28 



The Irish Naturalist* 



February, 



conical spire. The species occurs also on Beginish, and at Smerwick, 

 Gallerus, Ventry, Dingle, Inch, Cloghanc, and Stradbally. Mr. 

 Tonilin refers to it as small in the Cloghane neighbourhood ; but the 

 large form is abundant on the dunes near Stradbally and in several 

 other places. 



H. barbara (L.). — Much more local than the two preceding species, and it 

 is confined to the western end of the promontory and the Gt. Blasket. 

 It is abundant at Smerwick, Ventry, and Ferriters Cove, where the 

 beautiful var. strigata is the commonest form, examples from Smer- 

 wick being very pronouncedly striped. Unlike H. virgata this shell 

 does not appear to inhabit the coast of I\erry north of Tralee, nor 

 did it occur to mc in the Castlegregory area. 



Hygromia fusca (Mont.). — Among Luzula in a wet gull}^ at 1,400 feet, on 

 the cliffs at Connor Hill, and in the woods at Fermoyle. Not seen 

 elsewhere ; but no doubt exists in other similar situa-tions. In the 

 Finglass River gorge an attempt to beat this shell out of the great 

 clumps of Luzula and ferns only produced H. granulata and H. 

 mfescens. 



H. granulata (Alder). — Abundant in the marshes north of the old church 

 at Stradball3^ at the roots of nettles, grasses, and reeds. Also ex- 

 ceptionall}^ common in the gorge of the Finglass River. Many hun- 

 dreds were beaten out of the vegetation into an open umbrella in a 

 few minutes, in all stages of growth. 



H. hispida (L.). — (T.) — Frequent about Dingle and Cloghane : and also 

 seen at Burnham, Gallerus, \'entr3'^ old church, Fermoyle, and Strad- 

 ball3\ Nevertheless, this shell is exceptionally rare compared with 

 its occurrence in most other parts of Ireland. The form which occurs 

 is flat, very hair5^ dark brown ; but does not have the large open 

 umbilicus of the flat form which occurs in the eastern counties. 



I H. rufescens Auct. = Hygromia siriolata (Pfeiffer). — (T.) — Its absence from 

 open ground and its general occurrence near habitations, coupled with 

 its apparent absence from the older deposits in England, the evidence 

 of its recent extension of range in Ireland, and its present geographical 

 distribution on the continent, have led me to doubt that this species 

 is anywhere native in Ireland.^ 



Mr. R. A. Phillips tells me that he thinks it may be native in some 

 parts of the south of Ireland ; but there can be no question of its 

 introduction into the north-eastern counties in recent years. In 

 the present district I found it in the village of Ventry, in gardens 

 and on ditches about Cloghane ; in the ruins of the old church at 

 Stradbally ; in the ditches about Castlegregory Junction and Camp ; 

 about Dingle on roadside ditches for at least a mile outside the town ; 

 in parts of the plantations at Burnham ; and in the ruins of a cottage 

 at Ballintaggart, near Dingle. All the above records would be con- 

 sista.nt with the theory of its being an alien of perhaps 250 years' 

 standing in Ireland. In the gorge of the Finglass River, however, its 

 presence is more perplexing. In this locality it occurred, though 

 sparingly, on Luzula and other tall plants, with an undoubtedly 



^Proc. Mahicol. Soc. London, vol. x, pp. 290-291. 



