32 The Irish Naturalist. February, 



been attacked by Cossiis, though this seems to be the first 

 characteristic Cossus guest recorded from Ireland. The 

 present species has been found in many south of England 

 localities, and abroad it is said to be widely spread in central 

 luirope. Though usuall}- found in company with Cossus, it 

 is, according to Ganglbauer ("Die Kafer von Mitteleuropa",iii.), 

 occasionally associated with one of the ants {Lasius fuligijiosus) 

 a species which commonl}- nests in old trees and posts. 



Barypeithes pyrenaeus, Seidl. 



Mr. R. Gordon recentlj^ brought for identification a small 

 brownish weevil v^hich he found during September, 1908, 

 amongst grass on the banks of the River Tolka near Finglas. 

 The specimen was recognised as belonging to the genus Bary- 

 peithes but it is somewhat injured, and evaded first attempts at 

 specific identification. Eventualh' it was forwarded to M. Louis 

 Bedel of Paris, who reports that he is convinced that the 

 " Barvpeithes est un male de Baj-ypeithes py^r.yiaetis (Seidl.), 

 espece qui se trouve dans ses Pvrenees, en Normandie, et en 

 Grande Bretagne " he further remarks " votre spficimen est 

 petit, decolore et tres use (probablement trouve mort ?)." 



The insect occurred with a number of other species, and as 

 its rarit}^ was unsuspected, no special note was made at the 

 time of capture. It is likely, however, that M. Bedel's surmise 

 as to the condition in which it was found is correct. It is to 

 be hoped that fresh examples in good preservation will soon 

 be forthcoming from the same localit)^ and as a hint to col- 

 lectors it may be as well to point out that in England this 

 insect has been found at the roots of grass, in faggots, under 

 bark, and by beating hawthorn. 



This species seems to be very local ; the only localities in 

 which it has been hitherto found are the Pyrenees, Normandy, 

 and the Plymouth district in Great Britain. In the last 

 locality it was discovered by Mr. Keys as long ago as 1888, 

 though not definitely recorded as a British species until 1897 

 {Eiitovi. Mo7ithly Mag., xxxiii.) 



Mr. Gordon is to be congratulated on his discovery of this 

 interesting insect in Ireland. The known range indicates 

 that it is a south-western form, and it probably must be refer- 

 red to the small group of Lusitanian animals that are being 

 gradually brought to light in this country. 



