February Coleopt era from Armagh. 135 



Among the Rhynchophora Apions were very numerous. A . fagi 

 took the lead, but A. mrens was also plentiful. There were several speci- 

 mens of Erirthinus scirpi, E. ccthiops, and Sciaphihis miiricatus, one Hypera 

 punctata, and one Orchestcs fagi. Of the Heteromera I could discover 

 no representative. 



Such were the coleopterous captures in this bag of flood 

 drift, at least such as allowed themselves to be captured ; for 

 although the mass was well shaken out, it is probable that 

 many individuals refused to drop through the sieve, and so 

 escaped. Nevertheless, we have here some hundred species, 

 without counting certain species of Trichopteryx, which evade 

 my attempts at identifi cation . Of course the bulk of the species 

 noted are common enough, but the list, and still more the 

 number of individuals, which were quite beyond computation, 

 manifest how profuse coleopterous life is, show how easily 

 the student of this order may furnish himself with material, 

 and give some slight idea of the beetle fauna of the Armagh 

 district during a mild winter. 



I ought not to omit some reference to the shells which 

 abounded in this bag. My friend, Mr. B. Tomlin, of Llandaff, 

 to whom I submitted them, tells me the following species are 

 represented : — 



Planorbis contortus, Succinea elegans, Hyalinia alliaria, H. fulva, Cochlicopa 

 lubrica, and var. fusca. 



As to the Mollusca, Myriapoda, Arachnida, and other 

 orders of Insecta besides Coleoptera, these I have no space to 

 enumerate, even if I could name them ; but to the urban 

 student of nature on whom the days of winter hang heavy, I 

 can recommend nothing more exhilarating or satisfying, than 

 a bag-full, such as this was, of the floating drift that comes 

 down on the floods of " February fill dyke." 



NOTES 



BOTANY. 



VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMS. 



Equisetum Wilson! The fruiting-time of this plant, as given in 



the English botanical text-books, and in Cybele Hibemica, is July and 

 August. It may therefore be of interest to record the fact that along 

 the Royal Canal last March and April there was a luxuriant growth of 

 this horsetail, with abundance of fruit. Having had the plant under 

 observation for only one year, I cannot say if this is an abnormal 

 occurrence ; and whether it will fruit again in July and August remains 

 to be seen.— R. L,i,oyd Praeger. 



