Notes. 319 



ZOOI.OGY. 



CRUSTACEA. 



TheWoodlfce of Co. Carlow. — An expedition was organised by 

 the Royal Irish Academy Fauna and Flora Committee in the spring of 

 this year to Borris in the County Carlow. The principal object of the 

 Committee in the selection of this locality was to try and discover the 

 Crested and the Palmated Newts, which had been reported to occur there. 

 Though plenty of the Common Newt were found, the rarer ones succeeded 

 in evading capture, and we still remain in the same position as last year 

 in regard to them — namely, we have nothing at all to show but reports 

 that they live in Ireland. 



The expedition was more successful with the invertebrates. Mr. 

 Halbert will shortly publish an account of the coleoptera of the Borris 

 district, many of which are new to Ireland. The following species of 

 woodlice were obtained : — 



Trichoniscus pusillus, T. vividus. Porcdlio scabcr, Cylisticus convexus, 

 Platyarthrus Hoffmanseggii (only at Bagenalstown in the nest of the ant 

 Myrinica rubra), Oniscus asellus, Philoscia niiiscoriini and Arniadilliduun vidgare. 



It will be remembered that I mentioned in my paper on the Irish 

 Woodlice {Irish Naturalist, vol. iii., 1894), that Trichonisais vividus w^as 

 found only at Waterford. It had not been obtained anywhere else in 

 fact in the British Islands. The discovery of this very rare species along 

 the banks of the River Barrow is therefore of much interest. None of 

 the other species, except perhaps Cylisticus convexus, deserve special 

 mention, this being only the second Irish locality. 



R. F. SCHARFF, Dublin. 



INSECTS. 



The Strldulatlon of Corixa.— At Mrs. J. H. Thompson's residence 

 I had the opportunity of observing on two distinct occasions the 

 stridulation of Corixa. I was attracted by the peculiar notes proceeding 

 from the glass vessel in which the creatures were preserved for 

 observation. Having watched till I identified the one performing, I 

 was rewarded by a fine opportunity. Perched on a piece of the 

 vegetable matter' with which they seem to love to amuse themselves, the 

 little fellow with the two front legs brushed to and fro rapidly the sides 

 of his mouth, and at the time of this brushing the sound was produced. 

 I noticed also a slight change in the note, but could not detect any 

 corresponding change in the movement. 



James Robertson, Cork. 



New Irish Ichneumons. — Mr. Bignell of Plymouth informs me 

 that two hymenopterous parasites bred from larvae of Sesia scoliifortnis 

 which I took at Killarney belong to the genus Pimpla, and are probably 

 a species new to science. This suggests that research in Ireland would 

 probably result in additions to our list of parasitic Hymenoptera. 



W. F. DE V. Kane, Mouaghan. 



BIRDS. 



Rare Birds near Wexford. — Two of my boys were out shooting 

 on 24th August, and one shot an Avocet in good plumage and the other 

 a Black-tailed Godwit. Another Godwit of the same kind was shot by 

 one of them on September 17th. The Avocet was by itself feeding at the 

 edge of a pool in marshy ground, and the Godwit was with some Ring 

 Plovers on the edge of a sandbank in Wexford Harbour. The second 

 Godwit was shot near where the Avocet was got. All specimens are in 

 the hands of Messrs. Williams & vSons, Dame- street. 



E. A. Gibbon, Rosslare, Wexford. 



