294 ^^'<^ Irish Naturalist. December, 



The occurrence of a beach obviously of the same age as that 

 of the South of Ireland has been recorded over a very wide 

 area. It is found in Yorkshire, South Wales, and on the south 

 coast of England. The pre-glacial rock platform has been 

 detected in the Isle of Man, and on the south side of Bray Head 

 in Wicklow. It has also been recently reported as observed 

 in Clare on the west coast of Ireland^ and in North Wales. 

 It has been traced along the French coast of the English 

 Channel round into the Bay of Biscay. 



From the occurrence of this beach over so wide an area in 

 the British Isles, it seems exceedingly probable that Ireland 

 was alread)' insulated before the Glacial Period. This, taken 

 with the undoubted fact that the island was entirely covered 

 by ice during the Glacial Period, may help to throw light on the 

 manner and date of introduction of our present fauna and flora. 



Jeruiyn Street, London. 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Vertigo angustior in Co. Carlow. 



With reference to Messrs. Welch and Stelfox's note in Irish Nattiralisl^ 

 September, 1904, page 191, saying that " all records so far prove it to be 

 a strictly maritime species," I would mention that there is a colony of 

 Ve'tigj angustior in Co. Carlow close to Borris bridge over the River Barrow 

 on the south side. They are to be found in wet spongy moss near the 

 river. I took a number of live specimens. See /.TVa/., 1903, p, 309. 



P. H. Grie;rson. 

 Clondalkin. 



Lepidoptera at Portlaw, Co. Waterford. 



A very fine specimen of the Death's-head INIoth {Acherontia atropos) 

 was captured near the rectory, on 2otli vSeptember, 1904, and given to 

 me. It squeaked a good deal, and frightened one of its captors so much 

 that he declared he was bitten by it ! When I got it, it was quite dead. 

 It had been for several days on a plate under a dish cover, but not a 

 scale seems to have been rubbed off. 



Sphinx convolvuli occurs here, l)ut I have not seen it for several years. 

 I have two local specimens of Geoineira papiliouaria in my collection. 



WirjJAM W. Fl^PCMYNG. 



Coolfin, Co. Waterford. 



