30 NATURAL HISTOKY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



proved by the direct evidence of both natives and strangers, as the 

 "Book of Ballymote" — " There are in Ireland no Snakes, Lions, or 

 Toads, no venomous beasts, except the Mouse, the Wolf, and the Fox." 

 Giraldus Oambrensis, in the 23rd and 24th chapters of his "Topography 

 of Ireland," says — " In that country are wanting Serpents and Colubers, 

 Toads and Frogs, Tortoises and Scorpions, and Dragons. There are Spiders, 

 Leeches, and Lizards, but certainly innocuous." He also quotes the pro- 

 verb, ' ' The Frogs in Gaul are noisy and clamorous ; in Britain they are 

 mute; in Ireland there are none." He mentions that " a Frog was found 

 in some grass land near Waterford, and excited great horror and loath- 

 ing in the mind of Donal, King of Ossory, a man prudent and faithful, 

 who took it as a type of the English;" and adds, that as none had 

 been seen before or since, and as there was in Ireland no frogspawn, 

 no one who saw it imagined it to have been produced in Ireland, but to 

 have been introduced by some accident. 



There is no peculiarly Irish word for Snake, the words being Piasta, 

 evidently the same as Bestie ; and Nathiair, which appears to be the same 

 as the Latin Natrix, Anglo-Saxon Natter (English has dropped the N 

 in Adder, but retains it in Natterjack), Welsh Neddyr; and is probably 

 from the root of natare, to swim. The Frog has to this day no name but 

 Frogga, plainly English ; and the Eat in both Irish and "Welsh is only 

 " The French Mouse, or " The Big Mouse ;" the Toad's Irish name, Lois- 

 gean, appears to mean "burnt-head;" the Welsh, Llyffant, for Frog, 

 Llyffant du, " black frog," for Toad, is supposed to be a version of the 

 Latin word lymphaticus, in English flabby. 



Dr. E. Perceval Wright, F. L. S., said that he believed that in Dr. 

 Bennett's paper there was the first authentic record of the Tropidonotus 

 natrix living through a second winter in Ireland; and he had little 

 doubt, from the evidence produced, that this Snake had also bred in the 

 country. The specimen in spirits which he laid on the table was one 

 from the University Museum, and had been taken at the Eiver Suir, 

 near Clonmel. It had been one of several which had been set free in 

 the neighbourhood of Clonmel, but the majority had been killed or cap- 

 tured by the country people within a few weeks after they had been 

 brought to the country. As the pleasure-ground in which Dr. Bennett 

 had placed his specimens was thoroughly enclosed, there was, he 

 thought, every probability of their being again seen ; and, he hoped that, 

 if they increased, he might have for the College Museum a young spe- 

 cimen actually born in Ireland. Dr. Bennett had kindly given the 

 specimen exhibited this evening to the College Museum. It was in most 

 beautiful condition and colour, and a somewhat large specimen. It 

 should be at once placed with the other ringed Snakes. As was to have 

 been expected, St. Patrick's attempts to free Ireland from all Beptiles 

 had been alluded to in the discussion that evening. He (Dr. Wright) 

 did not know if he was right in imagining that the Saint knew some- 

 thing of natural history ; but if he did, and was able to distinguish 

 between true Reptiles and Amphibia, then, he thought, he had accom- 



