Field Days in Ulster

Field Days in UlsterAuthor(s): Hilderic FriendSource: The Irish Naturalist, Vol. 6, No. 3 (Mar., 1897), pp. 61-64Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25521196 .

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March, i897.] 6I

FIELD DAYS IN ULSTER BY TUH REV. HILDERIC RIIEND.

I.-THE SLOBIANDS OF BELSAST. DURING the Whitsuntide holidays of I896 I spent ten days in

the North of Ireland. My chief object was to discover fresh

water annelids, of which I felt convinced a large number of

species yet remained unknown. My campaign was so far

successful that I discovered a goodly number of species which

have never yet been described by our authorities in this branch

of science. I had, unfortunately, to remove from my old home

in Cumberland just as I was in the midst of drawing and

describing my specimens, and have only now been able to

resume the study. I hope that the publication of these notes

will lead a number of readers of the Irisk Naturalist to do for

the aquatic worms what they so readily and successfully did

for the terrestrial species; and if as many consignments reach

me as I received in I892-4, I shall doubtless be able this yea+t

to publish a very satisfactory list, and so bring up our know

ledge of Irish annelids to the level of other countries. As

my work last year was undertaken for the Royal Irish

Academy, I do not in this preliminary report give any

descriptions of new species, but simply place on record the

work done, with a view to helping other workers who may wish

to take up a subject which has not yet been exhausted.

I landed at Belfast just as the sun rose on Whit Tuesday,

May 26th, i896. For weeks there had been little or no rain,

and while the dry weather with which I was favoured enabled

me to get about with the greatest ease and comfort, it closed

many possible hunting-grounds in the way of ditches and

gutters, which in wet weather abound in annelids. I was

fortunate in having Mr. Bigger as my patron, and he had

secured the services of a gentleman who knew the locality

thoroughly, and was not afraid to be seen grubbing in the

ditches and pools. We proceeded during the forenoon to

explore with great care the estuarine flats in the neighbour

hood of the docks. For some time our labours were in vain.

Not a trace could be found of anything in the shape of worms,

and in fact every form of life seemed to be scarce, By dint of A



62 The Irish Naturalis4t [March,

careful and patient toil, however, we eventually coaxed from

the " slob " land, as my companion termed it, some specimens.

These included a Planorbis among the mollusca, the so-called horse-leech, three or four freshwater worms, together with

Allurus eleraedrus, AliolobojP5hora chloro/ica (both type and variety), A. turgida, and A. subrubicunda. After a while we

came down to the Connswater, where we made a splendid discovery. As I turned over the green seaweed which lay in

considerable lumps on the stone-paved sides of this tidal stream, I found the stones in miany places quite blood-red

with miinute worms. They were very healthy and active, but

it was perfectly easy to secure a large " bag," and I took away

as many specimens as I needed. Having placed some in

spirits I endeavoured to keep the rest alive, as it is most

desirable that every new species should be described from

living material. I found, however, as I continued my stay in

the country that the alga began to decompose, resulting in the death of my worms. I had consequently to throw away my

collection from this locality, which I did without regret,

because my guide had kindly promised me a fresh supply

at any future time. I availed myself of his kind services

after reaching home, and was well rewarded.

I may here remark that such localities as these are yielding most valuable results, because by their means we are able to

derive information which is calculated to help in the solution

of the problems connected with the distribution of annelids.

We find that certain genera are semi-aquatic-capable of living either on land or in the water. Others we ascertain to be capable of existing either in fresh or brackish water; while we further

learn that some genera which have representatives on the

shores of our inland seas or fresh-water lochs, are also repre sented by other species on the sea-shore. There is a large and

fascinating field for research here, and as Belfast is practically

the only place in Ireland where I was able systematically to

examine the slob-land, tidal streams, and estuarine flats, I

am hoping that when correspondents send me gleanings from

similar places in other parts of the country some very valuable

discoveries may be made. It may be interesting, for example, to note that the annelid-fauna of the Solway yields a number

of species which I did not find at Belfast, and vice versa; so



1897.] Fl,xzwD,-Field Days in Ulster. 63

that at Castlebellingham, Bray, Cork, Kerry, and elsewhere, many new captures may be expected.

