178 The Irish Naiu7nlist. [July, 



The only roadside plant worthy of mention was Sagina 77iari- 

 tima. Perhaps the most curious plant of the island was a 

 diffuse form of Juncus conglomeratus, the stems of which, 

 instead of growing erect in a compact clump as usual, spread 

 out at every angle, from horizontal to vertical, giving the 

 plant a very strange appearance, and recalling the habit of 

 Schcefncs nigricans ; this curious rush was abundant in damp 

 places with the typical form. Mr. Barrington found Radiola 

 linoides and Cai'dmis pratejisis, two species which did not occur 

 to me. 



cANis VUI.PKS mp:i.anogaste:r, bona?., in 



IRKIvAND. 



BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D. 



This variety of the Fox is characterised by having the under- 

 parts of the body and tail black or dark brown instead of 

 white. A specimen recently acquired by the Dublin Museum 

 has all the underparts of the body and tail greyish black. It 

 is a full-grown rather undersized female, and came from the 

 County Kildare. I had never seen an Irish specimen before, 

 but Mr. Kd. Williams, informs me that he has stuffed several 

 for people in the country. 



The chief interest of the occurrence of this variety of the 

 Fox in Ireland lies in its geographical distribution. As far 

 as I know, there is only one previous record of this variety 

 having been observed in the British Islands, viz., in Warwick- 

 shire (Bell's *' Brit. Quadrupeds," 2nd Kd., p. 231). 



Nilsson described it as existing in Scandinavia, and there is 

 also a record from France. But it is distinctly a southern form, 

 and has been observed in Greece, Southern Italy, Spain, 

 Portugal, and in the Mediterranean Islands. We may suppose 

 it to have originated in Southern Europe and then to have 

 spread along the Atlantic shores in times long gone by, when 

 the British Islands were still connected with the continent, 

 for the Fox must be looked upon as probably the most ancient 

 of the British Mammals. 



I should be glad if any readers of the hish Naturalist would 

 inform me if they have met with this variety of the Fox. 



