184 The Irish Naturalist. [August, 



cases the consonants are imaginary, while the vowel sound is identical. 

 The same calls must too often, to different ears, seem like totally different 

 words. How many of us, for instance, would say with Mr. Witchell that 

 " shushushushu " is the common cry of the Magpie ? To the Long- 

 eared Owl our author ascribes only one note, a hissing or rushing 

 " sheea. " Now, this is a bird with a very copious vocabulary. In earl} 7 

 spring, its nuptial note, a deep lugubrious "oop," is uttered at regular 

 intervals of about three seconds for hours together, and can be clearly 

 heard at a distance of half-a-mile. By the end of April its young are 

 abroad mewing like kittens— whence, perhaps, the bird's local Irish 

 name, " Cat-Owl." The parent owl, at this season, scolds iutruders on 

 the family's haunts with a strong " wek. wek, wek." The wood which 

 they frequent is sometimes resonant with a noise like the clapping of 

 hands, caused by several of the owls snapping their bills; and the birds 

 playfully chase one another through the trees with cries like " a-whay 

 a-whay a- wha-a-ay." We have heard (and seen) them uttering several 

 other notes, besides all the above ; but never anything like Mr. Witchell's 

 "sheea," which, in print, looks suspiciously like the well-known 

 " snore " of the Barn Owl. On this last-named bird, too, Mr. Witchell has 

 nothing to say beyond that it cries " kek kek kek " like a moorhen. If 

 " Cries and Call-Notes" reaches a second edition it ought to be greatly 

 amplified. 



C. B. M. 



NOTES 



ZOOLOGY 



M O L L US C S, 



Land IYIollusca of Narin. 



The following list of land and freshwater shells from Narin, Co. 



Donegal, and the surrounding district, was the result of a collection 



made there last summer ; — Vitrina pellucida, Hyalinia cellar ia, H. alliaria, 



H. nitidula, H. pura, II. radiatula, II. crystallina, II. julva, H. excavata, 



H. nilida, Helix pygmaa, H. rotuudata, H.pulchella, and var. costatct,H. lamellata, 



H. hispida, II rufescens, Il.fus.a, II. cricetorum, H. acuta, H nenwralis, Cochlicopa 



luhrica, Pupa cyliudracea, P. muscorum, I\ auglica, Vertigo edentate) V. pyg/uaa, 



V. substriata, V. antiverligo, Balea perversa, Clausilia bidcuiata, Suceinia putris, 



S. elegans, Carychium minimum, Limnaa peregra, I. palustris, I. truncatula, 



Planorbis spiiorbis, P. albus, P. crista, P. Joulanus, Ancylus fluviatilis, Acme 



lineata, Valvala cris'ata, Sphcerium cornewn. In addition to the above, dead 



shells were found of Helix aculeata, Vertigo angustior, and V. pusilla, on the 



sandhills at Kitoorish and Narin, the shell pockets from the latter place 



yielding 25 species. 



G. P. Far ran. 

 Templeogue. 



