ii6 The Irish Naturalist, [April, 



ZOOLOGY. 



'* MInglln of North and South." — On reading the extremely 

 interesting address of the ex- President of the Dublin Naturalists' Field 

 Club published last month, I feel constrained to question the strict appro- 

 priateness of one of the animals selected for special dedication to 

 "typical" members of the Galway Conference as reminders of their 

 respective types of origin. I will not quarrel with the allocation of the 

 Common Frog to the " settler of some generations standing," inasmuch 

 as the historical introduction of the Frog by Dr. Guithers was perpe- 

 trated as far back as 1696. But is it not inconsistent in the next 

 sentence to compare " the English immigrant who has recently come to 

 stay " to the Magpie, a bird which, "if tradition is to be trusted," came 

 to our coast to stay in the year 1670, and which was certainly a spreading 

 though still scarce member of our avifauna in 1700, while in 1743 it had 

 grown so common that war was waged upon it by Irish Statute Law .'' 

 I would suggest that a fitter ornithological partner for the recently 

 arrived Britisher might be found in the Missel-thrush — " believed to 

 have settled in Ireland (says Mr. More's invaluable List) since 1800," 

 first authenticated as an Irish bird by Templeton in 1808, and unknown 

 (as such) by sight to Thompson till a specimen was sent him from 

 Fermanagh in 1832. While on this subject I would add that in the 

 Isle of Man, the fauna of which much resembles that of Ireland, both 

 the Frog and the Missel-thrush are, as in Ireland, held to be introduced 

 or recently settled, species ; but I have never heard that the Magpie is 

 so regarded there. 



C. B. MoFPAT, Dublin. 



INSECTS. 



Irish Hymenoptcra Aculeata. — I was much pleased to see Mr. 

 Freke's paper on our native Aculeate Hymenoptera in the February 

 number of the Irish Naturalist. His list will form a most useful basis for 

 future work, and it is to be hoped will induce collectors to attend to these 

 interesting insects. 



I am able to add two species to the Irish list, and a few additional 

 localities. 



The species new to Ireland are Calioxys' acuminata, 'i^y\., and. Bombus 

 soroensis, Fabr. The former I took in my garden in Armagh on July 6tli 

 at blossoms of Geranium pratense, and the latter in Mullinure in May. 

 The following are additional localities for the species named : — 



Myrmica Icevinodis. — Armagh, and Scotstown, Co. Monaghan. 

 Mellinus arvensis, Linn. — Tynan, Co. Armagh, on the canal bank. 

 Halicitus albipes^ Kirby. — Armagh and Loughgall, Co. Armagh. 

 Andrena clarkella, Kirby. — Armagh, in Mullinure and at Lowry's Lough, 



fairly common at Sallows in April. 

 A. fucata, Smith. — Armagh. 

 Nomada borealis, Zett. — Armagh. 



