144 ^^^ Irish Naturalist. [May, 1896. 



Despite their defensive capabilities, not ineffective against Man, and 

 stated to be infallible security against the Pheasant and Partridge (see 

 remarks by ** A Son of the Marshes " on " Our British Game Birds "), they 

 have at least one formidable enemy in the Hedgehog, and probably, 

 though I have no certain evidence of this, another in the Badger ; at any 

 rate, even the former animal now and then gives them such a mauling as 

 to compel the abandonment of a site. 



I have found a few nests of Formica rufa outside Killoughrim Forest, 

 under plantation timber at Ballyhyland, and in other woods not far off; 

 and in these instances I took note of the fact that pine-needles, for 

 obvious reasons lacking in Killoughrim, were largely used in the con- 

 struction of the tumuli. These outside colonies, probably formed by 

 emigrants from the Forest, in every case have proved curiously short- 

 lived, and last summer I searched all the localities (exclusive of the Kil- 

 loughrim settlements) without finding a single nest of the Wood Ant. 



I will see to securing a few " neuters " of this Ant for authoritative 

 inspection during the coming summer, but meanwhile I have very little 

 doubt that other Irish localities for it will be readily forthcoming — enough, 

 perhaps, to dispense with any special need for corroboration by specimen 

 of my County Wexford record. So interesting and striking an insect is 

 in all probability familiar by sight to many observers ignorant of its 

 scientific name, who, when once attention is drawn to the subject, will 

 be able to add largely to what is known of its distribution. 



C. B. Moffat, Dublin. 



MOLLUSC A, 

 Some Slugrs from North-West Ireland.— I have recently re- 

 ceived from Miss Amy Warren a small collection of slugs from Ballina, 

 Go. Mayo, and as records from this district are very few, a note concern- 

 ing the same may be of interest. There are eight specimens referable to 

 the following species : 



Arion empiricorum, Fer. (immature) (3). 



var. allied to Bocagei, Simr. (2). 

 A. subfuscus, Drap. (i). 

 A. hortensis, Fer. (i). 

 A.fasciatus, Nils. (i). 



The occurrence of forms of A. empiricorum allied to Simroth's variet}' 

 Bocagei is most interesting. 



Walter E. Coi,i,inge, 



Mason College, Birmingham. 



BLRDS. 

 Spring Migrants. — I saw two Sand Martins on the 20th March and 

 a solitary Wheat-ear on the ist April. The latter are our first spring 

 migrants here, and seem later in coming than usual. 



W. A. Hamii<Ton, Ballyshannon. 



