42 The Irish Nahiralist. 



ZOOLOGY. 



PYCNOGONID A. 



A NEW Nymphon and Phoxicliilus spinosus on the Irish Coast. 

 I received early in April from Miss A. Warren, of Moyview, Ballina, a 

 fine adult male Ayni//ioii, which was alive, and carried masses of eggs on 

 its accessory limbs. ^ The species appears to be new, and 1 will shortly 

 describe and figure it. 



After the violent S.E. gale of October, 1SS9, Dr. Scharif secured a 

 number of Pycnogonida on seaweed thrown ashore at the North Bull, 

 Dublin Bay. These prove to be riioxichihis spinosus, Mont., a species 

 which, I believe, has not yet been found in Irish waters. This interesting 

 form has been dredged at moderate depths (ten to fifteen fathoms) off 

 the coasts of Norway, North V.'ales, Devonshire, and France. A very 

 nearly related species {P. vulgaris, Dolirn) is found in the Mediterranean. 

 — G. H. Carpenter. 



INSEC rs. 



C01.EOPTERA AT Hor^YwooD, Co. Down. In December last year Dr. 

 vScharff brought me two species of beetles from Cultra Wood, neither of 

 which appear to have been taken by Rev. W. F. Johnson in January 

 (pp. 18, 19). These are Helophonts aqiiatkiis and Silpha subrotnndata. — G. H. 

 Carpenter. 



SJyssia zonaria on Achii,i, Island. A female of this very rare and 

 local moth was found on the sandhills of Achill Island early in April by 

 Mr. J. R. Sheridan, by whom it was sent to Mr. A. G. More, who kindly 

 passed it on to me for the Museum collections. The only Irish localit}^ 

 hitherto known is Ball3xastle, Co. Antrim, where Mr. Campbell took it in 

 1884 and Mr. Bristow in 1889. In Great Britain it occurs only on the sand- 

 hills of the Lancashire, Cheshire, and N. Wales coasts. — G. H. Carpenter. 



Trochilium crabroniformis. This "clearwing," closely resembling 

 a large wasp or hornet in appearance, seems to be common in Co. Dublin, 

 if one may judge by the large number of poplar and willow trees in the 

 stems of which the borings or tunnels of its larvae may be seen. These 

 gimlet-like holes are to be found at Portraine, Malahide, Portmarnock, 

 Howth, and Shankill, near the sea coast, and they also prevail largely 

 inland at Terenure, Templeogue, and Crumlin, etc., being especially 

 abundant in the neighbourhood of Jobstown and Swiftbrook. My atten- 

 tion was first directed to them in the spring of the year 1889, as causing 

 the gradual destruction of some weeping willows at a gentleman's resi- 

 dence near Terenure. In April of the following year one of the willows 

 looked so sickly, and had put on foliage so poorly the former season, 

 that its owner decided to cut it down, and, through the kindness of his 

 son, I secured two pieces of the stem, each some sixteen or eighteen 

 inches long, literally riddled with old borings, and evidently containing 

 living larvae. I at once placed them in large flower-pots, covering one end 

 to the depth of about one inch with earth, and securing the other to the 

 rims of the pots with wires, so as to prevent their shaking or falling 

 down. This was on the 24th of the month, and for the following six 

 weeks or thereabouts the stumps stood in a window facing the west, and 

 had water poured over them freely twice a-day, being partially screened, 

 when deemed necessary, from the strong afternoon sunshine. F'^rom a 

 horticultural point of view they looked very unpromising subjects 

 indeed; but plainl}^ they contained plenty of life, as from about fourteen 

 different places/r<7i\y was being constantly and abundantly ejected by the 

 invisible larvae. On the 9tli of June, at about 8.30 a.m., my care and 

 attention to the plantation were rewarded by the appearance of a fine 

 imago at rest on one of the stumps, the empty and shattered pupa case 

 lying on the surface of the cla}', thus affording no clue as to the spot from 

 whence the insect had come. From this date until the 3rd July some 



