Proceedings of Irish Societies. 181 



thirty-five members of the North Staffordshire Field Club came from 

 Belfast by the 7.0 a.m. train, and while the majority of the party elected 

 to alight at Drogheda and spend the day in studying the interesting pagan 

 cemetery of New Grange, others proceeded by rail to Lay town and joined 

 the Dublin Naturalists. No time was lost in proceeding to the shore, 

 where a cool breeze was coming in off the sea. The route lay northward 

 to the mouth of the Boyne, along a glorious sandy beach backed by low 

 dunes, and the members found ample scope for their various tastes. The 

 botanists of the party were pleased to find, among other plants, the One- 

 glumed Fescue Grass (Eesinca uniglumis), Green-winged Orchis {Orchis 

 Morid), Portland Spurge {Euphorbia portlandica), Sea Spurge (E. Paralias), 

 Houndstongue Cynoglossum officinale), Sea-holly {Eryngium mar iti muni), 

 Viper's Bugloss (Echinm vulgare), and Common Bugloss {Lycopsis arvcnsis). 

 Others collected fungi. Mr. J. E. Duerden made good finds among the 

 hydroids and polyzoa thrown upon the beach by the tide ; a separate 

 note on these groups will be found on p. 169. At the mouth of the 

 Boyne, the three light-houses and the picturesque form of Maiden Tower 

 engaged attention, and the walk was resumed to the village of Morning- 

 ton ; on this part of their journey the botanists found the Hen-bane 

 {Hyoscyamus niger), Lesser Broom-rape {Orobanche minor), the Sea Worm- 

 wood {Artemisia maritima), Sea Purslane {Obionc pottulacoides), and other 

 commoner species. 



The entomologists found much to interest them. As will be seen from 

 the following list very good work was done amongst the Coleoptera; the 

 more important species taken are as follows — Broscus cephalotes ; Badislcr 

 bipustulatus ; Haipahts tardus, taken by Mr. Carpenter, is a local insect, 

 having been recorded from only two or three localities in Ireland ; H. 

 anxius, Mr. Standen took an example on the sand-hills, we are not aware 

 of its having been previously recorded for Ireland; Dichirotrichus 

 pubescens and Pogonus chalceus on the shore near Mornington ; Bcmbidium 

 decorum and B. atroccvruleum ; A mar a trivia/is ; Calathits flavipes ; Demetrias 

 atricapillus ; Cercyon littoralis, C. flavipes ;Philonthus longicornis, one specimen 

 taken by Mr. Halbert on the sandhills ; Stenus iarsalis ; Micralymma 

 brevipenne, several under stones on the shore near Mornington ; 

 Saprinus maritimus, taken by Mr. Cuthbert ; Coccinella xi-punctata, the 

 larvae swarmed on the sand-hills ; Halyzia xxii-punctata ; Rhizobius litnra ; 

 Byrrhus dorsalis ; Cytilus varius ; Simplocaria semistriata ; Pityophagus 

 ferrugineus ; Dascillus cervinus ; He/odes minuta ; Telephorus nigricans, var. 

 discoideus ; Ochina kederce, Lacon murinus ; Rhagium indagator, Mr. Standen 

 was very fortunate in taking a specimen of this rarity off the Jessamine 

 growing near the farmhouse at the beginning of the Boyne sandhills, it 

 had probably emerged from some split logs which he saw lying on the 

 shore embankment, evidently intended for fencing purposes, this hand- 

 some Longicorn appears not to have been previously taken in Ireland, 

 but it is to be feared the logs may have been imported. PJuvdon tumidulus ; 

 Heliopathes gibbus occurred under stones in the sand-hills near Boyne mouth ; 

 Apion hydrolapathi, Gyllenhali, radiohis, etc. Otiorrhync/ms maurus ; Ilypcra 

 punctata; Anthotwmus rubi ; Grypidius equiseti ; Cassidaviridis. Mr. H. K. G. 

 Cuthbert obtained several fine species of hymenoptera on the sand-hills, 

 including Crabro peltarius. Dr. Scharff found several specimens of Meto- 

 ponorthtts pruinosus, Br., under a stone near the mouth of the Boyne. 

 This rare woodlouse has not been found in Ireland for many years ; its 

 only known locality here is near Dublin, where the late Dr. Kinahan 

 took it. The characteristic snail of the district, Helix pisana, was 

 observed in abundance. 



At Mornington cars were in waiting to convey the party to the 

 Whitworth Hall, Drogheda, which was kindly placed at their disposal by 

 Mr. James H. Cooke, j.p. Here they were joined by a large party of the 

 Belfast and North Staffordshire members, who under the able guidance 

 of Mr. George Coffey, m.r.i.a., had spent a profitable day at New 

 Grange. 



