144 DUBLIN NATUEAL HI8T0ET SOaETY. 



exhibit the wonderful quickness of his perception : — I had with Mr. M'Calla vi- 

 sited the various collections, both private and public, of native shells in the me- 

 tropolis and elsewhere, and in all we found specimens of Bulla hydatis ; but 

 never could obtain from the proprietors or collectors the locality from whence 

 procured ; in fact, when pressed, the answer given was, that the specimens were 

 English. It is true that Mr. Thompson, in his " Fauna of Ireland," indicates the 

 point where this mollusc is to be found, but on asking him for the precise spot, 

 he was unable to point it out, and candidly stated that he had never seen the 

 shell with its animal alive ; at the same time he remarked that it would be a 

 great desideratum to obtain it. 



I find that there is a notice of this shell in the ♦•Fauna of Cork," compiled 

 by Mr. Humphreys, as occurring in sand at Belgrove, East Ferry, Cork Har- 

 bour, but on making inquiries from that gentleman, he acknowledged he had seen 

 the shells, but never in a living state ; and as to the specimens in the Institution, 

 their locality was not noted, as he was not certain from whence they were pro- 

 cured. I have it in recollection seeing this shell in the collection of Mr. O'Kelly, 

 the intimate friend and associate of the late Dr. Turton ; it was marked as 

 English, and, as the collection was made during the lifetime of the Doctor, had 

 it been Irish, I have no doubt it would have been remarked as a notable addi- 

 tion to the zoology of Ireland. Until the incident to which I have alluded oc- 

 curred, I was under the impression that the shell was only to be found in the 

 English seas ; having been found on the western coast of Ireland, holds out the 

 promise not only that this English shell, but others, will be obtained by a dili- 

 gent search, which will amply repay the labours of the conchologist. In the year 

 1844, accompanied by Mr. M'Calla, I dredged Roundstone and Berterbie Bays 

 ■with a success far beyond ray most sanguine expectation ; however, there was a 

 spot in Berterbie Bay which both agreed should be re-investigated, although 

 holding out little prospect of adding anything new to our collection, inasmuch 

 as we had gone over the ground before, and found that the floor of that part of 

 the Bay was covered with a great thickness of dead and decomposed nullipore, 

 and this, again, coated over by a thick deposit of slimy mud. We had observed 

 that wherever this peculiar formation occurred, our search for shells was fruit- 

 less. As we had, in tacking, only crossed this ground, we were determined now 

 to take it in the length, and accordingly gave our steersman orders to commence 

 at the tail of the bank and bring us up to the head of the inlet. Throwing the 

 dredge overboard, and running it out for a short time, we found on raising it 

 that it was filled to the utmost with the mud and nullipore, whidh was, as usual, 

 spread on the deck, and into which Mr. M'Calla at once plunged. Being occu- 

 pied examining this foetid mud for some time, he handed me a fragment of shell 

 very similar to the paring of a human nail, and, in rather an excited manner, 

 asked me what I thought it was. On looking at it and examining it as well as the 

 uneasy motion of the boat permitted (for the wind was fresh), I replied that I 

 conceived it to be a fragtnent of Bulla akera. " No, sir," was his prompt re- 

 ply, "it must be Bulla hydatis ; it will prove a fine addition to the Fauna of 

 Ireland." On again letting down the dredge we obtained larger fragments, 

 which you see placed on the card precisely as we found them; and by continu- 

 ing the course to the head of the inlet, we had the good fortune to obtain the 

 perfect shell, as seen in this bottle, with the animal; it contained about twenty 

 specimens. We were unable to return the same course from the shoaling of the 

 water, otherwise 1 could have ascertained the exact locality of our prize; and 

 I have no hesitation in saying that if ever I am permitted to revisit Berterbie 

 Bay, 1 shall be able to find Bulla hydatis. This circumstance brings to mind 

 the wonderful perception recorded of some palaeontologist, who, from seeing a 

 fragment of a tooth, was enabled to construct and bring to life, as it were, an 

 animal of gigantic frame, who inhabited the surface of our earth in bygone 

 ages ; but this was accomplished in the calm and quiet of the study. Poor 

 M'Calla made a near approach to this marvellous act of induction, but under 

 very different circumstances — immersed in a mass of mud and slime, and tossed 