I must guard the collector against one or two possible sources of error. In the first place it must not be supposed that all the water-worms are red, brightly coloured, or easily detected.

White worms abound in many places, and in fact the colour

varies immensely; and in the next place let it not be supposed

that no worms exist if they cannot be detected with the eye or even with a lens. I shall have to describe specimens taken at different places, the very existence of which I did not suspect

until I had my material under the microscope.

On examining my Belfast specimens I found many things

of interest; respecting which, one or two notes must for the

present suffice. Heterochoeta costata, Clap.

This interesting creature was found somewhat sparingly among the seaweed, As it has been fully described by others I shall only give my own observations, that the results may be compared or contrasted with those of others.1 The wormu is from half to three quarters of an inch in length, and of a greenish brown hue. It is remarkable for its fan-shaped setae, which occur on segments v. to xii. or xiii. In the hinder segments

about one forked seta in each bundle. I found as many as 70 segments in one worm; the body transparent, cesophagus with chloragogen cells,

beginning in segment vi, A pair of enlarged vessels or hearts in viii. The amount of constriction and annulation varies. The system of blood vessels in segments i. to viii. is worthy of careful study. The large ventral vessel in front of segment viii. gives off a complex net-work in each segment. A diagram is necessary to make the matter clear.

Unclnals littoralls (O.F.M.) I find the following notes in my records: So delicate that it fell to pieces when being examined. Could see no

nephridia or other organs to answer thereto. Brain seen extending back to segment iii. A small worm i to i inch long, very pale, but with red

blood and enlargedheartinviiith. setigerous segment. No eyespotsseen; dark-celled intestine commencing in segment iv. Its motion in water very jerky and peculiar. Tendency to fission behind segment xv. of one specimen. Prostomium with delicate cilia. Four sets of setee in each of the hinder segments, but two sets or bundles only in first three or four. Very liable to attacks fromi alparasite which fixes itself in glands of the setee. Hence the worm often appears to have a large number of

capillary or hair-like setae. This is an ingenious device, and shows how low in the scale of life mimicry operates.2

1See Beddard, Monograph of Oligochaeta, pp. 2z57-8; Benham, Q.J.M, S.,

xxxiii., p. 107 seq.; Claperede, Beobacht. iiber Anat. I863, p. 25. 'a For reff. see Beddard, op. cit., pp. 395-6,

A 2



64 The Irish Naturalist. March,

The rest of my material consisted of tw6t'r three species

new to science, and these will be described elsewhere. In the

afternoon I visited the Botanic Gardens in the hope of

obtaining some specimens of earthworms. The soil however

was too dry, and though I might have been able to discover

something of interest if I had been guided to the right spots,

the Curator was not at hand just at the time, and the workmen

were of course unable to help me. I found also at Mr. Bigger's

garden in the evening the same absence of specimens owing

to the continued drought.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BIRDS BREEDING IN IRELAND.

BY R. J. USSUER.

In I894, under the invaluable guidance of the late Mr. A.

G. More, I presented a report,' on the above subject to the Royal Irish Academy; since then, personal explorations as well as the kind help of my correspondents have added new facts, and it may be well to give to the readers of the Irish

Naturalist in a popular form the results I have arrived at up to this, in the hope that some of them may aid me further to fill up gaps in my information.

To make these statistics more readable I have grouped the species, selecting in the first case all birds that breed through out the whole or nearly the whole of Ireland, and having so disposed of these commoner species, I have attempted to present a view of the distribution of the rest according to the nature of their haunts, which restrict them to certain counties, or where }this is unsuitable, then on some other basis of arrangement.

I.-BRiEDING BIRDS GENERALLY DISTRIBUTED.

For convenience I place in the first group sixty-seven species which I have ascertained to breed in every county in Ireland, except where stated. I include the Quail, as it

1 Proceedings P/1.A, 3rd Series, vol. iii., No. 3.



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Field Days in Ulster