i899-l Scharff & Carpenter. — Animals from the Reeks. 217 



Haliplus li?ieaticollis and Agabus guttatus, the latter is new to 

 the south-west of Ireland. We also found the interesting 

 dark variety of the water-bug Corixa nigrolineata (Fabricii). 

 Next day we returned to the tarn, and secured a freshwater 

 sponge, which on examination proves to be the North American 

 species Heteromeyenia Ryderz, Potts, recorded by Hanitsch 1 

 from Lough Doon, near Dingle. This species will probably 

 therefore be found widely distributed in the south-west. The 

 present specimen is remarkable in possessing a number of 

 perfectly plain spicules in the dermal skeleton, in addition 

 to the typical spiny spicules as figured by Potts and Hanitsch t 

 intermediate forms of spicule with very few spines also occur. 

 According to Potts the spicules in this species are very variable, 

 and he describes two varieties ( Walshii and Baleni) in which 

 the number of spines is greatly reduced. Both kinds of 

 amphidiscsin the gemmules of the sponge from Lough Eagher 

 are altogether typical in form. 



The best descent from this tarn to the road (probably also 

 the best ascent to the Reeks, though rather longer than the 

 route we had taken) would be to follow the course of the 

 stream which flows from it, keeping to the left bank. But 

 we were unwise enough to try a short cut to Lough Acoose, 

 and so had to cross some very broken and boggy ground, 

 which delayed progress so much that it was quite dusk before 

 we again stood on the high road. The stream which we 

 should have followed flows under the road about half a mile 

 below Lough Acoose. 



Next day, in addition to revisiting the tarn, we did a little 

 collecting at the foot of the mountain, near Glencar. Besides 

 such common insects as Sympctrum s trio latum, Philopotamus 

 montantiSy Agabus bipustalatus, Carpocoris baccarum, Stygnus 

 pedestris, Scolopostethus decoratus and Orthotylus ericetorum, we 

 secured a plant-bug, Calocoris cheiwpodii, new to Ireland, and a 

 beetle, Haltica pusilla, of which no certain Irish specimen is 

 known. The spider Arancus Redii was observed near the 

 hotel, and some of our fellow-guests having told us of a 

 wonderful long-legged spider in their bedroom, we instituted 

 a hunt on the morning of our departure, and captured several 

 specimens of Pholcus phalangioides. 



1 Irish Nat , vol. iv., 1895, p. 128, pi 4, fig. 6. 



