I904- Notes. 43 



Juncus tenuis in County Down. 



The occurrence of this plant in County Down has already been briefly an- 

 nounced in the Irish Naturalist. It happened that in August, 1899, I found 

 three or four tufts of a slender, wiry rush, which, not at that time knowing 

 Juncus tenuis, I thought possibly might be a curious seaside variety of 

 /. squarrosus. It lay with other unexamined things until the autumn of 

 1902, when, on re-examination, its true position dawned on me. In view 

 of the fact that this rush had only recently been detected in Ireland by 

 Mr. R. W. Scully, and was not 3'et known in the north, it became of 

 importance to know to what extent it prevails in this new station, and in 

 early July, 1903, I made this attempt, but was not successful. This lack 

 of success was not due to any scarcity of the plant, but, perhaps, 

 because the flower stems were not up, and the leaves were hidden 

 amongst other rushes, grasses, and various plants. Another search at 

 the latter end of August showed /uncus tenuis in abundance, occupying a 

 belt over 100 yards in length, by from one yard to three j^ardsin breadth. 

 In this belt it is the principal feature, growing in dense tufts with stems 

 from 10 to 20 inches in height. The locality is the enclosure of reclaimed 

 and at Belfast harbour which has been named Victoria Park, This rush 

 does not grow on the redaimed slobland, but at the upper end on what 

 is the old sandy stony margin of the lough. It is confined to the belt 

 already mentioned, save about a dozen of isolated tufts occurring at a 

 distance of some 50 yards. Subsequently, I have examined the shore in 

 a seaward direction for two miles without finding any further extension 

 of this rush. The County Antrim shore was also searched for a similar 

 distance, but without success. The question arises, how has this plant 

 remained so long undetected in this accessible and well known spot } 

 It must, I think, be due to the fact that until the flower stems appear 

 one may pass cloje by without sitspecting its presence. Besides this, 

 the collector is attracted to the drains and marshes which show such 

 tempting masses of vegetation and gayer blooms. 



S. A. Stewart. 



Belfast. 



ZOOLOGY. 

 A Rare Copepod. 



A female specimen of Monstrilla longiretnis was obtained in the surface 

 tow-net in Larne Lough, on December 8th. Its length— not including 

 the antennte— was 4^ mm. On January 14th and i8th five male specimens 

 were obtained, four in the bottom tow-net, and one in the surface tow- 

 net. This Copepod, so far as I can ascertain, is new to Ireland, although 

 it has been recorded on one or two occasions on the English side of the 

 Irish Sea. 



Joseph Pearson. 

 Marine Laboratory, 



Larne Harbour. 



