1889] The Irish Black Rat. 351 



sportsmen only knew the right bird, mistakes would not be made so 

 often. Just the same with the American Woodcock, so often reported 

 as shot in Ireland, but which is quite a different bird. 



{November 22nd.} I have been asked to prepare a new edition of the 

 List of Irish Birds. Can you send me any contribution of any very rare 

 occurrence or locality ? . . . . I am glad the Achill Snipe turned out 

 all right. Any Irish Little Crake requires careful overhauling, like the 

 Snipe. Usually the Spotted Rail is mistaken for it, and Baillon's is 

 much more likely than the Little. I received a splendid Hare from 

 Kilmanock. Many thanks for it. No white yet, .... but there is an 

 inclination to greyish. 



(December ist}. I now enclose you the fair copy which Miss Glascott 

 has made, and I think it will make a fair paper for the "Journal of 

 Botany." It just wants a few lines of introduction at the beginning 

 something to the effect of what I have written on the half-sheet of note- 

 paper which please to write yourself, and when you have looked it 

 through please return me the paper, and I will forward it to my friend 

 the Editor, telling him that it contains a good deal of new infor- 

 mation. 



(January qth, 1889.} Excuse a short note to-day. I must leave the 



plants, &c., for my next I hope you are still inquiring about 



Sand-grouse. If those seen lately in England were fresh arrivals, the 



coast of Wexford is likely to have been visited also I hope you 



will be able to seethe supposed Little Bittern. If not that, it might be 



a Squacco Heron Lizard : The only one in Ireland is Zootoca 



vivipara, but it varies much in colour, sometimes with a good deal of 

 green. Its size is so much less that it could hardly be mistaken for the 

 Green Lizard, which occurs in the Channel Islands, but not in Eng- 

 land 



In re Black Rat Is yours Mus hibernicus, which is credited with a 

 shorter tail, shorter and more hairy ears, more hairy tail, and softer 

 fur than the Black Rat ? You should get a skin from England to com- 

 pare. Thompson gives 



M. Hibernicus M. Rattus 



head and body, ; inches 7 in. 4 lines 



ears, 9 lines n lines 



tail, 5^ inches 7 in. TO lines 



In Bell the Irish Rat is mentioned under Rattus, and Thompson 

 also thought it nearer to Rattus. But Blasius (a good foreign authority) 

 placed it under M. decumanus ; so you see there is room for further 

 observation. But the white spot is of little consequence. The number 

 of rings on the tail are given as 260 to 270 for M. Rattus. 



200 to 220 for M. decumanus. 



I hope you will measure and weigh all the black rats you can get, and 



