80 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Occurrence of Rhinolophus Hipposideros in Ireland. 

 To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Dublin, April 14, 1859. 

 Gentlemen, — Perhaps it may be of interest to state that the Lesser 

 Horse-shoe Rat {Rhinolophus Hipposideros) has been met with in 

 some numbers in a cave near the town of Ennis, county of Clare, 

 last month, by Mr. F. J. Foot. The cave is called Ralliallia, and is 

 one of the numerous hollows that occur in the Carboniferous lime- 

 stone of that county and of Kerry, &c. The paper being the first 

 record of its discovery in Ireland was read by Professor Kinahan at 

 a meeting of the Dublin Natural History Society, held on Friday 

 the 1st of April. 



So few of the Rat tribe have hitherto been recorded in this country, 

 compared with those occurring in England, that a notice of it may 

 be interesting. Professor Rell has confirmed the correctness of the 

 species. 



I am, Gentlemen, your most obedient Servant, 



F. 



Saxicava rugosa a Byssus-spinner. Ry David Robertson. 

 To the Editors of the Annals of Natural History. 



Glasgow, June 14, 1859. 



Gentlemen, — I beg to offer the following observations in con- 

 firmation of Mr. West's paper in the last Number of the ' Annals,' 

 as to Saxicava rugosa being a byssus-spinner. 



Last year, in the month of March, I had a Saxicava rugosa 

 (length of shell \-~% inch, breadth T %ths of an inch), which span 

 freely, but in this instance did not use the byssus to secure a per- 

 manent attachment to any particular site and prevent a change of 

 position while the continuity of the cord held good, as is the case 

 with the common Mussel, but seemingly as a cable to fix and hold 

 fast by in its wanderings, with a power to give it out at pleasure. 



On the 1 6th of March the animal was placed in a six-ounce wide- 

 mouthed vial. On the 1 7th it had attached two filaments to the 

 glass. On the 22nd it had shifted half an inch forward, and given 

 out as much cable as allowed the desired advance. At this stage it 

 fixed the cord to the glass, close by the shell, by two other short 

 filaments. On the 28th it moved still further forward, giving out 

 more cable, and again fixing it by more filaments, as before. 



At that time, not being aware that the spinning-properties of 

 Saxicava rugosa were unknown to conchologists, and having no 

 other object in view than securing the byssus for the microscope and 

 the shell for my cabinet, my observations terminated. 



I am, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, 



David Robertson. 



