J 34 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of the South Shetland Islands, reaching as far south as lat. 67°, 

 and encountering great diversity of weather. 



The commercial results of the voyage were 4000 seals taken 

 by the ' Active,' 5226 by the * Balsena,' 3572 by the * Diana,' and 

 1908 by the 'Polar Star,' or a total of 14,706. The Norwegian 

 ship 'Jason' is also stated to have returned with some 5000 

 seals ; no Monachns, nor Otarice were met with, and all the seals 

 are said to have been in poor condition. 



I have to express my thanks to Mr. David Bruce and Mr. R, 

 Kinnes, of Dundee ; Capt. David Gray, of Peterhead ; Mr. Michael 

 Thorburn, of St. Johns ; and Mr. Walter Thorburn, of Greenock, 

 for their kindness in supplying me with information from their 

 respective ports. 



THE MARTEN IN IRELAND. 

 By G. E. H. Barrett -Hamilton. 



I have been much interested in the article on " The Marten 

 in Ireland" which appeared in the last number of ' The Zoologist' 

 (pp. 100 — 107), for I have been for some time collecting notes on 

 the distribution and life-history of this animal in Ireland, and 

 indeed of all our native Irish mammals. I had at first contem- 

 plated the publication of a list of localities in Ireland where the 

 Marten has been found of late years, but an accumulation of 

 notes has convinced me that this animal is much more common 

 in the wooded parts of Ireland than is generally supposed, and 

 consequently that such an article would be as unnecessary as one 

 on the distribution in Ireland of such common Irish mammals as 

 the Otter or Badger. I think the statement (p. 101) that "at 

 one time, in all probability, the Marten must have been generally 

 distributed in Ireland, but as civilization has extended inland 

 from the east and south, and as woods have been cut down, and 

 the country opened up by railways, drainage, and cultivation, so has 

 this animal been gradually driven into the wilder portions of the 

 north and west," needs considerable modification. No doubt the 

 Marten is noio driven out from the east and south, but it is only 

 of late years that this has been the case, and I contend that even 

 in the more highly cultivated parts of the eastern counties of 

 Ireland it would be an impossibility to name a county in which 



