FEB 25 



VOL XXIX. 



COLEOPTERA IN CO. KERRY. 



BY OLIVER E. JANSON, F.E.S. 



In the February 19 14 number of the Irish Naturalist I gave 

 an account of a week's beetle collecting at Killarney in 

 1913, and, although I was not altogether satisfied with the 

 results, I saw sufficient of the district to convince me that 

 such a very varied and favourable looking country for insect 

 life would well bear further investigation, and the following 

 year I left London with the intention of making a more 

 prolonged stay, and had proceeded as far as Cork, where 

 I was devoting a few days to beetle hunting, when the great 

 war suddenly broke out, and to avoid the risk of being 

 detained there for an indefinite period I made a hurried 

 departure, being only just able to secure a passage back 

 to London by the last boat to leave the port until after 

 the declaration of peace. Last year circumstances enabling 

 me to arrange my vacation for an earlier and more favourable 

 time for Coleoptera, I decided to further explore the district 

 and arriving at Killarney on June 3rd I devoted nearly 

 the whole of the ensuing four weeks to collecting there 

 and in the more western part of Kerry. With the exception 

 of two or three days the weather unfortunately was dull, 

 cold, and very windy, and beetles being seldom seen in the 

 open had to be searched for in their hiding places, which 

 entailed much really hard work ; sweeping, which usually 

 yields the " largest bag," was seldom possible and very 

 unproductive. In spite of adverse weather conditions 

 I succeeded in taking about eight hundred specimens, 

 which upon being mounted and examined are found to 

 comprise three hundred and fifty-two species (besides a 

 few that I have been unable at present to definitely deter- 

 mine) and of these there are eight that are not included 



