226 



The Irish Naturalist. 



November, 



No further efforts were apparently made in Thompson's 

 time to settle the question as to the claims of the Minnow to 

 be considered a native or an alien. And if it was difficult to 

 solve the problem at that time, it is even more so now. I do 

 not pretend to be able to do so ; but it occurred to me that 

 this might be an opportune moment to ascertain, as far as we 

 can, the range of the Minnow in Ireland at the present time. 

 It is probable also that such an inquiry might elicit informa- 

 tion from correspondents of a nature that might throw light 

 on the subject of the origin of the Minnow in Ireland. At any 

 rate it is of interest, from time to time, to take stock of the 

 various members of our fauna, especially of those which are 

 known to have a local distribution. If a species has been 

 introduced, and we know certainly that the Minnow has been 

 liberated in several Irish streams, the history of such intro- 

 ductions might, as far as possible, be recorded for future 

 reference, 



I have only recently heard from Mr. Richard Carey, of 

 Skibbereen, who has fished most of the rivers in County Cork, 

 that he has not met with the Minnow in any of them. Yet, 

 according to Mr. R. P. Williams^, Dr. Herrick, of Mallow, 

 placed dozens in 1848 in a stream at Rathpeacon, near Cork, 

 and also in the Blarney River. Mr. Carey heard that Minnows 

 did occur in the Awbeg River, near Doneraile, County Cork, 

 but he believed they had been introduced by Mr. lycfanu. 

 The latter gentleman is also credited by Mr. Carey with 

 having introduced the Minnow into the River Loobagh, which 

 runs through Kilmallock, in the County lyimerick. 



Mr. G. W. Forsyth, of Cappagh, County Waterford, informs 

 me that Minnows are absent from the County Waterford. He 

 believes, however, that they occur near Templemore. This 

 would probably be in the River Suir, in which case they must 

 turn up before long in the County Waterford. 



From the whole west coast of Ireland I have but a single 

 record, Mr. J. N. Halbert having noticed the Minnow near 

 Derryclare I^ake, in Galway. Mr. Halbert kindly elicited 

 further information on the subject from Mr. H. H. N. Wheeler, 

 of Galway, whose knowledge of fishery matters enables him to 



1 Proc. Dublin Nat, Hist. Soc, vol i , p. 119. 



