENERAI^IvY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 78. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OP SCOTTISH NATDIUL HISTORY.

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY
J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Union ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D., F.R.S.. F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &c.,

Natural History Department^ Royal Scottish Museum^ Edinburgh.

This Magrazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871— is entirely devoted
to the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etcand Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CASTLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeedlnf?
number. Short Notes will be Inserted. If space permit. If received
before the 15th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices i—

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. ^ .« 4 O I 6 pp. ... «. 8 O

4 pp. .- .„ 6 O I 8 pp. ... .« 9 0

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOTtO MeSSrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identification.

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin,

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library ^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Glaibank^ Holy wood ^ Cc- Down

Vol. xvii., No. 10. October, 1908.

CONTENTS.

Page

Rambles on Acliill Island. — Professor C. J. Pa^tten, M.D., .. 189

Notes : —

Eurhyuchium striatulum in Co. Limerick. — Rev. C. H. Waddki,!,, B D., 204

Ditriclium tortile in Ireland. — Rev. Canon H. W. L13TT, M.A., ,, 204

AVood Betonv in Co. Wexford. — Major G. E. H. Barre,TT-Hamii,TON, 205
F.Z.vS.

Plantago media in Co." Down. — Rev. W. P. Carmody, M.A., . . . . 205

The Crayfish in the Shannon. — R. A. Phii^UPS, .. .. ,, 205

Some New Jrish Woodlice.—D R. Pack-BerESFORD, M.A., ,. .. 206

Stock-dove in Co. Wexford. — Major G. E. H. Barrett-Hamji^TON, .. 206

Fecundity of the Chaffinch.— W. Percivai, Westei,!,, F.Z S., ... 206

Whiskered Bat in Co. Wexford.— Major G. E. H. Barrett-Hamii^Ton, 207

Reviews : —

W. p. Westell's and C. S. Cooper's " Young Botanist " (R. Li.. P.), ., 207

J. W. Tutt's "Practical Hints for the Field ]>pidopterist (G. H. C), „ 208

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EDITED BY

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AND

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A Monthly I I lustra' ed /oiiriial of

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Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S,,

Museum, Hull. Technical College. Hl'ddersfield

■with the assistance as keferees in special departments of

J. GILBERT BAKER, F.R.S.. F.L.S., GEO. T. PORRITT. F.L.S., F.E.S.,

PERCY F. KENDALL, F.G.S., JOHN W. TAYLOR,

T. H. NELSON, M.B.O.U., WILLIAM WEST. F.L.S.

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4

NATURE.

A WtEKLY ILLUbTRATED JOURNAL OF SCIENCE.

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"NATURE" contai.ns Original Articles on all subjects coming within
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Correspondence Columns, which form a medium of scienti^4C discussion
and of intercommunication among men of Science ; Accounts of the
leading Scientific Serials ; Abstracts of the more valuable pa; ers which
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of current scientific interest.

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SURPLUS STOCK OF RKASTS AND P.IRDS FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE

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R. F. SCHARFF, lIo7f. Sec, K.Z.S.,

The Museum, Dublin

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

No.

»»

1.
2.

3!

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
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20.
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.. 25.

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40.
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42.
43.

44.
45.

46.
47.

48.
40.

The Warble My.

Out of Print.

Out of Print.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Sheep.

Timothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wire worms.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stutls Act,

1906, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.
Basic Slag.
Dishorning Calves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera.
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed.
Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Egg Production.
Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.
Profitable Bn^eds of Poultry.
The Revival of Tillage.
The Liming of Land.
Field Experiments — Barley.

,, „ INIeadow Hay.

„ „ Potatoes.

„ „ Mangolds.

„ Oats.

,, ,, Turnips.

Permanent Pasture Grasses.
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle.
Haymaking.

The Black Currant Mite.
Foul Brood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening.

No.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61

62.

63.

.. 64.
„ 65.
M 66.
„ 67.
.. 68.
.. 69.
.. 70.

., 71.
„ 72.
.. 7.3.

75

76

77

78

79.

80.

81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87

88.

89.

Portable Poultry Houses.

The Leather- Jacket Grub.

Flax Experiments.

I'he Construction of a Cowhouse,

Calf Meal.

The Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Buildings.

" Redwater " or " Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter-Belt
and Hedgerow Tijnber.

Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.

Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

Some Common Parasites of the
Sheep.

Barley Sowhig.

American Gooseberry Mildew.

Scour and Wasting in Young Cattle.

Home Buttermaking.

The Cultivation of Small Fruits,

Catch Crops.

Potato Culture on Small Farms.

Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes.

Cultivation of Osiers.

Ensilage.

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

Dirty .Milk,

Barley Tlireshing.

