Zoology. 149 



fairly common in Ireland, and their habits can be more easily 

 studied. There are probably more Martens in a single Irish 

 county that could be named than in the half of England. 



Of the 43 Irish Mammals, Antrim and Down can claim 

 33, but this number includes the two deer which are kept 

 in private parks. 



Chiroptera. — There are only seven species of bats 

 found in Ireland out of fifteen British, and five of these 

 are known in our district. The Long-eared Bat (Plecotus 

 auritus) is commonly distributed over both counties, and 

 has been recorded from places too numerous to mention. 

 For so far the Whiskered Bat (Vespertilio mystacinus) 

 has not occurred in County Antrim, but in July 1898 

 W. Hartley Patterson sent me the first specimen known 

 from County Down, taken at Dromore, and in March 1899 

 Canon Lett captured a second at Aghaderg Glebe. 

 Natterer's Bat, or Reddish-grey Bat (Vespertilio Nattereri), 

 is very rare, having only been taken twice in the district. 

 Canon Lett captured the first in June 1897 at Aghaderg 

 Glebe, Co. Down; and in July 1900 H. L. Orr sent me 

 one taken at Woodburn Glen, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim. 

 The Common Bat ( Vesperugo pipistrelhis) is abundant in 

 both counties, and is by far our commonest species. In 

 May 1900 twenty-two living specimens were received from 

 Ram's Island, Lough Neagh. It is not infrequently seen 

 flying on mild days in the middle of winter. The Hairy- 

 armed Bat ( Vesperugo Leisleri) was first recorded from 

 Ireland by Prof. Kinahan, from two specimens, one shot at 

 Belvoir Park, Co. Down, in 1848, and the other knocked 

 down in Blackstaff Lane, Belfast, June 1858. The latter 

 specimen is still in the Belfast Museum. Though not com- 

 mon, we have notes of its capture near Belfast in 1868, and 

 at Whitehouse in 1898, while Dr. Jameson records it from 

 Langford Lodge, all in Antrim, In Down it has occurred 

 at Newry in 1894 (Jameson); Belmont, 1896; Marino, 1898; 

 and in January 1901 five were taken at the same time in 

 Belvoir Park. (See " The Bats of Ireland," by H. L. Jame- 

 son : Irish Nat., vol. vi, 1897, pp. 34-43.) 



Insectivora. — Of the five species of British Insectivora, 

 we have only two, the Hedgehog (Eritiaceus europa'iis) and 



