The Irish Naturalist. 



Deceriiber. 



plant is more typical, having large robust compound spikelets at the base 

 of the flower spike, while in the Castle Bagot plant the lowermost spikelet 

 is alone compound and is much nearer C. remoia. A root from this 

 latter station in my garden produced two flower spikes this year, but 

 set no seed, which supports the supposed hybrid origin of the plant, 

 though at this place no C. vtdpina was seen within a mile of the spot. 

 At Malahide, the two parents (?) C. remoia and C. vulpina grow inter- 

 mixed ! 



A. W. Stelfox. 



National Museum, Dublin. 



ZOOLOGY, 



Abundance of Red Admiral Butterflies. 



i am sure everyone has noticed the extraordinary numbers of this 

 handsome butterfly [Pyranieis atalania) which appeared in October of this 

 year. I have been accustomed to see a few, generally in September, 

 but never have I seen such a crowd of them. They were everywhere, 

 but resorted especially to Michaelmas Daisies and Ivy blossom. It was 

 a glorious sight to see half a dozen or more of these lovely creatures, 

 expanding their wings in the sunshine as they sucked honey from the 

 flowers. With them were a few, very few, Small Tortoiseshells and 

 numbers of the Speckled Wood. I saw on October gth a Small White 

 butterfly {Pieris rapae), sitting on a stone on the roadside, looking very 

 much as if it had just emerged from its chrysalis, and could not quite 

 understand the position. I was not able to observe it further, but I expect 

 it soon found the use of its wings in the strong sunshine. 



I was told of a single Painted Lady butterfly {Pyrameis cardui) being 

 seen on some Michaelmas Daisies with the Red Admirals, but I did not 

 see any myself. One would have expected an invasion of these along 

 with the Red Admirals, but I have not heard of any number being seen. 

 Where all these Red Admirals came from I cannot conjecture. They 

 were fresh and unbattered, not at all like immigrants, so I suppose they 

 were natives brought on by the wonderful summer. 



W. F. Johnson. 



Poyntzpass. 



Two Aculeate Hymenoptera new to Ireland. 



In connection with my work in the Museum I have paid considerable 

 attention to this group of the Hymenoptera in the field during the past 

 summer. In this work I have been assisted by a small grant from the 

 Fauna and Flora Committee of the Royal Irish Academy. Amongst 

 my captures are two species new to the Irish Fauna — Agenia variegata L., 

 and Osmia aurulenta Panzer. The former belongs to the Fossores or 



