202 The Irish Naturalist, 



Carex axillaris and Filago minima in Co. Dublin. — Towards 

 the end of July last, while availing myself of permission kindly granted 

 me by the Great Northern Railway Company to examine the embank- 

 ments of their line within the Co. Dublin, I had the good fortune to come 

 across a few large tufts of Carex axillaris (Good.) in marshy ground near 

 Malahide. This rare sedge has been regarded as a hybrid between C. 

 remote and C. muricata ; but in this station, though the first of the reputed 

 parents was present in abundance, accompanied by C. vidpina and C. 

 divulsa, C. muricata, a species I have long sought for without success in 

 the Co. Dublin, was quite absent. Mr. A. G. More, to whom I have 

 submitted specimens, prefers to regard the plant as a product of C. 

 remota and C. vulpina. There is no previous record of C. axillaris in 

 Co. Dublin, and elsewhere in Ireland it appears to have been observed 

 in only one station in addition to those given in Cybele Hibernica and Mr. 

 More's Recent Additions to the Flora of Ireland, on the L'pper Barrow, in 

 Queen's Co., where it was found by Mr. Hart in 1884. (See four, of 

 Bot., Jan., 1885). 



For Filago minima, a rather uncommon species in Ireland, there seems 

 to be no Co. Dublin station on record, so that it may be of interest 

 to note here its occurrence in considerable quantity at Balalley, near the 

 Three Rock mountain, where I found it growing amongst the debris of a 

 granite quarry in July last. — Nathaniel Coi^gan, Dublin. 



ZOOLOGY 



PYCNOGONIDA. 



Further Irish Localities for Pycnogons. — On page 67 of the 

 present volume I recorded an additional locality for Anoplodactylus petiolaUts. 

 I have since received from Mr. J. E. Duerden numerous specimens of 

 both sexes of this species dredged by the Harlequin in yet two other 

 stations — one (222), Boylash Bay, Co. Donegal, 20 fms. sand ; the other 

 (148) to the south of Aran Islands, 39 fms. sand. This species is there- 

 fore known to range along nearly the whole of the west coast. 



Mr. Duerden has also kindly handed me some pycnogons collected by 

 him in the rock pools of Dursey in May, 1893. The species represented 

 are Pycnogonum liltorale, Phoxichilidium femoratnm, Nymphon gracile, and N. 

 rubrum ; the last had hitherto been known only from the east coast. 



From Mr. H. H. Dixon I have received Nymphon gallicum taken in 

 Smerwick Harbour. 



A specimen of Chcvtonymphon hirtum, Fab., taken off Dalkey Island by 

 the late Dr. Kinahan, has recently come to light in the museum. Rev. 

 Canon Norman has recently (Ann. M. N. H., Feb., 1894. ) given good reasons 

 for reckoning C. spinosum, Goods, (which Thompson recorded from Belfast 

 Bay) as a synonym of this species.— Geo. H. Carpenter. 



INSECTS. 



Vespa arborea, Sm . in Co. Dublin. — In the Irish Naturalist for 

 July (p. 157), I mentioned that this rare wasp was not among those taken 

 this spring at Bray by Mr. Barrington. During June and July however 

 it occurred at two localities in Co. Dublin, Mr. H. B. Rathborne taking 

 a queen at Dunsink, and Mr. G. Low two at Dundrum. These latter are 

 remarkable in having the yellow line on the scape of the antenne 

 almost obsolete, but in all other respects they are typical. Mr. E. 

 Saunders, in his work on British Hymenoptera now appearing, states 

 that this wasp is a variety of V. austriaca, Pauz., by which name it will 

 therefore henceforth be known. It is to be hoped the male, and as yet 

 unknown worker, may soon be found. — Geo. H. Carpenter. 



