1903- Notes. 275 



A New Irish Oaddis-fly. 



Also iu the same volume of the Entojti. Mo. Mag., Mr. R. M'lvachlan 

 records a number of Trichoptera, Neuroptera Bphemerida, and Psocidae 

 collected by Rev. A. E. Eaton in the south-west of Ireland. Among the 

 Trichoptera the species Adicella reducia, M.Iy, from Killaruey, is not 

 recorded in Mr. King's Irish List. 



Varieties of Melitaea aurinia. 



In an interesting -pix^ev {Entomologist, vol. xxxvi., 1903, pp. S6-9, loS 112) 

 Mr. Percy E- Freke comments on the named varieties of the " Greasy 

 Fritillary," comparing the forms of the species found in Ireland with 

 those characteristic of Great Britain. 



Nisoniades tages in Co. Mayo. 



I noticed this butterfly lately at Colonel Knox's, Creagh, near Ballin- 

 robe. 



Wm. Fras. de Vismes Kane. 

 Drumreaske, Monaghan. 



Breeding of Wigeon in Ireland — A correction. 



In the Irish Naturalist of July, 1901, page 147, I published a note re- 

 cording the taking of eggs by Mr. Cottney near Belfast, which Mr. 

 Ussher and I pronounced to be Wigeon's. It now appears that we were 

 wrong, and the record must be cancelled. The investigation into this 

 question has brought to light a most important point, hitherto unknown 

 to me, viz. : — that it is not sufficient to rely upon the down found in a 

 duck's nest ; the small feathers are far more important as a guide to 

 identification. For instance, there is little difference between the down 

 of some Shovelers and the down of some Wigeon, but there is always a 

 difference in the small feathers found among the down. In the Wigeon 

 these small feathers a.rQpure white with light grey bases ; in the Shoveler 

 they 3ire pale bnffvfiih. dark brown centres. This has been pointed out to 

 us by Mr. Heatly Noble, who has made a special study of ducks' eggs 

 and down, and who has gone to great trouble to put us right in this 

 matter. To show how unreliable the down alone may be, Mr. Noble 

 points out that the appearance of the down varies according to the 

 length of time the eggs have been sat on. If the down has been sat on 

 any length of time it does not lock nearly so bright, and the microscope 

 shows that the little barbs have become blunted and quite changed in 

 character. I have now no hesitation in saying that the eggs and down 

 taken in Antrim and supposed to be Wigeon's are those of vShoveler, and 

 the Wigeon has not yet been proved to breed in Ireland, Although it is 

 not pleasant to have to admit that a mistake has been made, I do not 

 regret it, as it has been the means of getting the above valuable 

 information from Mr. Noble, to whom my thanks are due. 



Robert Patterson, 

 Belfast, 



