250 The Irish Nahiralist. October, 



ZOOLOGY. 



Bryophila muralis in County Cork. 



When lately in the Cork district I found the remains of pupae and larvae 

 in cocoons in the walls of Fort Westmoreland (Spike Island) and Fort 

 Carlisle, which undoubtedly ,were those of Bryophila juuralis. No imagines 

 were seen, as I was late for their emergence. The larval cocoons or nests 

 were not very numerous, but T mention the fact to show that the species 

 is to be found in many parts of the district round Cork and Queenstown, 

 the only localities I recorded in the Catalogue of Irish Lepidoptera. It 

 is unfortunate that a long series of the insect from Cork is still a desider- 

 atum in the National Museum. Mr. Westropp tells me he took a few 

 at Monkstown (Cork) this year, a place where I captured a single speci- 

 men myself many years since. Captain Donovan has lately added Court- 

 macsherry, in the same county, to the list of Irish habitats. 



W. F. de; V. Kane. 

 Mouaghan. 



Coecilianella acicula in Co. Kilkenny. 



On 9th April, while turning over some stones on top of a gravel mound, 

 about two miles south of Bally raggett, I observed a specimen of C acicnla 

 attached to a stone. I would not have noticed it had I not been looking 

 closely at specimens a few days previously in the Dublin Museum. 

 About half a mile away I found another among gravel. On reaching 

 home I studied the geological map and saw that these gravel heaps 

 were evidently magnesian limestone deposits, and marked several other 

 places on the map where these deposits were to be found, with the 

 result that on the nth I found a few more specimens in a quarry about i 

 mile south of Kilkenny, and later on I took others at i^ miles and 5J miles 

 from Kilkenny, on the Dublin road. In all I found about fifteen of these ; 

 five or six were alive, the rest empty shells. I have ver)- little time at 

 my disposal, and only searched by turning over stones or gravel ; I did 

 not dig in any of these places. There are several patches of dolomite or 

 magnesian limestone deposits in the neighbourhood of Johnstown and 

 Urlingford, and also one or two in South Kilkenny that I hope at a 

 future time to prospect, and firmly believe that these shells may not be 

 nearly so rare as supposed, though they are not easy to detect. 



P. H. Grierson. 

 Youghal. 



Hawfinch breeding at Straffan, Co. Kildare. 



Mr. Bedford called here on July 28 and informed me that he ob- 

 served this bird feeding its young on the island near Straffan House 

 this year for the first time, although he has noticed the old birds about 

 the grounds there for some years. He also told me that amongst other 

 stone fruits on which they feed with avidity is the exotic Cotoneaster 

 Si?nonsiiy of which they seem particularly fond. 



F. W. BURBIDGK. 



Trin- Coll. Botanic Gardens^ Dublin. 



