186 The Irish Naturalist. [July, 



readily to be forgotten. The party were soon ashore in the little harbour, 

 and, under the leadership of Mr. J. E. Palmer, the steep slopes and cliffs 

 of the eastern side of the island were visited. Here the Herring Gulls 

 were breeding in great numbers among the herbage and stones, and care 

 had to be taken not to tread on the dark-spotted brown eggs, or the young 

 birds, equally inconspicuous in their coats of dark mottled down. On 

 the steeper portions, Guillemots and Razorbills were perched in rows 

 beside their large blue and brown eggs, which lay on the ledges of bare 

 rock, and hundreds of KittiM^akes occupied every cranny with their 

 nests of grass. Many of the grassy slopes were riddled with holes made 

 by the Puffins, which, in their beautiful black and white plumage and 

 brilliant red beaks and legs, stood like sentinels at the mouths of their 

 burrows, guarding their solitary large, whitish ^^^ in the nest within. 

 In a deep crevice a Cormorant's nest was visited, in which were three 

 young birds, already nearly fledged. The botany of the island was 

 interesting, and the masses of colour presented by certain species, such 

 as Lychnis diiirna^ Seditm acre^ and Silene mariiitna were very striking. 

 Enormous groves of the Henbane, Hyoscyamus nigei', were observed, four 

 feet in height, and covering considerable areas. Close to the coastguard 

 station a rare clover, Trifolium sttiatiuu. was obtained. The beetles, of 

 which Mr. H. K- G. Cuthbert kindly supplies a full list, included 

 Badister bipusiulatus .^ Bradycellas harpalimis, Fierostichus striola^ Amara auHca, 

 Trechtis rnmutus, Philonthus varms, S ten us guttula^ Helodes margiiiatns, Coryrn- 

 bites aipreiis (type and var. aeriiginosiis), Grammoptera ruficornis, Crypticus 

 ginsquiliiis. As to Hymenoptera, in the Chrysis group, Mr. Cuthbert met 

 with Chrysis ignita, L., and Hedychnim htcidiihim^ Latr., and in the Aculeate 

 group, Megachile j/iariiif/ia, Kirb. (an addition to the Irish list), M. centtm- 

 ciilaris, Andrena fulvicrtts, A. niimitida, Sphecodes dimidiattis, Odynerus picttis, 

 0. parietinus, O. trimarginatus, and Vespa sylvestris. The last-named species 

 was nesting in a bank, an unusual circumstance in the case of an arboreal 

 wasp, an instance having been once before recorded by the late Mr. 

 Frederick Smith. A very interesting find of another kind was the occur- 

 rence of flint-flakes and cores in low mounds of clay and pebbles near 

 the southern extremity of the island ; quite a large series was obtained. 

 Messrs. Greenwood Pirn and R. Welch obtained a number of photographs 

 of the birds and their nests and eggs, which will no doubt duly appear 

 on the lantern screen at some winter meeting of the Club. All assembled 

 at the harbour at 6.0, where Miss Gardiner had tea ready. Embarkation 

 being safely effected, the "Erin's King" left at 7.45. The evening was 

 dead calm, and lovely effects of light were enjoyed on the homeward run. 

 The party reached Dublin at 9.45, delighted with all they had seen, and 

 very grateful to Count Considine, by whose kindness they were permitted 

 to explore the island. 



Cork Naturai^ists' FieIvD Ci,ub. 

 May 30th. — The third excursion took place, the destination being 

 Ballyphehane Bog and Vernon Mount. Owing to the prolonged drought 

 the bog was practically dry and but few of the moisture-loving plants 