The Home Bottling of Fruit.
Tlie Constructiou of Piggeries.

Copies of the above leaflets can he ohinincd free of charge and post free, on application
to the Secretary, Department of Agricvlturc and Technical histruction for Ireland, Upper
Merrion- street, Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not be stamped.

JTSTITLm Xj, I J^ :BiiT a &: S O 3^

naturalists, Furriers, a&d Tazidermiats,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Eildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTLERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CEKVUS

GIGANJEUS, GENERALLY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6d. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE AMALS OF SCOTTISH NATDHAL HISTORL

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R S.E., F.Z.S.,

Alei/iber of the British Ornithologists^ Union ;
JAMES W. H. TRAIL, M.A., M.D , F.R.S., F.L.S.

Professor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &c.,
Natural History Department, Royal Scottish Musetim, Edinburgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Oriirinal Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etcand Notes re cording the occurrence of uncommon species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CflSTLE -STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the 10th of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding
number. Short Notes will be Inserted* If space permit. If received
before the 15th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their communications on Postcards.

Authors of Papers in the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the foIlo\A^ingr prices : —

s. d. S. d.

2 pp. .„ ... 4 O J 6 pp. ... ..8 0

4 pp. .. ...6018 pp. ... ... 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should bs sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM 6t CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,
NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for identification »

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College ofSciencey Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Gle7iba7ik^ Holywood^ Co. Dowxl

Vol. xvii., No. 11.

November, 1908.

CONTENTS.

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION IN DUBININ :
Preparations and Arrangements,

PROCKEDINGS OF THK ASSOCIATION:

The Presidential Address . .

The Evening Lectures
The Delegates' Conference

Work in thk Sections:

C. Geology . .

D. Zoology . .

E. Geography. F. Agriculture
H. Anthropology
K. Botany. ly. Education

Abstracts of Irish Papers :

C. Geology .=,

D. Zoology . . c.

E. Geography

F. Agriculture
H. Anthropology

Excursions & Entertainments

Page
209
210

211
214

215

221
22^
228
229
230

231
236

239
241'
246

247

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EDITED BY

Prof. GEORGE H. CARPENTER, B.Sc, M.R.I.A.
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Edited by T. SHEPPARD, F.C.S., and T. W. WOODHEAD, F.L.S,»

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION FOR IRELAND.

LIST OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LEAFLETS.

No.

$1

»

It

>>

i>

1.
O

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9,
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

25.
26.
27.

28.

29.
30.

31.
32.
3:{.
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35.
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37.
38.
39.
40.
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43.

44.

45.
46.
47.

48.
49.

The Warble Ily.

Out of Print.

Out of Print.

Workmen's Compensation Act.

Out of Print.

Charlock Spraying.

Fluke in Sheep.

Timothy Meadows.

The Turnip Fly.

Wireworras.

Prevention of White Scour in Calves.

Out of Print.

Contagious Abortion in Cattle.

Prevention of Potato Blight.

Fertilizers and Feeding Stutis Act.

1906, Regulations.
Sheep Scab.

The Use and Purchase of Manures.
Swine Fever.
Early Potato Growing.
Calf Rearing.

Diseases of Poultry : — Gapes.
Basic Slag.
Dishorning Calves.
Care and Treatment of Premium

Bulls.
Fowl Cholera.
Winter Fattening of Cattle.
Breeding and Feeding of Pigs.
Blackleg, Black Quarter, or Blue

Quarter.
Flax Seed.
Poultry Parasites — Fleas, Mites, and

Lice.
Winter Ego; Production.
Rearing and Fattening of Turkeys.
Profitable Breeds of Poultry.
The Revival of Tillage.
The Liming of Land.
Field Experiments — Barley.

„ „ Meadow Hay.

„ „ Potatoes.

„ „ Mangolds.

„ Oats.

,, ,, Turnips.

Pr-rmancnt Pasture Grasses.
The Rearing and Management of

Chickens.
" Husk " or " Hoose " in Calves.
Ringworm on Cattle.
Haymaking.

The Black Currant Mite.
Foul Brood or Bee Pest.
Poultry Fattening.

No.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

biS.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.

Portable Poultry Houses.

The Leather- Jacket Grub,

Flax Experiments.

The Construction of a r'owhon.se.

Calf Meal.

The Apple.

Cultivation of the Root Crop.

Fruit Packing.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes.

Seed Testing Station for Ireland.

The Packing of Butter.

The Care of Milk for Creameries.

Plans for Creamery Buildings.

" Red water "or " Blood-Murrain "
in Cattle.

Varieties of Fruit suitable for
cultivation in Ireland.

Forestry : The Planting of Waste
Lands.

Forestry : The Proper Method of
Planting Forest Trees.

