24 The hish Naturalist. January, 1908. 



New Irish Cephalopods. 



In a *• Preliminary Notice of New and Remarkable Cephalopods from 

 the South-west Coast of Ireland" (^Ann. Mag, Nat. Hist- (7), xx., 1907, pp. 

 377-384^ Miss A. L- Massey records six species of Cephalopoda (three of 

 which are new to science) met with during the years 1901-1907 at 50 to 70 

 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland. 



Of the five different families to which these six species belong, speci- 

 mens of one family only, viz., Polypodidae [ = Octopodidne] have pre- 

 viously been obtained in the Irish marine area. 



The three new species described are Polypus {^=^Octop}is\ profundicola, 

 P. Normani, and Helicocratichia (n.g.) Pfefferi ; the other three species are 

 Gonahts /^(^/vV/V, Lichtenstein, Odopodoteuthis sicula, Riippell, and Hist to- 

 tcnthis bonelliajia^ Ferussac, none of which have been previouh' recorded 

 from British or Irish waters, 



A detailed report of the whole collection of Cephalopoda obtained b}- 

 the Fisheries cruiser " Helga " during the years 1901-7 is promised in a 

 coming part of the Scientific Investigations of the Fisheries Branch of the 

 Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction. 



Breeding of the Red-throated Diver. 



In the November number of the Irish Naturalist {\Q)\. xvi., p. 337), I was 

 surprised to read jNIr. W. C. Wright's account of the continued persecu- 

 tion of the Red-throated Divers at their Donegal breeding haunt. It 

 is some years now since attention was directed to the fact of the eggs 

 being taken every season, and it certainly does not tell in praise of the 

 wealthy North of Ireland naturalists that no adequate protection has 

 been afforded to the poor birds up to the present. 



The Dublin naturalists, in their protection at Malahide of the Tern's 



breeding haunt, are an example that might be worthily followed by the 



successors of the late William Thompson in Belfast and its neighbour - 



hood. 



Robert Warren. 

 Moy View, Ballina. 



GEOLOGY. 



Boulder at Narin. 



The interesting boulder described by Mr. Welch in the Irish Naturalist 

 for December, 1907, p. 371, is quite likely to be a large inclusion in the 

 Donegal granite. These often assume a spheroidal form, and Irish 

 examples on a large scale have been described by me from near Pettigo 

 {Trans. K. Irish Acad , vol. xxxi., 1900, p. 455), and on a smaller scale from 

 other localities {Proc. R. Irish Acad., vol. xxiv.. sect. B, 1903, pp. 363-368 

 &c.)- Examples near Narin are described in the same Proceedings, vol 

 xxv., sect. B, 1905, p. 123. 



GRRNVirvi^E A. J. Cole. 



Royal College of Science, Dublin. 



