102 The Irish Naturalist. [ April, 



worms to be found there. On pulling up some tufts of grass 

 by the j^hores of the lake I discovered what appeared, even to 

 my practised ej'e, to be a pretty annelid. I was surprised to 

 find that the specimens ranged in colour from pure white to 

 pink and salmon colour, a phenomenon I had not before 

 observed in worms of one species. I collected a goodly 

 number, and was amused a few days after when I opened my 

 collection to find that they had all assumed wings ! My 

 annelids were the larvae of a pretty minute fly (Diptera), but 

 I was unable at the time to recapture them for identification. 

 These flies may therefore be regarded as having been evolved 

 from worm-like ancestors of aquatic predilections. Under the 

 stones I found a few black leeches of minute dimensions, and 

 a small white Ncphclis. A little further research brought to 

 light a beautiful w^orm belonging to the famih^ of TiibificidcE. 

 It was eventuall}^ found to belong to the genus Psanimoryctes, 

 and will probably prove to be new to science. It is scarce in the 

 localityw^iichlexaminedjbutma}' be more abundant elsewhere. 

 About an inch long, red, slender, it lives in the roots of partly 

 submerged grass and water plants, and can onl}^ be seen by 

 patiently examining the plants with a lens. ■ I believe that if 

 ooze from the lake could be collected from a boat or dredge 

 other species would be obtained, while the feeders of the 

 lough would be sure to supply others.. 



Having spent as much time here as I could afford I returned 

 to the station. On inquiring for the Round Tower I found 

 that it was locally known as the steeple. The gate posts all 

 round this locality are all miniature " steeples," showing how 

 the mimetic art attaches even to man. Ridins: from Antrim 

 to Ballvmena I observed that the Cotton-srrass was abundant 

 in the peaty bottom. Alighting at Coleraine I proceeded at 

 once to the backwater, a few hundred 3'ards from the station, 

 where I was rewarded b3" the immediate discovery in the ooze 

 of a large number of worms belonging to the Tubificids. 

 The dam here is an excellent hunting: srround for fresh-water 

 w^orms, but I unfortunately had no introduction to any lady 

 or gentleman interested in natural history in Coleraine, and 

 could not therefore initiate any one into the mysteries of the 

 art of collecting. I believe I obtained two or three species of 

 aquatic worms here, but as my specimens had to be killed and 



