Contributions to the Natural History of Ireland. 459 
Fab. has assigned as its characters the thickness of the lower joints 
of the antennae, with the addition, " nigricans, abdominis segmen- 
tis tribus anticis lateribus runs, alis albo-punctatis;" properties which 
are common to nearly all the males of H. pluvialis. A small and 
dark-coloured variety has been named by Mr Curtis H. hirsuta, in 
regard to which, however, it is worthy of remark, that both sexes 
have occurred, a female having been taken by Mr Dale near Loch 
Rannoch in July 1825. H. Italica, figured by Mr Curtis, from its 
superior size, looks more distinct ; it was taken at Southend, Mer- 
sey Isle, Essex, by Mr Churchill. Numerous other modifications 
in the appearance of this fly might be mentioned ; but it is better 
to consider this tendency to variation as part of its specific cha- 
racter, than to indicate the varieties as essentially and permanently 
distinct. It might be worth while, however, to examine the eyes in 
living specimens, as any marked dissimilarity in the colour and 
markings of these organs would afford more distinctive and satisfac- 
tory characters than any hitherto detected. 
(To be continued.) 
IX Contributions to the Natural History of Ireland. By WIL- 
LIAM THOMPSON, Esq. Vice-President of the Natural History 
Society of Belfast. 
No. I. Sterna stolida. Larus Sabinii. Cygnus Bewickii. * 
STERNA STOLIDA, Linn. 
IN March 1833, when looking over the collection of Irish birds 
belonging to Thomas W. Warren, Esq. of Dublin, I perceived, to 
my great surprise, amongst them (though passing merely under the 
name of Black Tern, on account of the dark hue of its plumage,) a 
specimen of the Sterna stolida. On being informed that this bird 
had been received as Irish from William Massey, Esq. of the Pi- 
geon-House, and that his collection contained a second specimen, I 
waited on this gentleman to make inquiry respecting them. In 
May 1834 he informed me, that in the summer about four years 
since, he was favoured with the two specimens in question by the 
captain of a vessel, who stated that they had been shot in his pre- 
sence a few days before, between the Tusker Light- House, off the 
coast of Wexford, and Dublin Bay. That only a few days had 
elapsed since these birds were killed was apparent, not only to Mr 
Massey himself, (who, from occasionally preserving birds for his 
* Part of a paper read before the Linnaean Society of London on April 15 and 
June 3, 1834. 
