112 Proceedings of the Royal L'inh Academy. 



annual importation of forest trees and others may very well have 

 introduced such species as prefer to live on the foliage of young 

 growth, and are therefore in the habit of choosing such upon which to 

 deposit their ova. 



A rare member of the order of Hymenoptera, Lophyrus pini, 

 occurred some years since in considerable numbers among the fir plan- 

 tations of Lord Powerscourt ; and as it in common with others of the 

 Tenthredinidae, shows a preference for the foliage of young trees, it 

 may very well have become naturalized here in this manner. 



The capture last spring of Trachea piniperda by Miss Koynell, at 

 Agher, Co. Meath, is apropos to this subject. Ellopia fasciaria having 

 hitherto been thought to be the only exclusively pine-feeding moth 

 found in Ireland ; but T. piniperda has now turned up in Meath, and 

 one specimen in Gralway (taken bv Lieutenant "Walker, of H.M.S. 

 '' Hawk"). 



Now, as there is reason to think that the old woods of Pinus syl- 

 vestris were cleared away in Ireland before the country was suf- 

 ficiently settled to be replanted, the presence of these insects must be 

 explained by either modern importation or (if indigenous survivals), 

 by their having supported themselves upon some other food-plant. 



Mr. Barrett has noticed the occurrence of T. piniperda on the 

 Welsh coast, at a very great distance from any of the fir tribe ; and 

 Ellopia fasciaria seems to occur in various localities along the Irish 

 coast, and to be very wide-spread. It has been recorded at Sligo and 

 Lough Poyle, and Mr. Sinclair took it at Bray Head ; while I can add 

 the localities of Mine Head, Crookhaven, and GlengarifE, Evidence 

 as to the survival of specimens of Pinus sylvestris of native Irish 

 race fire collected in the " Cybele Hibernica." 



The localities I visited are too numerous to offer any list of cap- 

 tures, but the following are notable as having rarities, or by their 

 appearance promising well for the entomologist : — 



At Wexford I took Aporophyla australis, recorded already as oc- 

 curring on the Waterford and Wicklow coasts. The banks of the 

 Slaney above the town look promising. 



Tramore, both inland and on the cliffs and sand-hills, which latter 

 are clothed luxuriantly with a very diversified flora, offers many 

 attractions. Agrotis prsecox was most abundant in the larval stage, 

 but was decimated by ichneumons. 



Mine Head and Queenstown are very productive. The latter place 

 is the first Irish locality that has been recorded for the occurrence of 

 jS'euria sapouarise and Bryophila giandifera, v. par. This extremely 

 rare variety has been taken in scanty numbers by Mr. Warren, at Cam- 

 bridge, and Mr. Stainton is of opinion that it should be named 

 "Impar," as being distinct from the Continental "Par." Near 

 Queenstown it exists in greater abundance than at Cambridge, 

 nnd occurs (as is the case of the Continental variety) in company with 

 tlie ordinary type. 



