2o8 The Irish Naturalist. [September, 



Colias edusa in Co. Donegal. 



T saw during August near here a male specimen of the Clouded Yellow. 

 Of course I did not attempt to capture it; but watched it for some 

 minutes. As it is an unique experience for me in this part of the British 

 Isles, I send the information, in case it may interest readers of the Irish 



Naturalist. 



K. Thompson. 

 Convo) T , Co. Donegal. 



Colias edusa in Co. Waterford. 



On the ioth August I saw four specimens of this butterfly, and 

 succeeded in capturing one, a male. On the following day I saw another. 

 The Clouded Yellow is decidedly rare about here in most seasons, and 

 many years pass without my being able to see a single specimen. 



Wiijjam W. Filming. 

 Coolfin, Portlaw, Co. Waterford. 



Vespa rufa and other Wasps in Co. Wexford, 



At Ballyhyland we have had the same remarkable abundance of the 

 pale wasp, Vespa rufa, this 3'ear, as is reported by Mr. Cuthbert (p. 163) 

 from Co. Clare, and by Mr. Buckle (p. 164) from Co. Derry. Along every 

 hedge-bank its light } T ellow form was constantly to be seen throughout 

 June. I took a considerable number of specimens in hopes of finding 

 the rare V. aust/iaca among them, but unsuccessfully. Vespa rufa occurs 

 in some numbers every year at Ballyhyland, but not in profusion as it 

 has done this summer. 



V. vulgaris is fairly, not remarkably, plentiful, and, like Mr. Buckle, 

 have not seen a single specimen of V. germanica. The workers of this 

 wasp often seem quite as plentiful at Ballyhyland as those of V. vulgaiis, 

 but the perfect females are always, I think, comparatively scarce. Still 

 it is curious not to meet w 7 ith one throughout the whole of May and 

 June. 



Vespa sylvc-slris is every year common at Ballyhyland, and may be taken 

 in any number at flowers of either of the figworts, Scrophularia nodosa and 

 S. aqualica, particularly the latter. The fondness of wasps for figwort is 

 notorious, but I have never seen it noted that the majority of the wasps 

 which swarm about this flower are generally V. sylvestris. At Ballyhyland 

 I find V. sylvestris compose at least 75 per cent, of the figwort-hunting 

 wasps; and this has been the case every summer since I first noticed the 

 peculiarity in August, 1894 ; in that season, by the way, I could find no 

 other wasp at figwort at all. 



Vespa norvegica seems very rare here ; I have not seen it this summer, 

 but last year I caught a few with V. sylvestris at figwort, the only live 

 specimens I had ever met with. 



C. B. MOKFAT. 

 Ballyhyland, Co. Wexford. 



