54 
PEOCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Emmelesia ericetario , Galway and Powerscourt. 
Eupithecia expalidaria , Powerscourt. 
„ pygmearia, Howth. 
Asopia flameulis, Galway. 
Botys fuscalis, Galway. 
,, pandalis, Galway. 
JELypena crassalis, Carrick-on-Suir. Dr. Carte. 
Bolypogon tarsicrinalis, Galway. Mr. More. 
Nola cucullalis , Powerscourt. 
It will be observed that the majority of the species are from Galway. 
The locality was not selected for investigation from any belief that it was 
likely to be peculiarly productive; on the contrary, the district between 
Galway and Gort, in which most of the insects were captured, is very 
scantily wooded, and presents a most unpromising aspect to the collector. 
But the fact that out of 102 species of Lepidoptera captured in the county 
of Galway during the past summer, 19 species (all of them conspicuous 
insects) are new to the Irish list, is conclusive evidence of its present 
very imperfect condition. In my opinion the island is, to a great extent, 
a terra incognita , and our list of Lepidoptera quite as long as it deserves 
to be for the amount of labour bestowed on the subject. 
Our list of butterflies is remarkable, both from containing species 
which might have been expected to fail in Ireland—such as Cratcegi , 
Betulce , and the two Colias, —but still more so from the absence of about 
six others— Adippe , Bolychloros, Calbum , Selene, Euphrosyne, and Al¬ 
veolus —which might have been confidently expected to occur from their 
almost universal diffusion in England, and to the powerful flight of at 
least three of which the channel would scarcely be a barrier. 
I suspect all six only want looking for. It will be time enough to 
lament the poverty of our Eauna when every nook and corner of the is¬ 
land is ransacked, by day and by night, as is the case in England, with 
the most surprising results, year after year. 
I wish to draw attention especially to the south-western district, 
which is almost entirely unexplored by the lepidopterist. Who will go 
up and possess it ? 
When the late Professor Edward Eorbes suggested the grand idea of 
the former connexion of Ireland and Spain by means of an ancient con¬ 
tinent stretching far out into the Atlantic, his theory was based mainly 
on botanical grounds; for, after stating that the west and south-west of 
Ireland is characterized by botanical peculiarities, dependent on the 
presence of about twelve prolific species of plants, and that the nearest 
point of Europe where these plants are native is the north of Spain, he 
adds, “ there is no evidence of any local assemblage of animals corre¬ 
sponding to this Elora.” 
The recent discovery of Antlvrocera Minos in the district, and appa¬ 
rently confined to it, proves that there are also traces of a peculiar Eauna, 
and leads me to anticipate that a diligent collector in the south-west 
would reap a rich harvest of novelties among the Lepidoptera. 
