191 2. Noifs. 155 



Leucojum aestivum in "West Clare. 



Some years ago Mrs. Gloster of Parteen House, Limerick, told me that 

 she had found Leucojum aestivum in the Moy stream near Lahinch, west 

 Clare. She knew the plant well, but as she had not kept the specimen, 

 the record was scarcely satisfactory. This year (May, 191 2) she has 

 brought me bulbs with fruit from the Annagh River, Miltown Malbay, a 

 stream some miles west of the Moy. She mentions Yellow Flag, Marsh 

 Marigold, the Marsh Lousewort, King-fern, and Bracken as associated 

 plants. Both these streams descend with a strong current from the hills, 

 and reaching the levels near the sea their beds are choked by the silt 

 brought down, so that they form marshes having a very characteristic 

 flora. Such situations are similar to those described on the Continent, 

 though differing from the Irish station recorded by Miss Knowles and 

 Mr. PhilHps in their paper read to the Royal Irish Academy, 19 10, which 

 are generally estuarine. 



R. D. O'Brien. 



Parteenalax, Limerick. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Testacella haliotidea in South Kerry. 



Miss M. J. Delap of Valencia Island informed me on the 21st May that 

 she had just discovered a specimen of what we may call the snail-slug 

 (Testacella) in her garden. She subsequently sent me her capture, which 

 proved to be Testacella haliotidea, one of the three species known from 

 Ireland. I thought it was a new record from Co. Kerry, but Mr. A, W. 

 Stelfox, the author of the excellent List of Land and Freshwater Molluscs 

 of Ireland, mentioned to me that it had aheady been taken in this county 

 (see Irish Naturalist, vol. xvii., 1908, p. 22). All the same, I believe this 

 to be the first record in the British Isles of a Testacella having been noticed 

 on one of the smaller islands of our geographical area. 



It may be argued by some conchologists that since Testacella has 

 probably never been discovered in the British Islands in any uncultivated 

 spot, we may assume it to be an introduced genus. But we possess 

 many instances, among the lower animals, of species which had for many 

 years been taken only in'^cultivated ground and then turned up also in 

 uncultivated places. At any rate, I believe that the Irish Testacellas 

 are indigenous to this country. Until we can prove the correctness of 

 the introduction theory it is of great importance to record carefully every 

 capture of this subterranean moUusk. 



R. F. SCHARFF. 



National Museum, Dubhn. 



