1898.] Moffat.—^ Visit to the Copelands. 39 



They number 20, and are as follows : — Wheatear, Robin, 

 Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Swallow, Corn Bunting, Starling, 

 Rook, Sky-lark, Cormorant, Gannet, Heron, Ringed Plover, 

 Turnstone, Oyster-catcher, Snipe, Redshank, Curlew, Herring 

 Gull, and Razor-bill. The Bunting and Snipe were observed 

 only on the largest and innermost island (Copeland proper), 

 while to the best of my recollection the only Passerine birds 

 seen on Mew Island were the Meadow Pipit, Starling, and 

 Rook. On Mew Island were also seen a Tortoiseshell Butter- 

 fly ( Vanessa urticcs), and a Wasp, whose species we did not 

 ascertain. 



On the larger island we were much struck with the profusion 

 of now- withered stems of the Spring vSquill {S cilia vema), 

 already recorded for the group on Mr. S. A. Stewart's authority* 

 in the Cybele Hibemica and Flora of the North-East of Ireland ; 

 and observed also CEjianthe Lache7ialii^ Q£. civcata, Lamium 

 intermedium, Polygonum Rail and Carex distans. In the " Flora 

 of the N.E- of Ireland " these are all named as occurring on the 

 Down coast, and several of them in the immediate vicinity of 

 Donaghadee, so that their presence on the adjacent islands is 

 not surprising ; still, I am not aware that they have been 

 previously observed there. A large Burdock growing among 

 ruins on the so-called I^ighthouse Island, and probably the 

 fotm that is recorded from Donaghadee as Arctiufn nemorosiun 

 by Stewart and Corry, is referred by Mr. A. Bennett to A^ 

 intermeditcm. In a pool on Mew Island Mr. Barrington 

 discovered a remarkable Callitriche with very broad obovate 

 leaves, which, while considering it probably referable to C 

 stagnalis, he thought best to forward to Mr. Bennett as well as 

 to Mr. J. Groves. Both Mr. Bennett and Mr. Groves regard it 

 as a very extreme form, and Mr. Barrington proposes to call it 

 C. lenmoides as he *' mistook it at first sight for a duckweed." 

 A narrow-leaved plant {? C. hanmlatd) found in an adjoining 

 pool, also appears tc deserve attention, should any botanist 

 contemplate a future descent on Mew Island. 



I will add that on the day following our visit to the isles we 

 had the pleasureof being conducted by Mr. S. A. Stewart through 

 the Belfast Natural History Museum, and were shown many 

 ornithological specimens of great interest. From the notes 

 we had time to take, I see that at least five of the birds here 

 exhibited possess the two-fold distinction of having been the 



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