1904. Notes, 75 



Artemisia Slellei'iana, then indeed the claim of Glyceria festiiavformis to 

 native rank would be seriously imperilled. But at present the facts seem 

 to point the other way. It is the ver}' absence of any working hypothesis, 

 such as Canon Lett endeavours to set up, coupled with the mode of 

 occurrence of the plant and its relations to its environment, that has 

 caused me to believe that it is native. The working out of its distri- 

 bution in the North ot Ireland will probably throw light on the question. 

 It will aflford me much gratification if Canon Lett will help in this. 



R. Li<OYD Praeger. 

 Dublin. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Lepidoptera at Wexford. 



I had an opportunity, during a brief visit, of looking over the 

 Lepidoptera which my friend Mr. J. H. Johnston has captured in the 

 neighbourhood of Wexford. Though prevented by the pressure of busi- 

 ness from pursuing his collecting with closeness, yet Mr. Johnston has 

 managed to pick up some nice enough things, and perhaps he may be 

 encouraged by his success to continue his entomological researches with 

 renewed vigour. What he has taken suggests ver}' pleasing possibilities 

 in the district, and from what I saw I should say that it would be pro- 

 ductive of insects. 



Pyrameis cardtii, Argyimis paphia^ A. aglaia and Satynts semele were the most 

 interesting among the butterflies ; the two last-named were captured at 

 Rosslare, where they would find congenial quarters. It has been sug- 

 gested to me that variation somewhat in the direction of the var. 

 valesina of A. paphia might be expected to occur in Irish A. aglaia. I 

 have never seen anything of the sort myself, nor has Mr. Kane noted any 

 such variation ; still it may be present and it would be worth while for 

 any collector who is where the butterfly is abundant to make a search 

 for such a variety. 



Among the moths the following are worthy of mention : — Charocampa 

 porcellus ; Procris j/a^zV^j- taken on the lawn just in front of Mr. Johnston's 

 house, quite plentiful and very fine ; Dasychira pudibunda captured sitting 

 on a thorn hedge freshly emerged, not previousl}- recorded from Wex- 

 ford; Dianihecia ciutcbali X.a.'k^n'wi a field adjoining Mr. Johnston's house, 

 the food plant of thi larva is plentiful in the immediate neighbourhood ; 

 Pachnobia rubricosa ; Charidea viargiiiata ; EiicUdia mi, a beautiful dark spe- 

 cimen ; none of these three seem to have been previously recorded from 

 Wexford. Besides these Mr. Johnston has specimens of Pyransta ostri- 

 nalis, Pyralis farinalis., Hydrocampa nymphealis, Platyptilia Bertrami, Aciptilia 

 pentadactyla (quite a number of this beautiful plume were taken last 

 summer) ; Spilodes tirticalis, S. verticalis and Crambtis pa&cudliis. 



VV. F. Johnson. 

 Poyntzpass, Co. Armagh. 



