784 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



XCYI. — Repoei on the Eis'tomology of ceetain Disieicts ts Ulstee. 

 By W. F. De V. ElAjfE, M. A. 



[Read, February 26, 1883.] 



The problems presented by the distribution of the Entomological 

 Eauna of the British Islands are not less interesting than the similar 

 ones "which have engaged the attention of scientific botanists ; but 

 owing to the neglect of the former study in Ireland, researches that 

 should have proceeded hand in hand, and thi'own mutual light on each 

 other, have been almost exclusively carried on by students of the latter 

 branch of JS'atui'al History. 



It is time that no certain conclusion can be drawn from the occur- 

 rence in this country of such insects as are capable of swift or long- 

 sustained flight, as necessarily indicating a former connexion by land 

 with Great Britain or France, such as Geological evidences point to. But 

 among the order of Heterocera (or moths) are numbers whose females 

 could not have flown across the Channel, some of them being apterous, 

 and others of very feeble powers of flight, or with very local or slug- 

 gish habits. 



The unaccountable ill success, moreover, which has hitherto attended 

 the efforts of many of our best Entomologists to introduce new species 

 perfectly suitable, in every respect, to new habitats where their food- 

 plant naturally abounds, deepens the obscurity of the problem. 



Some able Papers comparing the Irish with the Scotch Entomolo- 

 gical fauna (striking similarities between some of which were indi- 

 cated by llr. Birchall) have been written by Dr. Buchanan White, of 

 Perth ; but they deal with Diurnal Lepidoptera exclusively, which, 

 although our prevailing strong winds are from the S. W., may many 

 of them be credited with having crossed the Channel by flight. 



Since, therefore, careful and systematic investigations of our really 

 indigenous Lepidoptera may lead to very interesting conclusions, I 

 venture to suggest some directions in which Irish Entomologists might 

 well labour, so that reliable data may be available for scientific in- 

 quiry. 



In the first place it is, above all, necessary that the Catalogue of 

 Irish Lepidoptera, compiled by the Rev. Joseph Greene, and subse- 

 quently largely added to by llr. Birchall, should be thoroughly re- 

 vised, so that no name may appear of any species, the capture and 

 locality of which has not been vouched for either by one of these 

 gentlemen, or some other competent and reliable Entomologist. 



In the second place, it would be most advisable that fresh ground 

 should be worked, for hitherto collectors have confined their attention 

 almost exclusively to Killarney, the counties of Dublin and Wicklow, 

 and parts of Wcstmeath, Galway, and Mayo. 



