Zoology. 2 1 5 



Water-bug was first taken in Britain by A. H. Haliday — in 

 a marsh near Holywood — and a note in his diary records 

 the capture of the rare winged form at " Castlehill Moss ") ; 

 Velia currens (the so-called Water-spider is common, especially 

 at Lough Neagh) ; Gerris thoracica (Cave Hill) ; G. odon- 

 togaster and G. argentata (both of these species occur in the 

 Lagan Canal, the latter also at Newcastle) ; Salda pallipes 

 (salt marshes near Belfast) ; S. scotica (Newcastle) ; Crypto- 

 stemma alienum (taken by Haliday in Antrim, exact 

 locality not known) ; Acompocoris pygmceus (near Belfast) ; 

 Microphysa elegantula (Carr's Glen) ; Calocoris striatellus 

 (Broughshane) ; C. sexguttatus (near Belfast); Paciloscytus 

 unifasciatus (Lagan Canal bank, near Moira) ; Campyloneiira 

 virgula (Rostrevor) ; Plagiognathus pulicarius (Lough 

 Neagh, being the only known Irish locality). The true 

 Water-bugs {Cryptoceraia) are better known locally than any 

 other section of the Hemiptera. The following are a few of 

 the less common kinds which have been taken in the 

 district: Corixa Geojfroyi(\j?^'gd.\-\) ; C. atoviar ia (^oXywoodi) ; 

 C. limitata (Newcastle) ; C. venusia (Holywood and New- 

 castle) ; C. fossarum (Lagan); C. prceusta (Lagan); C. 

 cognafa, Fieb. (Newcastle) ; and the local C. Bonsdorffi is 

 not uncommon in theLagan Canal near Belfast. The varieties 

 maculata and furcata of the Water Boatman {Nepa cinered) 

 occur — the former at Lough Neagh, and the latter near 

 Bangor. They are much rarer than the type, and are 

 apparently absent from many parts of Britain. With the 

 exception of a few extremely common kinds, nothing is 

 known of the Homopterous section of the local Plant Bugs. 



J. N. H. 

 Neuroptera. 



No group of animals seems to have been more neglected 

 by Ulster naturalists than the various orders of insects com- 

 prised under the order " Neuroptera." Mr. King's recent 

 list of these insects^ occurring in Ireland contains hardly any 

 records from the north. Still a few interesting forms have 



1 J. J. F. X. King. — A Contribution towards a Catalogue of the Neurop- 

 terous Fauna of Ireland. Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow, vol. ii, i888, 

 pp. 259-292. 



