DUBLIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 97 



our visit the stream comiag out had been so strong as to flood the adja- 

 cent meadows. 



Our next day's excursion (March 22nd) was to the caves near Ennis. 

 The first we visited was Balliallia cave. Here, as you may recollect, 

 Mr. Foot first discovered this species on March 10, 1859; and in his 

 paper on the subject, already published in your Proceedings, will be 

 found a full description of the cave. It is about twenty yards long, 

 running in a westerly direction, and facing the eastward ; although not 

 hung itself with trees, it faces a plantation only a few yards distant 

 from it. The day was a very fine one, but the weather previously had 

 been very severe, with sleet, and rain, and wind, the hailstones in many 

 places lying piled up, unmelted. The innermost and middle chambers 

 of the cave were very wet, and there was abundance of moisture even 

 in the outward chamber. Here we met with nineteen bats, all males, 

 except one ; of these six were in the dark parts of the outer chamber, 

 all hung separately, and at every height from the floor of the cave ; 

 seven in the middle chamber, also hang at various heights, one only a 

 couple of inches from the ground, and also hanging separately ; and six 

 in the last chamber, five closely crowded together, but not clinging to 

 each other, and dripping with wet. The ground was in parts quite 

 black with their exuviee. The other animals found here were the moth 

 and big spiders, already spoken of, and gnats in great numbers, the latter 

 all alive, but seemingly torpid, as, unless touched, they did not stir. It 

 was most interesting to see the bats vdncing from the light, as Mr. Foot 

 has so gTaphically described. I examined each specimen carefully, and 

 found they were all of the one species, and the greater part full grown. 

 Mr. Foot seemed to think that the fact of some of the bats being met 

 with in wet parts of the cavern was due to their roosting place having 

 become so subsequently to its selection. 



We next proceeded to Ennis ; and Dr. George O'Brien kindly accom- 

 panying us, we drove out to Edenvale ; here we examined three caves, 

 likewise situate in the limestone. The general external features of these 

 caves were all similar. Situate in a dense, old plantation, the entrances 

 of the caves were hung with ivy, and the variety of Folypodium vulgare 

 already spoken of. 



In the first cave, which is of considerable extent, and very wet in 

 parts, we met twenty-one bats, the greater part of them hung in com- 

 pany, in a tolerably dry side alley of the cave. I examined the bats, 

 and found all to be males. The moths occurred in this cave also. The 

 second cave, which is very small and low, I examined alone ; it was very 

 dry. I only found one male here. 



The last cave examined is veiy capacious, w^ith numerous side pas- 

 sages, some of which are so low and narrow as to oblige us to crawl 

 through them. There are ponds of water, which require caution. Here 

 we met five bats, only one of which was a female ; they were scattered 

 through every pai-t of the cave, and all in the dark, and the female hung 

 alone. Spiders, gnats, and woodlice also occuiTed. The narrow passage 

 terminates rather abruptly in a deep well, which might easily entrap an 

 incautious explorer. 



