i899-] Notes. 165 



FISHES. 



Extraordinary abundance of Herrings In the Rivers 



Suir and Barrow. 



In November last we had a visitation from a body of herrings of such 

 unusual magnitude as to deserve record in the pages of the Irish 

 Naturalist. Not only were the fish in very great numbers, but they found 

 their way up the rivers to a considerable distance from the sea. At low 

 tides on November nth and 12th they were cast up alive on the beach at 

 Pilltown (Co. Wexford,'on the Barrow, above its junction with the Suir), 

 in such quantities that the beach was white with their bodies, and the 

 farmers sent their carts down to the river to remove loads of them. Un- 

 fortunately I was not able to go and see the beach again, but I was 

 informed that the fish continued in a similar abundance for about a week, 

 and that there were places where in her course between Waterford and 

 New Ross the local river steamer forced them out of the water on her 

 paddles. Enormous takes were made by the fishermen living nearer the 

 sea. I am informed that a similar appearance of herrings in the Barrow 

 has not occurred for fifty years, but I read in Arthur Young's " Tour of 

 Ireland in 1776-1 779" (Cassell's National Library, 18S7, p. 131), that in 

 1774 they were in such quantities in Waterford Harbour " that the tides 



left the ditches full of them." 



G. E. Barrett-Ham i i/ton. 

 Kilmanock, Co. Wexford. 



MAMMALS. 



Capture of Live Bats. 



In reply to Mr. Hett's note in last month's Irish Naturalist (p. 144) he 

 will find it possible to attempt the capture of these animals in one of 

 two ways — 



(1.) Catching them on the wing ; 



(2.) Finding them in their holes. 



The first method is scarcely suitable for his purpose, though sometimes 

 it is possible to catch bats quite uninjured by means of a net stretched 

 by some device on a fishing-rod. 



The second method is usually preferable, but tedious. Different bats 

 will be found in different localities. For instance, Long-eared Bats 

 frequent church steeples and roofs of buildings, Hairy-armed Bats live 

 in hollow trees, &c, &c. Caves, holes, and cracks in rocks are always 

 worth searching— care being taken to search the smaller holes especially 

 thoroughly, as bats pack themselves into an amazingly small compass. 

 French window-shutters that have not been touched for some time are 

 generally good places. 



If Mr. Hett will write to me personally I shall be very pleased to render 



him any assistance in my power- 



N. H. AI.COCK. 



Trinity College, Dublin. 



