Notes. 125 



Thk Shamrock of Irei^and. Mr. Colgan's paper in the August 

 number of this Journal is of considerable and general interest. Would 

 it liot be possible to take a much more extended plebiscite than 

 that which the author carried out, by means of the Irish Naturalist, 

 which has readers in every part of this country- .? There should be no 

 difficulty in getting authenticated specimens of shamrock from every 

 county in Ireland — indeed, almost from every barony — at or about next 

 St. Patrick's Day, and we are sure that Mr. F. \V. Moore would gladly 

 grow the specimens at Glasnevin Gardens, in case Mr, Colgan is not 

 prepared to undertake such a large order. The editors of the Irish 

 Naturalist will certainly be only too pleased to render all the assist- 

 ance in their power, should Mr. Colgan decide on prosecuting his 

 interesting inquiry. In this district (North Down), Trifolium minus is 

 always regarded as the true shamrock, but a luxuriant specimen, or one 

 in flower, is generally discarded as an impostor. — R. Lloyd Praeger. 



The Fi^ora of the SpeRRIN Mountains. In the Journal of Botany 

 for August I made some remarks on Prof. Murphy's unverified record of 

 Rubus chamcejnorus on the Sperrin Mountains, on the borders of Tyrone 

 and Derry, and described a two days' hunt that I made for the plant in 

 July last. Mr. W. D. Donnan and I searched carefully all the summits 

 to the west of Dart without success. The vegetation of these mountains 

 is very limited, and mountain plants are conspicuously rare. The only 

 plant found which is worthy of record was Carex liinosa, which we 

 obtained on the marshy margins of Lough Ouske, in the counties of 

 Derry and Tyrone. It is an addition to the flora of district X. of "Cybele 

 Hibernica," and also to the flora of Co. Derry. — R. Lloyd Praeger. 



Clematis vitalba, L., on The North Bui.i., Doi.i.ymount, Co. 

 Dubinin. It maybe of interest to note that the "Traveller's joy" has 

 established itself amongst the sand-hills, growing with Triticuvi junceum 

 and Elymus arenarius. It is also found at Drumleck on the opposite Hill 

 of Howth, and on the sand-hills at Portraine, and at several inland 

 stations. It is a very doubtful native, however. The Dollymount plant 

 was growing near a bank of Convolvulus soldanella which was in full bloom 

 on the ist of August, and this alone was worth going to look at. — David 

 McArdle, Glasnevin. 



ZOOLOGY 



INSECTS. 



Malachius bipustulatus, L., in Irfi^and. On the 6th of June last I 

 obtained, by sweeping, a female specimen of this pretty beetle, in a 

 demesne near Lucan. I believe it is an addition to the Irish list. — 

 J. N. Halbert, Dublin. 



Psederus riparius, L., in Irei^and. This beautiful little rove-beetle, 

 new, I believe, to Ireland, was taken last month by Dr. ScharfF at Derry- 

 nane, Co. Kerry. — G. H. Carpenter. 



Abundance of Epinephile hyperanthes in Co. Donegai,. The 

 sudden appearance in large numbers of a particular species of insect, in 

 a locality where it is not usually found, is a sufficiently familiar event, 

 but one that can never lose its interest to entomologists. An instance of 

 this kind is now afforded by the Ringlet Butterfly {Epinephile hyperanihes) 

 which has this summer again become abundant in the woods of Kilderry, 

 Co. Donegal, where it had not been observed since i860, in which year it 

 was also abundant. Mr. D. Campbell, of Ballinagard, informs me that he 

 has, during this long interval, taken just one specimen there. This is a 

 weak-winged insect, that flits about among the undergrowth of woods, 

 and seems quite incapable of any long flight. How is its sudden re- 

 appearance, after so many years, to be accounted for.?— W. E. Hart, 

 Kilderry, Co. Donegal. 



Vannessa cardui at Armagh. On June 8th, I saw a specimen of 



