Hyalinia helvetica, Blum.; An Addition to the Irish FaunaAuthor(s): R. A. PhillipsSource: The Irish Naturalist, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Feb., 1894), pp. 45-46Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25520575 .

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No/cs. 45

markable specimen was taken in the Mourne Mountains in July; it was just out of Ithe pupa, anid all the dark parts of the fore-wings were suffused with deep rose-pinik, while the pale portions were a semi

metallic green; these colours fadecl gradually, and disappeared com pletely in about two months. Of Geometre, Eliotiza Jvosqiaria was commoni in Donard demesne in June; Nyssia zonzaria, very abundanit on

April 3rd at Ballycastle- one femnale was seen oni the rst; I failed to find the species either at Whitepark Bay or at Portrush. Boarmzia reandata V. conzversaria, a specimen of this fine banded variety was seen, and niissed, in Donard d&emesne on June x8th ; GizoPhos obscuratc, the specimens from Newcastle are very dark; it occurs both on the sand hills anid on the hill-sides; Enzjit/zeciat indiguta occturred at Belfast and E. coyzstrictata, at Island Magee; AZeazitipe tristata was swarming about Gezlirn onl Knockagh1 on June 7th; Phibalaiteryx lapidata-of this scarce species I took five specinmens on the side of Divis Mountain on September 3rd; the mnales were muitlch worn, but the females nearly fresh from the pupa; P. vitta/a was as comnmon as usual in the marshes near Belfast where its food-plant, Ga/immia/ustre, is abundant.-CHARIrx S W. WATns, Belfast.

LepclIoptera at Strabane.-The Scarlet Admiral (Vzanessa atalanla) was this seasonl in great nunibers all over the north-west of Ireland, a district where inl most years it is unknown. The Painted Lady (V. cardii),

which is generally to be found in the samiie seasonls as V. atanata, has been, as far as I kniow, absent. I observed a Humming-bird Hawik-Moth (lacroglossa stlla/arzem) hovering over a scarlet Geranium in the garden here.-W. SINCIAIR, Stra-bane.

Leplcoptera at Ennlskllen.-Lieut.-Col. Partridge gives (En/. Mfo. Aag. Dec. 1893) ain interesting list of 283 species of lepldoptera from

this district.

I rish Coleoptera---Remarks.-Yr. Tollills experiencelastsummer at Port Ballintrae is quite parallel witlh miine at Courtown :-great abun dance of 3specimeas itl certain cases, but great paucity of specis. About 1,20 species of beetles have now beenl put oni the Irish list, and new records are being miiade every year, owilng to the recenlt increase of interest in local entomology. Beetles, however, are distributed with considerable irregu larity, alnd it is lnot easy in the space of a summer holiday to compile a large list for a particular district. For inistance, ielops pailid-zs occurs at roots of bent oni the sandhills at Courtown, but I failed to find it after

much searching on the sandhills of south Louth; Chrysomea /yperici is absent fromi the St. John's-worts of south Louth, but abounds at Cour towln oln Z'y,p-icw dubNiz anid H. peSiforalum; Aebria coinplanata is abun

danit at Courtown, but absent in Louth; on the other hanid Dickziro ri?/zus pubescens and R/aleria cadaverina are abunldant in Louth, buLt I could not finld thenii at Courtown ; -yet the general features of both localities are almostidentical. Mr. Tomlin's list contains some interesting species, one or two of wlhich, e.g. Iradycelhes harpalinus and Ifelopho us -ugosus are quite famniliar to me, but he is hardly safe in taking Canon Fowler's

work as a gLide to Irish records. It is lnot quite up to date. Thus within the last four years I have taken -various species, such as Pogsous liteoralis and becad/us ferr-uagineys, inot creclited to Irish localities by Fowler,

Rev. W. F. Jolhnson, P.F.S., anld others, notably Mr. J. N. Halbert, have added, anid are colnstanitly addinig, new alnd valuable records to our Irislh list.-H. G. CUTHBZRr, Blackrock, Dublin.

