NOTES OF THE SEASON 1918 FROM EAST TYRONE. 73 



droppings. The first M. aurinia emerged on the 26th, and a female 

 Diaphora mendica var. rustica, captured flj'ing in afternoon sunshine, 

 laid a good batch of ova (badly wanted by a correspondent). Prom 

 this date till the middle of June hundreds of M. anrinia emerged from 

 nests collected on the bogs in the autumn, and from the hilly locality 

 already mentioned in the spring ; a representative series of local 

 variation, including abs. iiraclara, hihernica, scotica, and artemis were 

 retained, and the remainder liberated. It was observed of the autumn 

 collected larvae that only about two per cent were parasitised, whereas in 

 the spring larvae the percentage amounted to at least forty. 



On May 22nd Hemans titijus {hombyliforinh), was seen flying 

 rapidly over swampy ground, but very skittish and difficult to capture 

 owing to the abnormally hot weather ; a female was observed flying 

 quietly over the scabious plants and alighting now and then to lay a 

 single egg on the underside of the leaf near the base. In the same 

 locality later on the flowers of the Eagged Robin, Lychnis ftos-cuculi, 

 were very attractive, Dianthoecia conspersa, D. cncubali, Pliisia festucae, 

 P. iota, and P. pulchrina, visiting them in some number, together 

 with an occasional Hecatera serena and Puisina tenebrosa. 



PolyommatuH icarus, which was very scarce this year, appeared on 

 June 20th in its very restricted localities, where it is single brooded. 



Towards the end of the month a whole day excursion was made to 

 the moorlands in the Lough Fea district (some ten miles away) for 

 Coeiwnynipha tiphon. The lake lies at an altitude of 750 feet, and is 

 overshadowed by mountains on the east and west, it is sheltered 

 by woods on the north, these woods, planted some sixty years, consist 

 of Scots fir, beech, oak, and birch ; before that time the lake was bare 

 and exposed, with a shrubby fringe of sallow, birch, and alder, on 

 which now, larvae of Amorpha populi, Smerinthus ocellatus, Dicranura 

 vinida, Cerura fiirada, Pheosia tremula, P. dictaeoides, Notodonta ziczac, 

 N. drowedaritis, and Pyyaera pigra, are to be found, often in abundance 

 during the autumn months. Northwards of the lake a wilderness of 

 bog extends for miles, dotted with bright green morasses, in one of 

 which the writer nearly came to an untimely end, when netting D. 

 consperm of a dark form (var. sujfusa) at the Bogbean {Menyanthes) 

 flowers. 



On the lower slopes of the mountains are numerous flat boggy 

 basins, the chosen haunts of C. tiphon, and separating the boggy areas 

 are many little gravelly hills covered with heather and Vaccinium, over 

 which Parasemia jjlantaginis dashes in its zigzag flight, and C. tiphon 

 often strays on to the heathery heights to feed upon the yellow 

 blossoms of the Potentilla, which seems to have a greater attraction 

 than the pale pink bells of PJrica tetralix in its boggy home. In the 

 woods, Pararge aegeiia, Eiichloe cardamines, and Dryas paphia are now 

 to be found, having gradually progressed up the valley from the lower 

 ground. 



On this occasion the males of C. tiphon were just emerging, and as 

 the day was calm (which happens rarely) a nice series was soon 

 obtained, Plusia interrogationis also put in an appearance, darting 

 about in numbers among the long heather on the hill-side; it also flies 

 at dusk and frequents the flowers of the marsh thistle (Cnicus palnstiis), 

 growing in the damp meadows down by the loch, accompanied by 

 P. festucae and P. iota, when it is easily captured. Early in July, 

 another visit was paid to the locality, when the females of C. tiphon 



