Notes. 105 



recorded from several localities ranging over the north, east, and south- 

 west, we may assume that it is common in suitable places throughout 

 the country. No examples of the very rare winged male have as yet 

 been observed. The peculiarly northern distribution of this insect is 

 interesting, as it has been found in Greenland, Lapland, Scotland, and 

 the north of England. 



J. N HAI.BERT, Dublin. 



AMPHIBIANS. 



Wanted live Newts. — Some doubts have been expressed whether 

 one or more species of newt inhabit Ireland. Readers of the Irish 

 Naturalist who are interested in the question are herewith requested to 

 kindly forward to me any newts which they may be able to secure. 



Three species of newts live in England, but only one species has 

 hitherto been definitely authenticated in Ireland. It is chiefly from the 

 south of Ireland and the County Galway that newts are wanted, as it is 

 from there that others than the common form have been reported to 

 occur. Specimens should be packed in moss and enclosed in a tin box. 



R. F. SCHARFF, Museum, Dublin. 



BIRDS. 



Osprey In Co. Kerry.— Mr. T. W. M'Cormick writes us that a week 

 or two ago an adult specimen of Pandion halicBtiis was shot near the 

 Railway Hotel, Killorglin, Co. Y^^xry.— land and Water, March 2. 



Smew in Co. Cork.— On the ist of March, 1895, a Smew {Mergus 

 albelhes), was shot on the Bandon river, a few miles west of Bandon. The 

 Smew is a rare bird in the south of Ireland, and this appears to be the first 

 record of it occurring in the Co. Cork. 



C. LONGFiEivD, Enniskeane, Co. Cork. 



Little Bustard In Co. Longford. — Mr. L. Powell records in the 

 Irish Times of March 2nd, that a Little Bustard (Otistctrax)-^2L^ shot in Co, 

 Longford during February. 



Carnivorous habit of Rooks in Frost. — Mr. W. J, Thomas 

 records in the Field of February i6th that, during the severe frost that 

 prevailed in the early part of this year. Rooks were observed to attack 

 and devour Starlings in the neighbourhood of Mullingar. 



GEOLOGY. 



The Naturalist In the IVIourne IVIountains. — An unusually 

 practical wall-sheet, which is shortly to be issued in pamphlet form, 

 has been recently published by the Belfast and County Down Railway 

 Company. It is headed " Mountain-climbing in the Mournes," and gives 

 details of six typical routes, by following which the finest scenery of this 

 grand district may be explored. The tourist should be in possession of 

 the hill-shaded i-inch ordnance map, to which a reference might well have 

 been given ; but it would probably be worth while for the same competent 

 climber who has prepared these concise notes to induce the Railway 

 Company also to put on sale a lithographed map, say on the scale of two 

 inches to one mile, on which the details acquired by his obviously wide 

 local knowledge might be noted down. The typical visitor to sunny 

 Rostrevor has very little knowledge of the Mournes. It is from the north, 

 and west, from Newcastle, Bryansford, and Hilltown that their wilder 

 features have been studied ; and we may now hope that some active 

 walker will do for Slieve Gullion and the ridges around Carlingford 

 I.ough what the County Down Railway has done for its especial district. 



G. A. J. Coi,E, Dublin. 