MOLL USCS. Hyalnia helvetlca, Blum.; An additlon to the Irish Fauna.

-In Novernber, 1892, I collected, at Whitegate, Co. Cork, a series of shells belonging to a form of lycalinia which did not agree with any British species of which I had seen descriptions. In June, I893,

X pent specimnens to Dr. Scharff, who informed me that hi hadc ouiLd at

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46 The Irish Naturalist.

Bantry a few days previously a Nyaliniza of the same forn. Specimens were then submitted to Prof Boettger of Frankfort and Dr. Westerlund of Ronneley, Sweden, both of whom agree, as also does the origiial describer, in pronouncing it to be Hyaliniia kIvetica, Blum. This species is new to the Irish Fauna, but it has been found in Switzerland, and according to Mr. Westerlund also in Brittany. As both he and Prof Boettger assert that they possess English specimielns of this species, it may be the HyaiZttia <Zebra of English authors (distinct from H. glajara Stud.) At Whitegate it appears to be very scarce, but Dr. SchariF says that at Bantry it is common. The shell is about the size of H. c"/lara, but the umbilicus is muclh narrower (for description see Naclhricks 6i. A/a/ak. Gesj)-R. A. Par1irs, Cork.

B IR DS

Feather Ornaments.-"A Lover of Nature " writes as follows to the frish Times, and his remarks are well wvorthy of the serious attention of our readers:-WVill you allow mie to call the attention of your readers to a letter by the clever author of "' The Naturalist in La Plata," Mr. W.

H. Hudson, in the Timtes of October I7th, and now reprinted by the Sel borne Society, urgently expressive of the thoughtless cruelty of those who wear, or encourage the use of, stutffed birds, wings, and " ospreys", in millinery, and other decorationi. Not only is it a useless waste of life

but if this fashion continues much longer the next generation may bitterly tax us with the destruction of the whole race of these beautiful gifts of nature. Already the white herons which supply the, "osprey" feathers are entirely exterminated in Florida, where a few years ago they congregated in flocks for the breeding season (in 1887 I saw them there myself), alnd the lovely, crimson-throated hummiing birds are practically extinct throughout North America. And is this any marvel

when we consider that for 25 years the custom of wearing birds has existed, and " nine years ago it was estimated that 20 to 30 Millions of birds were annually imported to this country to supply the demand."

Will not the ladies who are thus ruthlessly despoiling nature of its gems anld thoughtlessly flaunting cruelty, stop ere it is too late, and show that they love beauty for its own sake And not merely as the conventionalities of fashion dictate, and so refuise to buy hats and bonniets decorated with birds and " ospreys " ? Surely it is want of thought not want of heart that keeps up this cruel fashion.

The Garden Warbler In Irelancl.-It will interest many of your readers to hear ofthe Garden Warbler (Silvia horiesis, Bechst.), being found in the Co. Cork. As far as I have been able to gather, it has not been ob served in the county since I852, when Mr R. Parker, Sunday's Well, Cork, saw it on several occasions. I had been taking notes for years on birds, but accidentally burned them, so cannot say year for certain, but think it was in I876 that I saw a cock Garden WNarbler at Cuskinny, near

Qtleenstown. I saw no hen aboout, but it might have been hatching at tde time, though I saw no young ones later on. In i888 I also saw a cock bird at Rockenham, Passage West, and the same remarks apply to it as the above. This year (I893) I had a good opportunity of observing the Garden WVarbler at Monkstown, Co. Cork. I cannot be mistaken in the identity of this bird on these occasions, as I both saw it and heardit in Cheshire in I88o and i888 on numerous occasions, and also several times

with an experienced ornithologist who was quite familiar with the species. This year, by standing concealed for a considerable length of time on several occasions in one position with an opera glass, I had a good view of the pair. On one occasion the pair flew almost into my face when the cock was chasing the hen rather ardently from some brambles -they had to turn aside to avoid flying against me, so I had a good .view of them. The colours are more decided and in greater contrast than in the &ahetr warblers, being olive-brown abQve and white nnderneath.

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