130 The Irish Naturalist, November, 



In the August number of the Irish Naturalist Mr. Stendall says he 

 beheves he has received the first Irish-taken egg of the Fulmar Petrel. 



Mr. Stendall should look up the previous vols, of Irish Naturalist, 

 vols, xxiii. and xxiv. especially. In 19 lo Mr. C. V. Stoney, Raphoe, 



found the Fulmar nesting on Horn Head and procured eggs. Mr. R. J. 

 Ussher first records the Fulmar as an Irish breeding bird in Irish Naturalist, 

 August, 191 1, but gives Mr, Stoney the credit of being the first to detect 

 them nesting in Donegal in 19 10, Mr. Ussher discovering the colony in- 

 dependently in 191 1 when with a German Naturalist he found colonies 

 in Mayo ; eggs were taken from the Stags of Broadhaven. The Fulmar 

 first settled on the great Skellig Rock, Co. Kerry, in 19 13, ten or eleven 

 pairs nesting that season. They had been about the Rock for several 

 previous seasons. In 1914 there were about seventy birds seen, and upwards 

 of one hundred in 1915 ; these separated into three colonies in following year. 

 Fulmars were seen by Professor Patten about the Tearaght Rock in 19 16. 



M. J. Delap. 

 Vaicntia Island, Co. Kerry. 



BOTANY. 



Littorella lacustris in Co. Dublin. 



During the past summer the water in the upper reservoir in Glenasmole 

 has been continuously low, exposing large areas of sand and mud. It 

 will be seen in Colgan's Flora of Dublin (under Peplis Portula, p. 81) that 

 the author visited this spot under similar conditions in 1901. In the early 

 part of August last, seedlings of Peplis Portula, as well as those of Veronica 

 scutellata and plants of Lythrum Salicaria covered most of the dryer 

 ground, while aquatic plants occupied the still damp or water filled hollows. 

 Whilst traversing this ground in search of bees, I noted a few large rich 

 green patches on the sand banks along the western edge of the Dodder 

 channel, which on investigation proved to be Littorella just going out of 

 flower. Littorella lacustris is one of the common Irish plants which were 

 unknown to Colgan to occur in Dunlin v/hen his Flora was published (see 

 loc. cit., p. xli), and he pointed out that there was really no natural habitat 

 in the county for this and plants of similar habits. The old record for 

 Howth in the Irish Flora Colgan regarded as erroneous. 



One cannot suppose that Colgan passed over Littorella in Glenasmole 

 in 1 90 1, and must assume that it has recently become established there. 

 The nearest station, in Co. Wicklow, is probably Lough Bray, about 

 4 J miles distant as the crow flies. The seeds of the plant have been wind- 

 blown or bird-carried from some such habitat, or could Littorella be living 

 in the Dodder above the reservoir ? Has any botanist ever seen it in 

 pools or along the edge of such a mountain stream ? 



Not realising at the time the importance of the discovery I did not pay 

 close attention to the water plants, amongst which were Ranunculus, 

 Potamogeton, Callitriche, etc., but it is quite possible that further additions 

 to the Flora might be made if this place was examined carefully. 



Rathgar, Dublin. A. W. Stelfox. 



