64 ^ The If ish Naturalist. Marcii, 
vision ■; and I am inclined to believe with Campbell of Islay 
that the idea did not originate in the Highlands, but was 
more probably inherited with modification from far distant 
ages when water gods fomid a place in mythology. 
Sandycove, Co. Dublin. 
SOME IRISH ICHNEUMONOIDEA. 
BY REV. W. F. JOHNSON, M.A., F.E.S. 
I have managed during the past year to pick up a few 
more of these interesting insects, though I did not meet 
with as many species as I had hoped for. 
The season was not a good one for insects as far as I 
was concerned, probably on account of the great humidity 
of 1912. I have, however, been fortunate enough to capture 
some rare species, and among them some which Haliday 
described from specimens taken in Ireland. As our 
knowledge of the distribution of the sub -order in Ireland 
is very meagre, and anything but complete in Great Britain, 
the term "rare" must be taken only as applying to our 
present knowledge. 
Most of my captures were made here, either in my fields., 
or on the road between my house and Poyntzpass, the 
latter locality being indicated by the word "hill." 
I was greatly struck by the remarkable preference 
shown by these insects for flowers of Umbelliferae. Though 
there were other flowers the flies quite neglected them, 
and congregated on the Umbelliferae. I have again to 
thank Mr. Claude Morley, f.e.s., for kind help in the de- 
termination of critical species. 
ICHNEUMONINAE. 
Cratichneumon rufifrons, Grav. — Poyntzpass hill in June. 
C. fabricator, Fab. — Coolmoro in September. These specimens, which arc 
males, appear to be referable to the var. impugnator, Wesm., with 
the hind femora black. 
