1921. 



Reviews. 



7^ 



tained throughout. Occasionally the authors seem to betray an absence 

 of personal knowledge with the plants they deal with, as when they 

 describe the Horned Poppy as an annual. And their very simple language 

 sometimes verges on the inaccurate, as when they speak of the " flower " 

 [i.e., inflorescence) of the Arum and Yarrow, and write of the Oak : " The 

 female flower grows into a hard cup in which the acorn is seated," or 

 of the Primrose : "In the middle of the flower at the bottom is a little 

 round thing called the ovary, with a rod sticking up from it and ending 

 in a round knob. This rod is called the pistil, and the ovary and the 

 pistil are the female organs of the flower." 



R. LI. P. 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Physalia on the Co. Derry Coast. 



Dr. Scharfl's interesting paper [ante, pp. 29-30) on the occurrence of 

 Turtles on the Irish coast reminds me that I met with a specimen of the 

 "Portuguese Man-of-War " at Castlerock, Co. Derry, in August, 1881. 

 It had been washed up on the strand and was a very conspicuous object. 

 At the same time and place I found a great number of lanthina. They 

 were there in dozens on the sand. I have found it also at Portnoo, but 

 very sparingly. Velella I have met with at Castlerock, Portnoo and Cool- 

 more. Last July at Portnoo there were great numbers of them on the 

 sandy shore and many were alive and showing the beautiful blue colour 



W. F. Johnson. 



Poyntzpass. 



Whales and Dolphins stranded on the Irish Coast 

 durina: 1919 and 1920. 



Reference was made in the Irish Naturalist of Nov. -Dec, 1919, to 

 Dr. Harmer's Report on the Cetacea stranded on the British coasts during 

 the year 191 8. The distinguished author, who has since had the honour 

 of becoming Sir Sidney Harmer, has just published a Report^ on the same 

 subject for the years 191 9 and 1920. 



The Irish records for these years are unfortunately very few in number, 

 which is attributed by the author to the disturbed state of Ireland. In 

 fact, he has heard of only four occurrences, whereas there must have 

 been far more. 



^ Sir S. F. Harmer ; " Report on the Cetacea stranded on the British 

 coasts during 19 19 and 1920. London ; 1921. British Museum. 



