Miscellaneous, 365 



account of its remarkable appearance, sent him to be preserved by 

 the Rev. Sir Harcourt Lees, Bart., under the name of " black snipe." 

 It viras shot in this country and quite fresh when received by Wall. 

 When set up it v^^as presented by Sir H. Lees to the Museum of the 

 Royal Dublin Society, but vs^ithin a few years was attacked by 

 moths and destroyed. With reference to the species of the bird in 

 question, I have every reliance on the discrimination of my inform- 

 ant. 



Eider Duck. Somateria mollissima, Leach. — A few specimens of 

 this bird purchased in different years in the Dublin market have been 

 preserved by Mr. Glennon, and one individual has in a recent state 

 been seen here by R. Ball, Esq., but I have been unable to ascertain 

 with certainty whether they were obtained on the Irish coast, al- 

 though in all probability they were so. The following note, which 

 is satisfactory on this point, was kindly communicated to me by Dr. 

 Farran of Dublin, on May 25, 1840 : — " On Saturday last I received 

 a fine specimen of the male Eider alive from Mr. John King, Bre- 

 more, Balbriggan ; he saw it struggling to get up the rocks, and, at- 

 tracted by its size and unusual plumage, got a boat and secured it : 

 a severe injury which it had received in one of the thighs most 

 likely prevented its rising." — W. Thompson, Belfast, June 1840. 



NEW SPECIES OF AGRILVS. 



The Rev. William Little has during the last summer (1839), among 

 several other rare insects, discovered a species of Agrilus which ap- 

 peared undescribed; and upon being submitted to the examination of 

 Mr. Shuckard for the use of his work on the British Coleoptcra, that 

 entomologist considered it entirely new to science, and dedicated it 

 to its discoverer. This insect was found in the vicinity of Rae Hills in 

 Annandale, Dumfries-shire, during the month of June, on a willow 

 (S. auriculata ?), confined to a locality not exceeding six yards in 

 extent ; about twenty specimens were captured. 



The following are the characters and description from p. 244 of 

 Shuckard's * Elements of British Entomology.' 



Agrilus Littlii, Shuck. 



Granuloso-punctatusj capite thorace et corpore suhtus cupreis ; elytris vi- 

 ridibus. Length 4 lines. 



Rather finely granulated ; head, thorax, the underside of the body, antennae, 

 and legs of a coppery-red. Thorax undulated posteriorly, having a deep 

 sinus opposite the centre of each elytron, another central one opposite 

 the scutellum, and a deep central fossulet in front of the latter ; the 

 sides slightly rounded, depressed and margined, and with a small ab- 

 breviated carina just within each of its posterior angles. 



