DUBLIN NATUBAL HI8T0BT SOCIETY. 69 



squirrel, concerning which many doubt its ever having been indigenous. It is 

 said, in Rutty's ** History of Dublin," to have been found in Luttrelstown 

 woods, near this city, and there is a tradition that they used to be found near 

 Clondalkin. The other three rarities are — the marten, the black rat, and the 

 badger, all of which, from various causes, are becoming more and more rare in 

 this country. 



[*»• This bat at the time of its occurrence was recorded as V. Nattereri. 

 The mistake was corrected at the subsequent May meeting.— n</e Proceedings, 

 vol. ii., page 156.] 



Mr. Williams and Mr. Montgomery said, that they were of opinion that in 

 the more remote districts these animals were still frequent. The badger, Mr. 

 Williams observed, was constantly mot with in parts of Kerry ; and Mr. Mont- 

 gomery stated that in Mayo and Donegal both the badger and marten were not 

 scarce. 



Mr. Andrews said he could confirm Mr. Williams's statement that the badger 

 was not uncommon in parts of Kerry. In some of the lonely recesses of the na- 

 tural woods, the marten was very frequent, and did much damage in destroying 

 the young of the game-birds of the country. Mr. Andrews had every reason to 

 believe that the true wild-cat was at one time well known in the Fiadhghleanna, 

 or wild jjlens of the western parts of Kerry, for the description he got of it was 

 totally different from that of the marten. The marten was called in Kerry 

 **catcrann" (cat of the wood), and the wild cat known as the •* cat fiadhachd*" 

 (hunting cat). The black rat, some years since, was very plentiful at a farm 

 near Bally nunnery, county of Carlo w. 



DECEMBER 8, 1854. 



ON EXTINCT IRISH OXEN. BT G. WAKEM AN. 



Mr. Wakeman begged to present to the Society two heads of cows, with the 

 horns, which were obtained at Dunshaughlin, in digging turf. They were found 

 in a bog, where a lake once existed, but is now dried up, and in the centre of 

 which was traced a crannog, or fortified island. There appeared to have ex- 

 isted there a fortified encampment, where, among animal remains, the bones of 

 horses, cows, and an extinct species of pig were discovered ; also other animals, 

 besides weapons of war and ornaments. The heads of these animals before the 

 meeting appeared of some antiquity, belonging to the tenth century, and illus- 

 trated the kind of animals in Ireland at that period. He thought that such a 

 notice came within the province of inquiries of the Society, and "he would be 

 happy, on a future occasion, to give fuller details of the subject. 



MARCH 23, 1855. 



Mr. Wakeman gave the following eontinuation of his remarks on the remains 

 of animals, &c., at Dunshaughlin : — A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of pre- 

 senting to this Society a couple of heads of the ancient Irish cow, found with a 

 vast accumulation of animal remains, round what had been an artificial island, 

 in a lake now dried up, in the vicinity of Dunshaughlin. Of late years several 

 verv large heads have been discovered in various parts of the country, and it is 

 to be regretted that our Society does not possess a selection from those inte- 

 resting relics of ruins of animals which anciently existed in our island, and some 

 of which, at least, have become extinct. The first, and perhaps the most im- 

 portant of these discoveries was made about twelve years ago at Dunshaughlin, 

 in the county of Meath. The locality is well known in Irish history as Lough 

 Oabor, a name now softened to Lagore, and may be described as a boggy flat, 

 about one mile and a half in length by about a mile in breadth. The lake, pro- 

 perly speaking, has not existed in the memory of any living person ; but in win- 



Q 



