28 2 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 



the district, produced 760 species ; but in this list the aquatic species were 

 included, which, in our case, are dealt with in a separate paper (Part 29) by 

 Mr. Balfour Browne. As he has listed 90 species, their addition would bring 

 the present list to a total of 611 species. 



The Clare Island district has also some features tending to restrict the 

 number of species. The fierce Atlantic gales are not conducive to beetle-life ; 

 the prevalence of turf-bogs is also an adverse factor, as such localities have 

 always a comparatively poor insect fauna ; and lastly, the scarcity of wood- 

 land, except about Westport, causes a dearth of a large number of species 

 which are connected with trees. Thus there is but one Longicorn represented, 

 — Grammoptera ruficornis, a species which is widely spread in Ireland ; but 

 Mr. Wyse found Rhagium inquisitor and Strangalia armata at Pontoon, just 

 outside our district. In spite of these drawbacks the district has several highly 

 interesting species— e.g., Carabus clatlwatus, C. granulatus var. interstitialis, 

 Leistus montanus, Panagacus crux-major, Tachinus proximus, Myllacna gracilis, 

 Otiorrhynchus blandus, and others, to which particular reference will be made 

 further on. 



The number of species obtained on Clare Island itself is 238. It will be 

 noticed that a few of these are not recorded from the mainland, but there is 

 no reason why they should not occur there. 1 1 is remarkable that no species of 

 Dj'schirius was met with on the island, though there is a suitable locality where 

 their constant companions, Bcmbidium pallidipenne and Bledius arenarius, were 

 found. Another absentee was Cctonia aurata, which seems to have a great 

 liking for islands, and has been found on the Aran Islands to the south and 

 Tory Island to the north. We were also somewhat surprised not to meet 

 with Zeistiis montanus on Croaghmore. The groups best represented on the 

 island were the Carabidae, the Staphylinidae, and the Aphodii. In connexion 

 with the Aphodii it is interesting to note that A. contaminatus was exceed- 

 ingly abundant in Septembei', being found from the sea-shore to the top of 

 Croaghmore, while in June it was not met with at all. On the other hand, 

 A. scybalarius was found in June, but not in September, and A. lapponum and 

 A. atcr wei'e much more abundant in June than in September. We shonld 

 also like to refer to the very frequent occurrence of such species as Carabus 

 clathratm, Staphylinus cacsareus, and Otiorrhynchus blandns on Clare Island. 



As regards the manner in which Clare Island has acquired its present 

 coleopterous fauna there is no need to labour the subject. Anyone looking 

 at the map of Clew Bay must be impressed with the feeling that, at no very 

 vast distance in time, that which is now islands and water must have been 

 a continuous land-surface, and that Clare Island formed part of the 

 mainland, 



