^Jje ^vi&lj Itattttraltet* 



Vol. IV. JANUARY, 1895. No. i. 



THE ROCK-POOI.S OF BUNDORAN. 



BY J. E. DUERDEN, A.R.c.SC. (London). 



Last summer, in connection with the Royal Irish Academy 

 Fauna and Flora Committee, I had the opportunity, in com- 

 panj' with Prof. Johnson and Mr. Mitchell, of spending a little 

 over a week in and around Bundoran, a delightful watering- 

 place, much frequented b}^ people from the North of Ireland. 

 M)^ object was to collect representatives of all the Zoophytes, 

 embracing under this popular term the Hydroids, Sea- 

 anemones, and Polyzoa, at the same time not neglecting other 

 forms of life which I might chance to come across. 



Bundoran lies at the south-east corner of Donegal Bay, 

 about four miles from the historically interesting town of 

 Ballyshannon. Taking the former as our centre, we made 

 collecting excursions to different parts of the bay, and so ob- 

 tained a good idea of the resources of the locality. 



West of Bundoran, cliffs of Carboniferous limestone face the 

 sea, dipping to the south at an angle varying from five 

 to ten degrees ; but at low water a considerable extent of shore 

 is laid bare, diversified by numerous rock-pools, caves, and 

 narrow inlets of the sea, the happy hunting-grounds of the 

 naturalist. 



In the rock-pools the first object which attracts one is the 

 Purple Sea-urchin Strongylocentrotus lividuSy Lamk., occurring 

 in great numbers in little hollows, their dark colour con- 

 trasting strongly with the light rosy-pink calcareous alga 

 Lithotham7iio7i polymorpJmni} , which lines most of these pools. 

 This interesting sea-urchin is one of the most striking faunal 

 features of various localities along the west coast of Ireland, 



' For the name of this alga, and also for the others mentioned, I am 

 indebted to Prof. Johnson and to Mr. Mitchell, 



