1902, Johnson. — Insects collected in Co. Sligo. 165 



Hydrocampa stagnata were the onl}' representatives of the 

 Lepidoptera, aud Mystacides azurea^ M. longicomis, and Gra^n- 

 motatilhis sp. formed those of the Neuroptera. 



We were most fortunate in being able to proceed from Sligo 

 to Ballina by steamer, thus avoiding the long and roundabout 

 journey by rail. The Fern, Captain Beatty, conveyed us in 

 three hours to Ballina, a journey which b}^ rail would have 

 taken more than twice as long. The voyage was very pleasant, 

 and had the day been less haz}^ we should have had a fine 

 view of the Sligo coast and the Ox Mountains ; we, however, 

 enjoyed the scenery of the River Mo}^ Behind Bartragh 

 Island wc could see the ancient town of Killala, and a little 

 further up the abbej'S of Rosserk aud Moyne claimed our 

 attention ; both sides of the river are finely wooded, and near 

 Ballina we passed the beautiful demesne of Belleek. 



From Ballina we travelled to Enniscrone by motor car ! a 

 startling development for the West. 



Enniscrone is a little fishing village and seaside resort on 

 the Sligo side of Killala Ba}', and is a delightful spot for an 

 entomologist. Between the village and the mouth of the Moy 

 the coast is sandy, and the coast sand-hills are of great height ; 

 behind them lies a tract of low ground, the part next to the 

 sand-hills being covered with dwarfsallow, the rest being grass, 

 and becoming marshy as it approaches the bank of the Devlin 

 river, a little stream w^hich flows into the Moy. From the 

 junction of the two streams down to the sea runs a sandy 

 ridge covered with Bent and Ragweed. The shore in front of 

 this ridge we found to be one of the best hunting-grounds 

 about. Near the mouth of the Moy was an immense bed of 

 Cakile viaritima, and outside on the seaward side of the sand- 

 hills was another large bed of the same plant. These proved 

 a strong attraction to insects. 



On the sandhills, on the one or two fine days that we had, 

 we found sand wasps plentiful, but only took two species, viz., 

 Mellimis arve7isis and Povipilus 7iiger. The first was very 

 abundant and in places the sand was honeycombed with their 

 burrows. I noticed that these insects kept entirely to the 

 part of the sandhills next to the sea. On the Bent were 

 numbers oi Psylliodes marcida and Micra7nbe vmi, and on Rag- 

 weed we took Longitarsus hiridics, L. Jacobcscs, Apian loti, and 



