NOTES ON THE INSECT FAUNA OF SOUTH UIST 85 



NOTES ON THE INSECT FAUNA OF SOUTH UIST. 

 By Percy H. Grimshaw, F.R.S.E., F.E.S. 



In the month of June 1910 I spent about a fortnight in 

 the neighbourhood of Lochboisdale, in the island of South 

 Uist, and during that period collected insects of all Orders. 

 The Diptera obtained have already been recorded in the 

 pages of this magazine (see volume for 1914, pp. 205 

 et seqq.), but it is only quite recently that I have had the 

 opportunity of determining my captures in other groups. 

 Since little attention has been paid to the general ento- 

 mology of the Outer Hebrides, it appears desirable to place 

 on record full details of the species observed during my 

 brief stay, and the following list includes the whole of my 

 captures with the exception of certain small insects belonging 

 to difficult groups {e.g. Braconidse, etc.) which I have not 

 been able to determine. 



At the outset it may be interesting to draw special 

 attention to three features which struck me as noteworthy. 

 Firstly, the great abundance of Dragon - flies. In view of 

 the large number of small lochs and pools in the neighbour- 

 hood of Lochboisdale, it may seem a matter of little surprise 

 that the Odonata should be plentiful, but I must confess to 

 a considerable degree of astonishment when I actually 

 experienced the predominance of these conspicuous and 

 beautiful insects probably more in evidence than usual 

 owing to the exceptionally fine sunny weather with which 

 I was favoured. Over the ditches on either side of the 

 road between Lochboisdale and Daliburgh two species of 

 Dragon-flies, PyrrJiosonia nyvipJiula, Sulz., and Ischmira 

 elegans, Lind., literally swarmed, and whenever I sat down 

 to rest or halted to transfer my insects from net to killing- 

 bottle, Pyrrhosoma would actually settle on my boots and 

 clothing ! So far as my experience goes, such overwhelming 

 abundance of Odonata was unique. In the same ditches 

 the fly RJiijigia cajnpestris, Mg., was more than usually 

 common, along with species of the genera PlatycJiirus and 

 Melanostoma. 



