8 NATUEAL HISTOKY SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 



a while between its flights (" Ent. Monthly Magazine," vol. iii., 

 pp. 216, 239). 12th August, saw Cynthia cardui (painted lady), for 

 first time this year — four specimens, very fresh ; these insects are pro- 

 verbially uncertain in their appearance. I did not observe a tenth of 

 the number of them I had seen in 1868. Thecla quercus (the purple hair 

 streak), I found, but it was not common : one specimen I got in the 

 rocky gorge of Glenmalure, near a plantation of young oaks. 



The large Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata) swarmed in lanes in 

 the evenings (on one occasion a sweep of my net took in seven) ; the 

 females were not unfrequently noticed in gardens in the daytime. The 

 only object in collecting these was to try for varieties; but I was not 

 successful in getting any striking ones. 



I Was continually on the look out for the large Tortoiseshell Butterfly 

 (Vanessa polychloris), as a gentleman living near Newtownmountken- 

 nedy had told me they had occurred there. In August of 1866 he saw 

 them in numbers, mixed with red admirals (Vanessa atalanta) about fine 

 arbutus trees which grow before his house ; he was not collecting at the 

 time, but has since done so, and is certain there could have been no 

 mistake; he writes to me — " It was in August of 1866 that the large 

 tortoiseshells, mixed with the red admirals, were so plenty about our 

 house. There was no mistake about them, for they were as large as 

 the largest of the red admirals, and very much larger than the ordinary 

 small tortoiseshells, which are always in numbers about here. I was 

 not at the time collecting or I might easily have caught them to pre- 

 serve. In '67 the red admirals were scarce, and we thought we saw 

 one specimen of the large tortoiseshell. In '66 the large tortoiseshells 

 and the red admirals,' which were always mixed on the arbutus trees, 

 remained with us'lor some weeks, but I don't recollect how long." Mr. 

 Birchall puts a note of interrogation after the name of this insect as an 

 Irish one, and says — "A specimen seen near Galway in 1861 ; but, as 

 the insect was not captured, and has not been observed elsewhere, I 

 insert it doubtfully." — {Op. cit., p. 59). 



In the county Kilkenny, on 28th of August, I saw thirteen Colias 

 edusa (the clouded yellow butterfly) flying over clover fields, and 

 along the embankment of the Waterford and Kilkenny railway, near 

 where that line crosses the JSTore. This was the first day for their 

 appearance in that district. Tbe day was very warm, wind S. E., a 

 clear sky, and hot sun. I caught five out of the thirteen seen ; and, as 

 they were fresh, and therefore wild and strong on the wing, I earned 

 and enjoyed exceedingly a double swim across the Nbre. I soon dis- 

 covered that in working such a place as a railway bank it is much 

 better to wait in the course of the Edusa, as it flies up or down the line, 

 than to hunt it ; they seem, in most cases, to have a certain beat, regu- 

 lated apparently by the amount of sunshine and sbelter from the wind, 

 and by the profusion of flowers ; and up and down this course they go, 

 whereas, if hunted unsuccessfully, they are apt to go straight off as fast 

 and as far as they can from the disturbing cause. They do not mind a 

 stroke at them being missed, if you do not follow it up with a chase, 



