Milesia magnusiana (Jaap) Faull, Further Records in Mid CorkAuthor(s): M. J. P. ScannellSource: The Irish Naturalists' Journal, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Oct., 1977), pp. 131-132Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25538093 .

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Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 4. 1977 131

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF LOUTH

The following species observed during 1975 and 1976 appear to be additions to the list for Co Louth. Voucher specimens have been placed in the herbarium at

Glasnevin (DBN). Aphanes microcarpa: Castlecoo Hill, W. of Clogherhead; field below Ravensdale Forest

Park; roadside, N. of R. Fane, S. of Dundalk.

Barbarea intermedia: edge of tilled field, Greenore. Bromus lepidus: steep banks above the harbour, Gyles Quay; roadside wall, Ravens

dale.

Carex curta: marsh W. of Hackball's Cross; Windy Gap, Carlingford Mts., on S. side of the ridge; below Ravensdale Forest Park; just above Rockmarshall Forest.

Carlina vulgaris: steep banks overlooking the sea at end of the second road W. of Cooley Pt.; rocky heath at Barnavave, Carlingford (Irish Nat. Grid 33/1809).

Cerastium semidecandrum: edge of the track on the S. side of the bridge over the disused railway at Bellurgan, Dundalk.

Draba muralis: old stone wall on W. side of the road at Ravensdale. Galium uliginosum: field opposite the gate of Rockmarshall Forest, E. of the Round

Mt., Carlingford Peninsula, in the obtuse angle between the stream and the south field wall, very sparingly.

Geranium lucidum: N. of the bridee on the Slane side of Collon; rock outcrop by the roadway at Mellifont Abbey.

Lamium hybridum: sandy bank by the sea shore, just S. of Greenore. Lepidium campestre: on dunghill in quarry, Anaglog, Belpatrick, Collon. Lycium halimifolium: sea wall at Port, N. of Clogherhead; Jones Quay; sea road

between Annagassan and Salterstown.

Myrrhis odorata: roadside near old houses between Rathcor and Bellug Cas. Cooley; roadside just S. of Tuliygowan, Corcreegagh; 1 mile E.S.E. of Tallanstown.

Pentaglottis sempervirens: dumned rubble on sea shore between Lurgan White House and Seabank, Castlebellingham.

Polygonum arenastrum: roadsides at Termonfeckin and The Bush.

Polystichum aculeatum X setiferum (P. X bicknellii): roadside bank under hedge, S. of Ballybony L, 6 miles N.W. of Ardee (conf. A. Sleep); roadside bank on Hill 198, Knockbrldge; roadside opposite the fen, Tuilvcahan, W. of Louth.

Salix triandra: roadside hedge opposite cut-over boe* W. of Corcreegagh (det. R. D.

Meikle); bank of R. Boyne opposite gates of Townley Hall. Senecio fluviatilis: a few plants at the foot of new roadway embankment in fen just

W. of Greenore golf links.

Symphytum officinale: roadside opposite cut-over bog, W. of Corcreegagh, plants with

cream coloured flowers and decurrent leaves forming broad wings on the

stems.

National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. D. SYNNOTT

MILESIA MAGNUSIANA (JAAP) FAULL, FURTHER RECORDS IN MID CORK

Dr Hans Doppelbaur, an Austrian botanist, published in Berichte der Natur forschenden Gesellschaft (1966, 18: 33-34) in Augsburg, a paper entitled, "Einige Rost pilze aus Irland". This paper lists 44 soecies of rust fungi on a range of hosts collected in counties Cork, Kerry, Meath, Waterford and Wicklow in the course of two visits to Ireland in Julv 1963 and 1964. A translation of the paper, by M. E. Mitchell, was

published in this Journal (1975, 18: 198-200). Dopplebaur mentions a species of particular interest, Milesia magnusiana.

This rust which was collected on Asplenium adiantum-nigrum near Dingle is reported for the first time from Ireland and NW Europe. Dopplebaur quotes records from

Corsica and Southern France by Gaumann in 1959 and from Italv by Ciferri and Camera in 1962. A species of southern European facies has been added to the flora.

The collections made by Dopnlebaur in Ireland are now in the Herbarium, Botanische Staatssammlung, Munich. Through the kindness of Dr Hans Hertel. a

duplicate of the Dingle gathering was made available in 1975 for representation in DBN. The rust has been sought subsequently on Asplenium species both in the field

and on material sent to the Herbarium for determination. Further records have resulted.

