56 The Irish Naturalist. March, 



numbers in 1901, could not have hitherto escaped the notice 

 of these two keen entomologists during^ so many years of 

 careful investigation in that locality. Several breeding- 

 places of the rare and local Nonagria sparganii have also been 

 discovered in swamps of the district between Old Head of 

 Kinsale and Glandore, and this adds a very important item to 

 our Fen lyCpidoptera, and furnishes a most reliable proof of the 

 arrival of part of our fauna by means of a former connexion 

 with France. One, Leucania vitellina^ which is a casual visitor to 

 ihe south coast of England, has also been captured near Court- 

 macsherry, Cork — a very remarkable capture. The past as 

 well as the preceding j^ear has witnessed a great extension of 

 the area of habitat of the Peacock butterfly, it having again 

 appeared in good numbers all over the north of Ireland. It is 

 generally common in the south and west. Observers should 

 watch to see if these beautiful colonists make good a 

 permanent settlement north of Dublin. Another extremely 

 good find is Agrotis cinerea, by Mr. Greer, at Tullylagan, Co. 

 Tyrone. This is another addition to our Irish I^epidoptera. 



Ornithologists have been active, as usual, adding manj^ 

 observations as to habits, and noting several rare visitants. 

 The Redbreasted Pipit is new to Ireland. A large flock of 

 Mealy Redpoles visited Achill in October, of Avhich many 

 specimens were secured, and proved to be the Greenland 

 form, var. rostrata. One also occurred at Inistrahull light- 

 house, off the coast of Donegal. Of American visitants we 

 have a record of a Pectoral Sandpiper shot by Dr. I^eeper in the 

 same Belmullet locality as the one obtained in October in the 

 previous year ; and]an American Bittern from the wild regions 

 of the Hudson's Ba}^ territory has been got in Co. Waterford. 

 Mr. Williams contributes a Wood Sandpiper from Baldoyle, 

 August 19th, the first obtained in Co. Dublin, and the sixth 

 in Ireland. 



From the sea-coast we hear of a specimen of Risso's Dolphin 

 thrown ashore near Galway, and of the capture of the rare 

 and handsome fish, the Long-finned Tunny, Luvarus impet talis, 

 on the coast of Cork, both new to Ireland. And lastly, but 

 not the least important from a scientific standpoint as an 

 indication of the origin of our island fauna, we have Mr. 

 Farran's discovery of the crustacean Amphipod, Niphargus 



