Kane — On Irisli Lopidoptpra. 109 



Museum, and it will be seen that the small size and pallid coloration 

 of the specimen suggest its having been bred under these sunless skies, 

 and that it is not a waif from some homeward-bound ship. Another 

 specimen has been taken at Bandon by Mr. C. Donovan. 



Occasional notices of the capture of D. pulchella are to be found 

 in English journals of Entomology ; but even in Central Europe it is 

 exceedingly rare, only sporadic 'appearances being recorded, except 

 along the Mediterranean littoral, where it is more abundant. 

 Though a delicate and feeble insect, it has a very remarkable 

 geographical range; stretching over Southern Europe and Asia, the 

 ]S'. and S. of Africa, N. America, and Australia ; and it has a remark- 

 able persistence of type wherever found. 



Now, with regard to the second hypothesis, as to the possibility of 

 this island having been replenished botanically and entomologically 

 by land connexion ; most geologists are of opinion that the coast of 

 Antrim was once conterminous with that of the West of Scotland, 

 and that the British Islands were severed from the Continent at a 

 later era than that of the disruption which isolated Ireland. 



Such a theory would account for the presence here of Nyssia 

 zonaria, Notodonta bicolora, H. scutosa, and other north and central 

 European forms. The existence of several melanic and other varieties, 

 common both to Scotland and Ireland, seems also, as Mr. Birchall has 

 pointed out, an indication that their fauna (or at least a part of it) 

 have had a common origin; though some allege that similar 

 climatic conditions may sometimes produce similar variations. 

 The objection is not, however, valid as regards racial varieties 

 such as the ones now in question, but applies merely to general cha- 

 racteristics. The Scotch melanic variation of Cymatophora duplaris, 

 however, does not seem to be found in Ireland, those from Cavan and 

 Tyrone, as well as those taken this year in the south, being of the 

 normal English type. 



The Irish type of Melitsea artemis, too, as taken by me at Tra- 

 more, and Mrs. Battersby, at Cromlyn, in county Westmeath, differs 

 both from the Scotch and English insect. 



A very remarkable moth indigenous to Scotland, Acronyctia 

 myricse, was taken by Mr. Birchall at Killarney. At Galley Head, on 

 a face of bare rock standing amongst the wind-shaven turf, a very 

 novel locality, I detected two pupae of this species, which must have 

 fed on the dwarf ling which survives here and there in protected spots. 

 jS'ow this moth, though appearing under a different name in the 

 British list, is identical with the strictly Alpine variety of A. 

 euphorbise ; " Monti vaga." To account for the presence here of a 

 variety peculiar to the Central European Alps, whose lowland type 

 pervades the surrounding countries, we are forced to the conclusion 

 that, in company with other hardy species, it once followed the reced- 

 ing ice-cap at the final close of the glacial epoch, northwards, and 

 crossed viA Scotland to Ireland, where with a few botanical species 

 it maintains its evidence as to the Alpine climatic conditions which 



