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198.

Feb. 1938 cont.

The first flower of Chionodoxa opened on 26th which was the second warm soft day, with rain, after a cold dry spell of E. wind.

The first Red Saxifrage flowers also appeared on 26th in front garden & the first Daffodil flowered in back garden on same day, as well as the bush of Ribes americana (?) (= Flowering Currant!)


March 1938.

On 2nd March a honey bee seen in back garden.

On 3rd spent afternoon in Glenasmole, but a strong keen N.W. wind prevailed & nothing seen, but gnats & other small Dips.

On 5th, the fourth sunny day in succession, M.D.S. saw a [[female symbol]] Bombus terrestris in back garden at about 3.30 P.M. after watching there in sun for about an hour:  it flew first to the Flowering Currant, visiting the few flowers on same that were open:  it then let on the wall & sunned itself & investigated some crevices in the brick-work.  There had been a slight ground-frost on the previous night, 4th-5th!, & many  flowers of the almond & catkins of poplar lay on the footpath in Kenilworth Square & K. Rd., at 9 A.M.

[[marginalia]]  On 28th our frog was found in wash-tub in yard & turned out. [[/marginalia]]


199.

March 1938 cont.

6th.  A fine day with much hot sun after a dull early morning, but rather keen N.W. breeze.  Spent day pottering in & out of garden.  At 12.30 noon a [[female symbol]] Bombus (either lucorum or terrestris) flew over wall of back garden from road & after flying rather wildly back & forth went to Mediterranean Heath flowers just as Daisy came from house, when it flew back & forth quickly & then over the wall.  In the afternoon a Tortoiseshell Butterfly spent at least an hour sunning itself on the wall in back garden & M.D.S. saw a Bombus at an Almond Tree (in flower) at Sandymount when she went to visit Mrs. Coffey, a blind lady.  Noticed in garden that some kind (? Tits) had pecked the rotten stump where Crabro laecostomus [[strikethrough]] or Pemphredons [[/strikethrough]] were seen nesting last year  [See p.268, 14th June 1938 [[right arrow]] ]

9th March 1938.  Dull, windy (W) inclined to drizzle, mild.  In afternoon drove to Glenasmole, DU., & walked up to head of upper reservoir.  Saw one [[female symbol]] Bombus lucorum on flowers of Berberis near foot-bridge at Moore's.