igTI A^offS. 219 



NOTES. 



ZOOLOGY. 



Entomological Notes. 



I have been much surprised at the absence of insects during the early- 

 autumn. I was at Loughgall on August 28th, Maghery, Lough Neagh, 

 on September ist, and Newcastle. Co. Down, on September 6th, all of 

 them good localities for insects, and at none of them did I meet with any 

 number of insects, in fact I was greatly taken aback by the scarcity which 

 prevailed. At Loughgall by sweeping and beating herbage and trees along 

 the lake and shore in the Manor grounds I took of beetles Cyphoii vari- 

 abilis, Thnb., C. padi. L., GaleruccUa nymphaeae and Apion ervi. Hub. : 

 of Hemiptera Miris calcayatits, F?iW., Lygus Kalmii,!^., Aetorhiinis ansu. 

 latus Fall,. Aphrophora alnce. Fall , Philacnus spumaritis, L. and P. 

 liiieatus L., also some Psyllina which I liave not determined yet. Besides 

 I saw some Agrions, also Melarrippe montatiaia and Teyas contaminana. 

 The afternoon was not favouralilc as there were thunder and showers. 

 At Maghery, however, I had a gloriously fine day, but though there were 

 some Trichoptera about, little else were to be had. Mrs. Johnson and I 

 delved in the sand till we were tired and only got a few Bledius siib- 

 teyrancus and Deronectes assimilis, the latter seemed to be emerging from 

 the pupa. Mrs. Johnson also took a solitary Elap/iriis riparius. Among 

 rejectamenta on the shore I saw a couple of Pliiloiithtis mar^inattis, and 

 under stones on L)crrywarragh in a fruitless search for Pelophila a few 

 Pterostichus nigrita. At Newcastle we had a splendid day as far as weather 

 was concerned, but except grass -hoppers nothing was much in evidence. 

 I saw one dilapidated Satyr lis semclc on the sandhills, also Lycacna 

 icarus and Pieris rapae. I took three Anaitis plngiala and a few l)eetles 

 comprising one Sitones flavesccns and a few Lnngitarsus jac hacac, I also 

 saw one Broscus ccphahtes dead. The Hemiptera were represented by- 

 several Nysius lineaius, one Evacanthiis iittcrvuptus and a few Psyllina. 

 I looked carefully for Cionus hortulaniis on Scrophularia nodosa but found 

 neither beetles nor larvae, only a few empty pupa-cases to show they had 

 been there. There were a few Bombi about and one or two Wasps. In 

 one way the absence of insects was not to be wondered at, for all herbage 

 was pretty well burned up. The Bracken was fast turning brown and 

 other things in a dying state, so that there was little to support insects 

 or attract them either. At home I have made a few captures ; Canipy- 

 loHciira virgula, that pretty little hemipteron, flew into my sitting-room 

 and was duly captured. On the morning of the 14th August, I saw a 

 vellow moth fluttering on one of the paths among the flower beds. It 

 was speedily captured and on examination proved to be E:.nnmos erosaria, 

 a moth I had not met with here before ; Pyyaiista pitypnyalrs was also 

 found in my garden. I have seen single specimens of Pyyanwis alalauta 



and P. cardui near tliis. 



W. F. Johnson. 

 Poyntzpass. 