Forestry : Trees for Poles and Tim-
ber.

Forestry : Trees for Shelter and
Ornament.

The Prevention of Tuberculosis in
Cattle.

Forestry : Planting, Management,
and Preservation of Shelter- Belt
and Hedgerow Timber.

Forestry : The Management of Plan-
tations.

Forestry : Felling and Selling Tim-
ber.

The Planting and Management of
Hedges.

Some Common Parasites of the
Sheep.

Barley Sowing.

American Gooseberry Mildew.

Scour and \A'asting in Young Cattle.

Home Buttermaking.

The Cultivation of Small Fruits.

Catch Crops,

Potato Culture on Small Farms.

Cultivation of Main Crop Potatoes,

Cultivation of Osiers.

Ensilage,

Some Injurious Orchard Insects.

Dirty Milk,

Barley Threshing.

The Home Bottling of Fruit.
The Construction of Piggeries.

Copies of the above leaflets can he ohinincd free of charge and post free, on application
to the Secretary, Department of Agricultvrc and Technical Instrvrtion for Ireland, Upper
M err ion- street, Dublin. Letters of application so addressed need not be stamped.

JTV IJLm Hm I A. IML S Ss S O 1>J

ITaturalists, Farriers, and Tazidermista,

2, DAME-STEEET, DUBLIN,

Designers of the Life Groups in the National Museum, Kildare-street.

HEAD AND ANTI^ERS OF THE GREAT EXTINCT IRISH DEER, CERVUS

GIGANJEUS, GENERAIvIvY IN STOCK.

TO SUBSCRIBERS, 7s. 6cl. PER ANNUM, POST FREE.

THE ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATDRAL HISTORY,

A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE,

EDITED BY

J. A. HARVIE-BROWN, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S.,

Member of the British Ornithologists' Ujiion ;

JAMES W. H. TRAIIv, M.A., M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S.

P7'oftssor of Botany in the University of Aberdeen ,

WM. EAGLE CLARKE, F.L.S., &C.,
Natural History Department^ Royal Scottish Ahiseian, Edinburgh.

This Magazine— a continuation of "The Scottish Naturalist,' founded in 1871 — is entirely devoted
to the publication of Original Matter relating to the Natural History of Scotland, and includes Papers
contributing to the elucidation of the Fauna and Flora recent and fossil. Observations on Life Histories,
etc., and Notes recordingthe occurrence of uncoinmoa species and other useful and interesting facts.

Edinburgh : DAVID DOUGLAS, 10, CflSTLE-STREET.

NOTICE.
CONTRIBUTIONS (Articles or Notes) on all branches of Irlsn
Natural History are Invited. Articles must reach the EDITORS, on
or before the lOth of the Month, for Insertion In the succeeding
number. Short Notes will be Inserted. If space permit, If received
before the 1 5th of the Month. Contributors are earnestly requested
not to write their cominunlcatlons on Postcards.

Authors of Papers In the IRISH NATURALIST can be supplied
with 50 Reprints at the following prices : —

s. d. s. d.

2 pp. .„ ... 4 O j 6 pp. ^ ^80

4 pp. .- ...6 0 18 pp. ... ... 9 O

Authors should apply for Reprints when returning proofs to
the Editors. But any subsequent correspondence regarding
Reprints should be sent to the PRINTERS, MESSRS. A. THOM & CO.,
87 MIDDLE ABBEY-STREET, DUBLIN, and NOT to Messrs. Eason &Son,

NOR TO THE EDITORS.

Natural History Specimens sent to the Editors will be referred
to authorities for Identlflcatlono

G. H. Carpenter,

Royal College of Science^ Dublin.

R. Lloyd Praeger,

National Library ^ Dublin,

Robert Patterson,

Gle7iba7ik^ Holy wood, Co. Down

Vot. xvji., No. 12.

December, 1908.

CONTENTS.

Henry Chichester Hart.— R. M. Barrington, LL.B.,

lUuma purpurascens, a Woodlouse new to the British Isles.
Denis R. Pack-BkrEvSford, B.A., D.L.,

Records of some Irish Woodlice. — R. S. Bagnai.l, F.E.S.,

Page

249

255
259

Irish Socip:ties:

Royal Zoological Societj', 1
])ublin Microscopical Club,
Belfast Naturahst's Field Club,
Dublin Naturalist Field Club,

260, 265
261
262
264

Reviews :

T. Edwarde's "Lore of the Honey Bee" (G. O. Shkrrard),
W. P. Westell's " Story of the Sea & Seashore," (CB.M.)

266
267

Notes :

Notes on Irish Plants, ..

The Burnt Ground on Howth Head.— J, Adams, M.A ,

2*97
26S

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