Eriophorum gracile Roth New to IrelandAuthor(s): Francis RoseSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 15, No. 12 (Oct., 1967), pp. 361-362Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25537159 .

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361

The results of this survey show some interesting features generally characteristic of sea bird populations around the Irish coast. There has been a great decrease in the Alcidae, particularly the puffin and guillemot. Kittiwakes have increased considerably, at a rate faster than the three per cent, since 1920 calculated by Coulson (1963) for English and Welsh colonies. Fulmars are

breeding for the first time reflecting their continued expansion around the Irish coast. Of the Laridae the greater black blacked gull has more or less remained static which is not typical of this species in other colonies around the coast; the herring gull shows a typical, marked increase. Surprisingly there

were no black guillemots.

Department of Zoology, University College, Galway.

REFERENCES

Coulson, J. C. (1963). The status of the kittiwake in the British Isles. Bird Study, 10: (3), 147-179.

Praeger, R. L. (1911). Clare Island Survey: Phanaerogamia and Pteridophyta. Proc. Royal Irish Acad., 31: (10), 12.

Ruttledge, R. F. (1950). A list of the Birds of the Counties of Galway and Mayo. Proc. Royal Irish Acad., 52: (B6), 315-381.

Fitter, R. S. R. (1940). Notes on the Birds of Achill Island and Bills Rock, Co. Mayo. British Birds, 34: 133-134.

Ticehurst, C. B. (1940). Further notes on the Birds of Achill Island. British Birds, 34: 161-162.

Ussher, R. J. (1912). Clare Island Survey: Aves. Proc. Royal Irish Acad., 31: 2.

ERIOPHORUM GRACILE ROTH NEW TO IRELAND

By Francis Rose

On 2nd September, 1966, D. McClintock and I were examining the swamp vegetation bordering the SW side of Lough Cregduff, Roundstone, Connemara,

V.C.H. 16. We were searching for Deschampsia setacea in the place where A. G.

More first noticed it as a British plant in 1865. It proved subsequently that we were not the only people not to find it there; and indeed it seems now to be thoroughly rare in the southern part of Co. Galway where it previously was said to be so plentiful. But I was more than compensated for failing to find this grass by noticing Eriophorum gracile Roth in abundance.

It occurred in a wet oligotrophic swamp association with the following species over an area o? about 30 x 50 metres:

Eriophorum gracile a Menyanthes trifoliata o Carex nigra d Carex demissa o

Phragmites communis f-la C. panicea o

Equi&etum fluviatile f-la Succisa pratensis o Utricularia intermedia f-lva Myrica gale o Eriocaulon septangulare via Lobelia dortmanna -vl

Potentilla palustris If Samolus valerandi o

Scirpus lacustris If Carex dioica r Molinia coerulea -f Leontodon autumnalis r

Pedicularis palustris -f Sparganium minimum r

Drosera anglica If Lythrum salicaria r Juncus articulatus If Anagallis tenella r Eleocharis multicaulis o-lf Hydrocotyle palustris r Ranunculus flammula o Erica tetmlix r

Eriophorum angustifolium o Scorpidium scorpiodes a-lsd in bottom layer

Carex limosa and C. lasiocarpa occurred as local dominants in even wetter swamp adjacent, but without the Eriophorum gracile.

This appears to be the first certain record of Eriophorum gracile for Ireland. Mr McClintock happened to notice that Babington recorded in his Journal for the 5th August, 1836, "Eriophorum gracile (?)" from the neighbour hood of Maam Cross and Cong. He wrote to Cambridge to see if Babington had collected a specimen then. Dr S. M. Walters kindly looked and found one

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362

labelled Eriophorum gracile from that neighbourhood at that date. He confirmed however that it was only a small specimen of E. angustifolium.

It is surprising that this species should have been found only so recently in an area as relatively well-worked as Lough Cregduff, where many botanists

have gone in the past 116 years to see Naias flexilis. This discovery should stimulate a search for this Eriophorum elsewhere. Specimens have been deposited at the British Museum (Natural History) and the National Museum of Ireland.

Department of Geography, King's College, University of London, Strand, W.C.2.

REFERENCES

Babington, C. C. (1897). Memorials, Journal and Botanical Correspondence of Charles Cardale Babington. Edited by Mrs A. M. Babington. Cambridge.

More, A. G. (1869). Discovery of Air a uliginosa Weihe at Roundstone, Co. Galway. J. Bot. 7: 265-6.

MNESIPATRIS FILICIVORA MEYR. IN THE BELFAST DISTRICT

By H. G. Heal

This pretty little moth, easily recognized by its dark brown forewings, with a purple gloss and conspicuous light dorsal spot, was new to science when it was found at Seapoint, Co. Dublin, in 1933. It has since been seen in gardens at

many places near Dublin (Beirne, 1938) and at Christchurch, Hampshire (Jacobs, 1948). Although filicivora was almost certainly introduced from abroad (Beirne loc. cit.). The country of origin is unknown, and the species has not yet been found anywhere outside the British Isles. The larva feeds on the sporangia and leaves of ferns.

M. filicivora is now breeding in the Belfast district. I found single specimens on the windows of my house at Dunmurry in October 1963, August 1964, and September 1966. In 1967 the moth appeared during the last fortnight of May in considerable numbers, on a clump of soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum Forsk.) in my garden. (No more were seen until 23rd August,

when there began a second emergence, about as numerous as the first, and

lasting a fortnight. The moths of both broods were active towards dusk, flying around and resting on the fern fronds.

5 The Green, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim.

REFERENCES

Beirne, B. P. (1938). New Irish Microlepidoptera. Irish Nat. J., 1, 12. Jacobs, S. N. A. (1948). The British Lamproniidae and Adelidae. Proc. South

London Ent. and Nat. Hist. Soc. (1947-48), 209.

CYANEA LAMARCKII PERON ET LESfUEUR OFF THE COAST OF OO. DUBLIN By J. P. Hillis

Whilst trawling for whiting with a small meshed cover over the cod-end at about 11 fathoms off Ireland's Eye on 11th July, 1966, the fisheries research vessel L.T. "Cu Feasa" caught, in addition to numbers of the familiar Cyanea capillata (L), approximately 100-150 much smaller but very similar Scyphomedusae (Jellyfish). Subsequent hauls off north County Dublin the same day and next

yielded further specimens in small numbers. These differed from the C. capillata present in size, having an umbrella

diameter of 2-4 in as opposed to 10-30 in. They also differed sharply from the C. capillata in colour, about 20 being a bright deep indigo blue, some being very pale shades of yellow, cream, or buff, and many being pale creamy buff overlaid with a varying amount of blue pigment, creating different shades of yellow-grey, yellowish brown-mauve and grey-green or blue. In every case, the difference

in colour and size from the large orange or red-brown C. capillata was immediately obvious.

The small Cyanea were identified as C. lamarckii by their colour, Russell, (personal communication) pointing out that "very pale yellowish brown" may

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