176 The Irish Naturalist, 



one at Kilkenny (dates not given), four at Killarney in 1S64, and one at 

 Kingstown, and two near Belfast in 1888. The Dublin Museum possesses 

 a specimen labelled "Kildare, Douglas, 1869." It is to be observed that 

 the year 1888, like the present year, followed an unusually hot dry 

 season. — Eds.] 



Bupalus plnlaria and Euplthecia togata in co. IVIeath. — 



This week, when beating for moths in Mr. Winter's charming bog wood, 

 Agher, Co. Meath, I had the pleasure of capturing some specimens of 

 Bupalus piniaria, a rare and local species in Ireland. At the same time 

 and place I took two fine and fresh specimens of Eupithccia togata. — 

 Harriette K. REYNEivi,, Dublin. 



Cimbex connata, Schr., on Valentia. — A female of this 

 scarce and handsome sawfly has been kindly forwarded to the Dublin 

 Museum by Miss Delap. 



Mr. J. J. Dowling has taken two male Cimbices of extraordinary size at 

 Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. I am not yet satisfied if they are also C. connata ; 

 they may prove to be an American species. — Geo. H. Carpenter. 



IYlicralymma brevipenne, Cyil. , at Mornington, Co. IVIeath. 



— It was my good fortune to be present at the recent joint excursion of 

 the Dublin and Belfast Field Clubs to the district south of the Boyne 

 mouth ; quite a number of good species were taken. Of special interest 

 to me was Micralymma brevipenne, Gyll., which I obtained in some numbers 

 under stones where a small streamlet flows into the Boyne near Morning- 

 ton. I had also taken it in the Dingle district earlier in the mouth. 

 Little is known about the occurrence of this species in Ireland ; there is 

 no Irish locality given in Canon Fowler's recent w r ork on the British 

 Coleoptera, but on making search I find that there are specimens in the 

 Haliday collection from Strangford Lough, and he also recorded it from 

 the Creek of the Owenbeg River, Co. Cork. — J. N. Hai<bert, Dublin. 



MOLLUSC A. 



The Common Mussel (IYIytilus eclulls). — Mr. R. Lloyd Patter- 

 son's mention of the mussel industry in Belfast Lough, and the fact that 

 they had shifted their quarters, reminds me that last year I noticed a 

 sudden increase of young mussels on the shore about Macedon Point, 

 where many square yards of ground are thickly covered w r ith them, and 

 this year, for the first time in my memory, boats have been fishing for 

 them with long rakes as he describes, and a donkey cart and hand-carts 

 have been gathering those close to the shore. — Sydney M. Thompson, 

 Belfast. 



BIRDS, 



Redstart (Ruticilla phoenicurus), breeding in Co. Tyrone. 



— On the 16th June inst., I visited Barons Court, the extensive and 

 beautifully wooded demesne of the Duke of Abercorn, where an abundance 

 of fine old timber covers the hill slopes. In reply to my enquiries as to 

 the birds to be found there, Mr. James Maclean, the under-keeper, stated 

 that Redstarts had bred there three years in succession since he came 

 to the place, and he showed me holes in trees in which they had nested. 

 He then showed me the male and female Redstarts and found their nest 

 of this year containing three young just ready to fly, and three eggs that 

 had not hatched out. A fourth young Redstart that had left the nest 

 was caught, and is now in the Science and Art Museum. The nest was 

 in the hole of a broken branch of a large old birch. The parent Redstarts 

 remained near when we were inspecting it, uttering their alarm-cry like 

 the "twit" of a Willow Warbler, but much louder. The male was a 

 splendid bird, forehead white, face and throat black, back bluish grey, 

 breast and tail bright orange. 



The Rev. G. W. Peacocke informs me that on the 26th and 29th May, 

 1S88, he saw and heard a male Redstart which he found frequenting Rash 



