BARKER ON THE FRESH-WATER PEARL MUSSEL. Ill 



At Shannon Bridge, eight miles south-east of Ballinasloe, five Swans 

 were seen on the 16th of January, flying in a westerly direction. On 

 the 20th of January, a flock of twenty-eight was observed flying south ; 

 three remained about Shannon Bridge for a week. 



On February 9th, two miles east of Oranmore, Mr. G. H. Kinahan 

 saw ten Swans flying south ; they were very low, and he thinks they 

 were C.ferus. 



I have also received the following information from him, in two 

 communications, which he obtained, at my request, from friends living 

 in the neighbourhood of Lough Derg. One of them, a gentleman liv- 

 ing at Tomgraney, says : — 



" On the 8th of February last, I met a large herd of Swans flying 

 round Parker's Point into Youghal Bay, in column, along the surface of 

 the lake. I counted seventeen birds, but have heard of no others in this 

 locality this year. I have no doubt that they were the common wild 



swan, Cygnus fcrus, or Hooper In 1860, I sbot two wild 



Swans in the lake near Coolreagh — Lough 0' Grady, I think, they call 

 it." 



The other gentleman, a resident at Mount Shannon, says : — " Two 

 flocks only were seen in this neighbourhood this winter. The first 

 flock, consisting of six Swans (the large white ones), were observed on 

 the 5th January, 1864, flying towards the south, very low, over Lough 

 Derg. The second flock, consisting of eleven (large white Swans), were 

 observed flying over Holy Island, on about the 13th January, 1864, 

 towards the south. None pitched at their usual resting-place (mouth 

 of Bow Kiver) this or last year. The year before I fired at a flock of 

 twenty-one Swans there. Five or six appeared smaller than the rest, 

 and of a cream colour." 



Mr. E. P. "Williams would confirm the record of the extraordinary 

 immigration of wild Swans which had taken place this winter. A lake 

 belonging to a friend, near Newcastle, county of Meath, in the month 

 of February was for two days covered with Swans ; they then flew 

 away. On the Shannon a few occurred every year, but this winter 

 their numbers seemed to be quite unusual, and were very remarkable. 



Dr. Grimshaw stated that wild Swans had been seen in great num- 

 bers near the town of Donegal ; and Mr. Lalor mentioned that large 

 flocks had been seen near Athy. 



The following paper was afterwards read : — 



Notes on some Dissections of the" Fresh-water Pearl Mussel 

 (TJnio margaritifera). By John Barker, M. D., M. B. I. A. 



This Lamellibranchiatc Mollusc is of the Family Unionida), Suborder 

 Asiphonidse, and Order Conchifera, and is found very widely distri- 

 buted ; it is closely allied to those Molluscs which possess siphons, in 

 fact the edges of the mantle are only united in the position where true 



