84 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Co. Antrim. I have, however, seen specimens from Norfolk 

 (Chitty), Stirh'ng (Power), S. Wales (Chitty), and Sussex E., 

 so that it appears to be fairly well distributed. 



With regard to Little's records, I have already referred 

 to the fact that Hydroporiis dorsalis has not been taken in 

 Scotland since his time. The absence of this species from 

 Scotland is extraordinary, as it is a species with a decidedly 

 northern distribution in Euro-Asia ranging to Finland and 

 Siberia. In England it apparently occurs as far north as 

 Northumberland S., but on the w^est it has not yet been 

 recorded north of Cheshire, although it has been taken in all 

 the five vice-counties of York. Until recently the species 

 had not been taken in Ireland. The first record is to be 

 found in the supplement to ' The Beetles of Ireland,' by 

 Messrs. Johnson and Halbert (" Proc. Roy. Irish Acad." vi., 

 ser. 3, 1 901), where it is mentioned as having been taken 

 by the late Mr. Buckle " in the Lagan Canal in Moira," 

 evidently while the paper was in the press. The species 

 turned up again in Co. Down in 1904 (W. F. Johnson, 

 " Ir. Nat," xiii. 93, 1904), and I have recently (1908) taken 

 it sparingly in various places in the northern part of that 

 county. In October last the Rev. W. F. Johnson and I 

 found it in abundance in various places near Armagh, 

 where he is quite certain the species did not occur 13 years 

 ago when he lived in that district and worked it thoroughly 

 {v. " Ir. Nat.," xviii. 72, 1909). The only other Irish 

 specimen or specimens I have seen are from Tonabrocky, 

 Galway, W. (collected, I believe, by Mr. Halbert in 1904), 

 but apart from these occurrences the species is not recorded 

 from Ireland. Thus the " Britannic " distribution of the 

 species is extraordinary, and although it is apparently 

 spreading in the NE. of Ireland it seems unable to reach 

 Scotland. 



One other record by Little given by Andrew Murray 

 (1853) calls for remark, and that is for Hydroporus halensis, 

 F., said to have been taken at " Raehills." Otherwise, with 

 three exceptions, the records for this species are entirely 

 eastern. Essex N., Suffolk E., Norfolk E., Cambs, Lines 

 N., Notts, Lanes S., and Cumberland. The Notts record is 

 for a single specimen taken b)' the Rev. Alfred Thornley in 



