105 
LEPIDOPTERA IN NORTH-WEST IRELAND. 
By Percy H. Russ. 
On the whole the past season was a fairly good one in Sligo. 
The early portion was undoubtedly bad; cold and windy weather 
prevailed throughout the sallow season; very few insects visited 
the blossoms, and those only of the commonest; Tenioeampa 
gothica, T. incerta, T’. stabilis, and Anticlea badiata were the only 
ones taken by me. April was no better than March, but in the 
early part of May things began to improve; still they were very 
bad, and Mr. Willitts, of Sheffield, collecting a few miles from 
me, for Col. Cooper and Mr. Kane, wrote to say he would come 
and try my neighbourhood, as he could take nothing where he 
was. The dwarf sallows on the sand-hills were then in full 
blossom, so we tried them at dusk and after dark with a very 
brilliant lamp, but did not see a single moth, though we hoped to 
get T’. opima. The next day was devoted to larve, and by 
beating old lichen-covered apple trees got about two dozen 
of Cleora lichenaria, then nearly full-fed. From juniper 
numbers of Thera simulata and an odd Eupithecia sobrinata. 
Later in the month I determined to try for larve of Plusia 
wterrogationis, and succeeded in taking a considerable number. 
Up to this the only imagines captured worth recording were 
Lobophora viretata, Ewpithecia coronata (the first taken by me 
here), Larentia salicata, never before seen excepting in the 
autumn, and Dianthecia capsophila. In June things began to 
mend, and the remainder of the season was fully up to the 
average. The novelties to me in this district were Acronycta 
menyanthidis and A. euphorbie v. myrice, Dianthecia nana 
(conspersa) at flowers of Silene maritima, and Oxyptilus 
parvidactylus at Hupatorium cannabinum. 'The most remarkable 
event i my experience was taking Acherontia atropos on the 14th 
of the month. In July (probably the best month), Plusia bractea 
and P. interrogationis, Hmmelesia teniata and Cherocampa 
porcellus, were taken here; the month was hot and dry; fair 
numbers of each of these occurred, and of course many others. 
Eupithecia debiliata was more abundant than usual, and seemed 
to be as partial to holly as EH. teniata, the two species several 
ENTOM.—mMaAy, 1886. P 
