238 
The Irish Naturalist. 
November, 
NOTES. 
ZOOLOGY. 
The Death's-head Moth in Northern Ireland. 
The Death's-head Moth and its caterpillars may be found in most 
summers in the southern counties of Ireland ; this year it has appeared 
in several northern localities. Besides the moth recorded by Rev. W. F. 
Johnson from Co. Armagh (pp. 225-6), a specimen was caught at Dowros, 
Co. Doneg'al, in September by Mr. F. B. Dixon, while a caterpillar was 
taken near Drogheda by Mr. W. Osborne. 
G. H. Carpenter. 
Royal College of Science, Dublin. 
Wasps preying on Sawfly Caterpillars. 
Early in the month of June, 1914, I noticed that the gooseberry bushes 
in my garden had been attacked by great numbers of grubs of the 
Gooseberry Saw-fly [Nematus ribesii). When taking steps to get rid of 
them by picking and spraying I noticed that these larvae were the subject 
of the attentions of various queen wasps. On examination these proved 
to be mainly Vespa rufa var. austriaca, together with V. norvegica and 
a very few V. germanica. About the 20th these queens were supplemented 
by numbers of workers of norvegica, and a few workers of vufa. I located 
one nest of the latter in the Botanic Gardens of Trinity College, about 
half a mile distant, but there must be many others in the neighbourhood. 
Later on I should expect that the males of V. rufa var. austriaca will 
be abundant here. I saw them in numbers on the flowers of Umbelliferae 
in Co. Wexford last year, during August. 
H. G. CUTHBERT. 
Dubhn. 
Skuas on Lough Arrow, Co. Sligo. 
I am informed by Mr. D. P. Hope Johnstone, of Laragh, Maynooth, 
Co. Kildare, that on June 6th, 1914, whilst fishing on Lough Arrow he 
observed and photographed a Long -tailed Skua. " The bird was 
exceedingly tame, and after the photos had been taken, and all the films 
used, it swam up within about six feet of the boat, and took a Mayfly 
on the water." He also observed a Richardson's Skua 9n May 31st, 
1914 ; "it flew past about eighty yards from the boat, and did not 
settle • the day was very stormy, and it was impossible to keep it under 
observation for long." Mr. Hope Johnstone asked me to make any use 
I liked of these records, so I send them, as they may be of sufficient 
interest to insert in the Irish Naturalist. 
Helen M. Metcalfe, 
Enfield, Co. Kildare. 