The known distribution at present is. South Kerry (1): on Asnfenium adrrmtum-nnrum. on drv wall north of Milltown. II.

30.8.1964. No. 12225. Legit Leuze and Dopnlebaur. "I am not aware

of any locality for the species in north-west Europe'*. Mid Cork (4): on Asplenium onopteris,"C&sttemleck, Bandon. 13.4.1975. Miss Jane

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132 Ir. Nat. J. Vol. 19. No. 4. 1977

Keyes McDonnell conf. D. M. Henderson, RBG, Edinburgh: on Asplenium adiantum-nigrum, Dripsey, west of Cork. 17.3.1977.

Tony O'Mahony, det. M. Scannell,

A search of the Herbarium failed to reveal other collections. The rust is found on the green or discoloured areas of the pinnules, in whitish,

pustular patches which rupture by a centrally placed stoma to emit the hyaline spores.

Herbarium, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. M. J. P. SCANNELL

ZOOLOGICAL NOTES

FOX VULPES VULPES (L.) FEEDING ON SAND EELS AMMODYTES SP.

On 27 September, 1976, at 0900 hours, I watched for several minutes, a fox (Vulpes vulpes (L.)) digging in sand-banks, near the spring low water mark, on the

edge of the channel of Inner Dundrum Bay, Co. Down (J 415354). It was digging for, and eating sand eels (Ammodytes sp.) which were spawning in the sand in large numbers at this time. The commonest species here is A. tobianus (L.).

It is generally accepted that foxes are opportunist feeders and will scavange on the tide-line, where possible. A reference to this effect appears in Bell (1874. A

History of British Quadrupeds. London p. 228). Stringer (1714, The Experienced Hunts man. Belfast) observed, on the habits of the fox: ". . . he doth frequent the seaside,

lough or riverside to prey on fish or what else he finds there, beat out by the tide or waves, that he can eat." Vesey-Fitzgerald (1965. Town fox, country fox. London) con

cluded that "fish, shell-fish and crabs do form a significant part of the diet of coastwise foxes", but gave no reference to the source of this information.

Fish have been found in small quantities in analyses of the food of the fox in Sweden (Englund, 1965, Viltrevy 3 (4): 377-485) and U.S.A. (Scott and Klimstra, 1955. Southern Illinois University. Monograph Series no. 1). However, there are no specific references to fish in analyses of the food of the fox in the British Isles, due probably to a lack of-studies including coastal habitats. Sand eels, as a food source for terrestrial

predators such as the fox, would be most readily available in August and September. Fairley (1965. Ir. Nat. J. 15: 2-5) analysed fox droppings, collected at Dundrum in November, 1963, but found no evidence of fish, Thompson (1856. The Natural History of Ireland. London. Vol. IV: 235-239) described the sand eels of Dundrum and New castle, Co Down, and the local tradition of catching them. He also observed a number of pigs being driven onto the sand to forage for sand eels.

I am grateful to Dr J. S. Fairley (University College, Galway) and D. J. Butler (University of Aberdeen) for providing comments and references.

The National Trust, Murlough National Nature Reserve, Dundrum, Co. Down.

RICHARD G. W. NAIRN

LESSER RORQUAL, BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA LACEPEDE

STRANDED AT CROOKHAVEN, CO. CORK

On 4 June, 1977 we identified a lesser rorqual calf stranded at Crookhaven, Co. Cork (V 786246). The animal was alive and according to onlookers had been on the shore for at least 24 hours. A description was taken and at high tide we rolled it into the water. It floated close to the shore for 10 minutes, then dived and resurfaced minutes later several hundred metres away. The whale was seen to dive and resurface once more before disappearing from view. The calf which measured 3.65 m from beak to fluke tips was bluish-black on the upper surface and white below. It was readily distinguishable from its balaenopterid relatives #. physalus (L.) the common rorqual and B, borealis Lesson the sei whale by its smaller size and by the broad transverse white band on the otherwise black upper surface of the pectoral fins.

O'Riordan, 1972 (Proc. R. Ir. Acad. 7ZB: 253-274) cites 12 definite and 5 possible records of the stranding and capture of this whale on our coasts since 1860 the most recent of these being in 1952.

Department of Botany, University College, Cork. PATRICK M. McCARTHY

Ravensdale, Ballintemple, Cork. GERALDINE A. WALTON

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