Notes. 323 



At Howth this year a few insects, unrecorded, I think, for the locality, 

 turned up ; other old inhabitants altered their times of appearance, and, 

 I regret to say, many old friends were not observed at all. 



In INIarch, while collecting Laraitia multistrii^aria and larv;e of h pttuda 

 lichcnca, I took Xylocampa areola ; on the 27th Ajjril CucuUia chamomiUa- over 

 flowers of Narcissus poeticus. In the first week of ISIay several Iloilaia i;lanca 

 and Ticniocampa riibiginosa were taken Ijy Mr. M'Carron, the kee])er of the 

 Bailey Lighthouse ; also Agrotis liiniocra and A. liucrnca, showing how 

 early the season was. During the months of May, June, and July 

 Dianthixcia capsophila was as plentiful as usual, but D. barrdtii was extremely 

 scarce; the only specimen I succeeded in taking was a dwarf In July 

 Ti-iphiYua fimbria was abundant and Calymnia trapczina not uncrjuimon. 

 On July nth one C. a§inis was taken at sugar. On the 24th July one 

 Hadena suasa at Ragwort, at Portmarnock, with some specimens of 

 Apaniea L'ltcosiignia ; many A^7-o/is Iriiici, etc., etc. 



In August Charaas graminis came in great numbers to the light at the 

 Bailey. Mr. M'Carran found the glass covered with these insects, con- 

 stantly coming against it in such quantities as to reseml)le a heavy snow- 

 storm. Small birds were observed in the lamplight flying among the 

 insects, and apparently having a good time. Some beautiful varieties 

 of C. graininis were taken. 



On the 1 8th August Agrotis saiicea appeared at sugar. This insect was 

 unusually abundant in the following month. 



In September about half-a-dozen E. lichcnca emerged from larvtc taken 

 here in the early spring. They are not satisfactory specimens, being 

 almost destitute of the beautiful green colour generally shown. A few 

 that were captured seemed to be also duller than usual. 



The later season was very unproductive. The Ivy was in good bloom 

 but attracted few insects if Xanthia circellaris and Alisclia oxyacantha be 

 excepted. On the 3rd October one Xyliiia ornithopiis appeared in the 

 neighbourhood of sugar. 



During the season from April to October Macroglossa stellatariiin was on 

 the wing, Argynnis paphia showed at Howth for the first time since I 

 came. The whites were in immense numbers to the destruction of 

 cabbages and cauliflowers, Vanessa atalanta was abundant, A good bush 

 of broad-leaved Privet with a dozen or so of these butterflies sucking at 

 the flowers is better than a garden of scarlet geraniums, I di<l not 

 observe V. io at all which was unsatisfactory after discharging so many 

 larv£e the year before last, I was in hopes that it might become natura- 

 lised at Howth, but whether our nettles are less nutritious than those at 

 Marlborough, or the climate less suitable to the butterfly, or whatever may 

 have been the cause, I fear the attempt has been a failure.— G. V. Hart, 

 Howth. 



Wlacroglossa stellatarum in Co. Sllgo.— A specimen of this 

 moth captured at Ballymote, Co. Sligo, was forwarded to me on 23rd 

 October. The moth was alive when received.— H, LystER J.\meson, 

 Killincoole, 



BIRDS. 

 Western Variety of the Red -breasted Snipe In Ireland.— 



Through the kindness of Professor Newton, of Magdalene College, Cam- 

 brido-e, I have had the opportunity of examining an Irish example of the 

 west'erii variety of the Red-breasted Snipe {^Macrorhampiis grisciis van 

 scolopaceiis). This bird was sent to Professor Newton by Mr. F Coburn, 

 taxidermist, of 7, Hollowav Head, Birmingham, who noticed that the 

 measurements of the wing, culmen, and tarsus seem to point rather to the 

 Western than the Eastern form. Mr. Coburn writes : -" Ihe bird was 

 received from Tipperary, Ireland, on the nth instant, with a bundle of 

 Common Snipe, and judging by its perfectly fresh condition could not 

 have been killed more than two or three days. Its l)0<ly was in excellent 



