138 The Irish Naturalist. [June, 



only once before been taken in Ireland. Many of the species 

 occurring on Slievemore were also to be found here. 



The lakes seem to be extremely poor in insect life, and this 

 at a time of the year when water-beetles should be fairly 

 plentiful. I have noticed the same characteristic, however, in 

 connection with all the West of Ireland lakes that I have had 

 opportunities of testing, and this is specially noticeable 

 when these are isolated. The only species of interest met with 

 was Hvdroporus obscurus. The rare Dytiscus lapponiais ma}- 

 be expected to occur in some mountain tarn, but it has not 

 been heard of in Ireland since its discovery many years ago 

 in Donegal. 



There is some very good collecting-ground in the north-east 

 of the island. On the coast near Struhill I^ough, a large piece 

 of brackish water communicating with the sea, I noticed an 

 abundance of insect life. Here under decaying seaweed just 

 above tide-mark, the following more or less maritime species 

 are to be found : — Aniara fiilva, Dichirotrichus pubescens, 

 Octhcbins bicolon, Alcochara grisea, A. moesta, A. obsairella, 

 and several species of Hovialota, including two H. halobrcctha 

 and H. princeps, not previously known as Irish ] Philojithus 

 intermedials, P. proxiinus, P. ebeninus, and Bledius arenarius. 

 So far as I am aware, the three following species of rove- 

 beetle are now recorded as Irish for the first time : — Xenusa 

 sideata, Bledi2is longidus, and Oxytelus viaritinius, the first was 

 rare, but the other two were not uncommon in suitable places, 

 even on the sand-bank facing the romantic little Keem Ba}^ at 

 the western end of the island. To a southern collector the 

 following should be prizes : — Carabiis clathratus, Otio7viiy7iehus 

 blandus, and Sitoncs lineellus, all to be met with along the sea- 

 coast. In the vicinity of Dugort some local species are 

 occasionally to be found under stones on the tops of the low 

 walls, such as Carabus elathratus, Cychrus rostratus, Calathiis 

 7inbigcna, Aniara spiiiipes, and an interesting form of Silpha 

 snbroiimdata approaching the English type S. atrata more 

 closely than any examples I had previously taken in Ireland. 



J. N. Hai^bkkt. 

 Science and Art Museum, Dublin. 



