146 The Irish Natitralist. 



ascertain the nearest constant habitat to Kilderry of Einnephile hypcranthes 

 we might be in a better position to judge of the tenability of this sugges- 

 tion. Imago migration will not plausibly explain the appearance, if un- 

 heralded, of a swarm of fresh-looking specimens, least of all in the case of 

 so delicate and short-lived a fly as E. hyjjeranthes. — C. B. Moffat, Ballyhy- 

 land, Co. Wexford. 



F IS RES . 



The Bi,ack-fish (Centroloplius pompilus), in Dingi^e Bay. A 



specimen of this very rare fish was recently captured in a mackerel-net 

 at the entrance of Dingle Bay, and was forwarded to me by the Rev. Mr. 

 Anderson. This is the second occurence of the fish in Irish waters, the 

 first specimen having also been taken in Dingle Bay, by the late Mr. W. 

 Andrews. Both of them are now in the Dublin Museum. C. pominlus 

 ranges from the Mediterranean along the Portuguese coast, the west 

 coast of France, and south-west coasts of Bngland and Ireland. — R. F. 

 Scharff, Dublin. 



BIRDS. 



The Long-eared Owi, (Asio otus) as a resident in Co. Cork. 

 In answer to Miss Donovan's question, (/ N., p. 126) I ma}^ say, that I 

 have found this species nesting in most of the suitable woods in east Cork, 

 where I have looked for it. I have also seen the bird, and found the 

 pellets in woods where I was unable to find the nest. 



A good many specimens from different parts of the county are sent to 

 the taxidermists from time to time. The finding of only one egg in the 

 nest, nearl}' hatched, is not an uncommon occurence, and I think may be 

 accounted for b}' Hooded Crows. — W. B. Barrington, Cork. 



The Long-eared Owl is the commonest species of owl in all the wooded 

 parts of the county, and is especially numerous in the wooded demesnes 

 in the vicinity of the harbour, and notably so in Coolmore demesne, 

 I have generally found the young in the old nests of Magpies, or Rooks, 

 generally in the densest tracts of the woods. — Robert Warren, Moy View, 

 Ballina. 



Supposed Eggs of SheIvDRAke (Tadorna cornuta) from Lough 

 Erne. I have to apologise to Mr. Praeger for want of deliberation in 

 determining an egg he sent me, one of two that he obtained among long 

 grass on the top of Bess Island in Lough Erne, and which he believed to 

 be those of Sheldrake (see /. iV^., p. iii). 



From the size and whiteness of the egg, which led me to acquiesce in 

 this conclusion, one might at first suppose it to be a Sheldrake's; but the 

 fact of the nest being found, not in a burrow, but in the open, on an 

 island in a freshwater lake so far from the sea, coupled with the absence 

 of information as to the appearance of the parent bird or of the down in 

 the nest (an invaluable criterion), make it impossible to say with certainty 

 whether the eggs were laid by a vSheldrake or b}^ an escaped domestic 

 duck. I believe there is no instance on record of the Sheldrake breeding 

 elsewhere than in a burrow, or, exceptionally, in very dense furze. Mr. 

 Praeger's eggs measure 2.72 in. x 1.87 in., and 2.5 in. x 1.81 in., the larger 

 one tapering at both ends. They are pure white, destitute of the creamy 

 tint and smoothness of Sheldrake's eggs in my collection. This is an in- 

 stance of the danger of giving an opinion as to the species of eggs, the 

 parentage of which has not been ascertained upon the spot. — R. J. Ussher, 

 Cappagh Co. Waterford. 



Ihe Litti^e Stint (Tringa minuta, Leister) AT Inch, Co. Donegal,. 

 I have to record a couple of these interesting little waders, which were 

 shot on Saturday, 3rd Sept., and submitted to me for identification. They 

 had evidently just arrived, as they were described by the person who shot 

 them as being very tame. The}' were solitary, and were sprung from a 

 small piece of flooded meadow-land not far from the shore. — T. I). Bland, 

 Londonderry. 



