I9I5. 



Irish Societies. 



207 



IRISH SOCIETIES. 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Recent gifts include a female Eland from the Duke of Bedford, a 

 Rabbit from Mr. L. Ward, a Barn Owl from Mr. T. Shiel, Sparrowhawks 

 from Miss Baker and Mr. W. M'GuUoch, a Cygnet from Mr. Dease, a Wood 

 Pigeon from Mr. W. W. Despard. The female Eland is a very large and 

 handsome specimen ; visitors to the gardens have now the opportunity 

 of seeing both sexes of this largest of the African antelopes. 



BELFAST NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB. 



September ii. — Excursion to Ardtole. — About forty members of 

 the Archaeological Section and friends, conducted by R. May, travelled 

 by the 1.56 train to Ardglass to visit the ancient church of St. Nicholas, 

 Ardtole. They were met by F. J, Biggar, m.r.i.a., who described the 

 good work lately carried out by the Board of Works in conserving what 

 remained of this historic church, and subsequently entertained the party 

 to tea at Castle Shane. 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Sirex gigas and other Insects in North Wexford. 



On the 2oth of last August I spent a few hours on the summit of Tara 

 (or Taragh) Hill, about three miles south-east of Inch, in north county 

 Wexford. 



This hill, rough and heather -clad in its upper portion, rises to a height 

 of about 900 feet, and is crowned by a cairn of boulders and stone blocks 

 of varying size, whilst many rocks and large stones lie around, half -buried 

 in dwarf furze. 



The day was fine and very warm, and I noticed a great profusion 

 of large insects flying over the cairn and settling on the rocks. At first 

 I took them to be dragon -flies, but they proved to be Sirex gigas, and all of 

 the same sex, males without exception. This I thought the more re- 

 markable, as there are no pine -woods near the hill, although there are 

 conifers in abundance in various demesnes not many miles off. Besides 

 this saw-fly other insects which I noticed at the same place on the same 

 occasion included the butterflies Vanessa atalanta and io, the hawk -moth 

 Smerinthus ocellatus, a great gad-fly, probably Tabanus snecicus, and 

 queens of the social wasps Vespa sylvestris and rufa (type form). 



DubHn, 



H. G. Cuthbert, 



