1 909. Notes* 255 



Beetles in Birds' Nests. 



In a paper eutitled " A New Method of Collecting Coleoptera " {Ento- 

 viologisis' Mouthly Magazine, January, 1909), INIr. Norman H.Joy, INI.R.C.S., 

 F.E.S., records the results of a careful examination of the debris of various 

 sea-birds' nests, chiefly with a view of ascertaining their beetle inhabi- 

 tants. The following notes refer to Irish localities : — 



Bull Rock, S. W. Ireland, August 7th, 1906. Ganuets's nests, consisting 

 of rotting seaweed : — PhilontJms cephalotes Grav. ; Gjiathonciis rotinuiatzis, 

 Kugel. Three puffins' nests, Choleva Watsoni Speuce. 



Valencia Island, vS.W. Ireland : Puffins' nests : — Bradycellusverbasd, Duft ; 

 Pteroslichus iitgcr, Schall., fragments ; Amara triviales : HomaJota circellotis 

 Grav : Atomaria atncapilla, Stephs. In tufts of grass from the same locality 

 were found several Otiorrhynchus blandus, Gyll. 



Irish Hymenoptera. 



In the E)i[oniologisls' Motitlily Magazine for December, 1908, Mr. Claude 

 Morley records various Hymenoptera collected by Mr. H.W. Andrews in the 

 counties of Cork, Kerry, and Waterford during the seasons of 1907 and 

 1908. Fourteen species of Ichneumonidae, twelve of the Aculeata, and 

 six Terthredinidse are recorded. Amongst the Aculeates we notice the 

 capture of the local wasp Vespa austriaca at Kenmare in August, 1907. 



Sirex gigas in Co. Carlow. 



A part}' camping out near here were surprised one morning in August to 



find their bell tent invaded by numbers of Sirex gigas, which were found 



to proceed from an old larch log which was perforated in scores of places, 



and used to prop up one of the beds ; some of the larvae were secured. 



Perhaps some of your readers may report if they have met with a colony 



of this fly in Ireland. Though individuals are captured occasionally, the}- 



are generally supposed to be rare, and to effect no material damage ou 



our trees, but it should seem, from the evidence here given, that they 



are far more numerous than usually suspected, and must be prevalent in 



the locality from which this larch log was obtained. 



T. Harti^ky. 

 Borris. 



[For many years past Sirex gigas has not been scarce in Ireland. — Eds.] 



Irish Fossil Molluscs. 



Mr. Longstaff contributes a paper to the Quarterly lonrnal of the 

 Geological Society (vol. Ixv.), May, 1909, on the Palaeozoic marine gastropod 

 Loxonema. Several new English species are described and figured. 

 Among the Eoxonemas in the Museum of Practical Geology in London, 

 Mr. Eongstaft found two specimens which had been named Z. striatissi- 

 mum by Mr. Cowper Reed. Both of these came from the Silurian (Upper 

 Bala) of the Chair of Kildare, and were found to be new species. Mr. 

 Eongstaff now redescribes them under the names of Zf?;r(?w^;//a AV^^/e and 

 Styhnema (?) hibernicuvi. 



