I9I9- Johnson. -^Entomological Notes for 1919. 127 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FOR 1919. 



BY REV. VV. F. JOHNSON, M.A. 



The summer of 191 9 has been remarkable for great heat 

 and a prolonged drought, but also for sudden changes of 

 temperature. The end of May was very warm, but June, 

 in the west at any rate, was at times very cold and was a 

 wet month ; July and August were very hot and dry, but 

 at the end of the latter month the nights became very cold 

 and the temperature dropped on several nights to within 

 10 degrees of freezing point. Thus on the night of the 

 30th it was 38^ F. in my garden, and as the garden is very 

 sheltered and faces south, this would probably indicate 

 two or three degrees lower in more exposed situations. 

 Owing to illness I was unable to take full advantage of 

 the fine weather, and June, which I spent at Portnoo was 

 anything but a good month for insects, hence my captures 

 are few and not particularly interesting. 



Lepidoptera. 



I was quite disappointed by the lack of butterflies, 

 except the very common species. I saw during the year 

 just one Pymmeis atalanta in my garden on September 14th 

 and again on 21st. Not one Peacock or Painted Lady 

 did I see, though my two young friends, Phyllis and Doris 

 Nelson, showed with pride specimens of both, which they 

 had captured near Drogheda. 



At Portnoo I got some nice specimens of the Little 

 Blue (Cupido minima) but the Marsh Fritillary {Melitaea 

 aiirinia)YA\ich. last year was abundant, was this year hardly 

 to be seen. I don't think I saw a dozen the whole time. 

 The Green Hairstreak (Thecla riibi) was plentiful as usual 

 among the heather. I saw a Speckled Wood Butterfly 

 and a Small Copper on the wing on October 20th, a testimony 

 to the mildness of the weather. 



Of moths I got but few at Portnoo, as might be expected 

 from the weather conditions. At the end of the month 

 I took Zygaena loniccvae on the wing in a hay field. 



